Congratulations! You’ve been accepted to college. Now, what do you do? After picking the college of your dreams, there are a few things you should know and do. All your hard work has paid off, and you will continue to follow your passion in college!
We suggest not worrying too much about picking the perfect college but rather, the perfect college for YOU. If you need help making your final college decision, here are our recommendations.
What to Do After Getting Accepted to College
Say you got accepted into more than one college and now you have to weigh your options, sooner or later you’ll have to make a final decision. It’s important to narrow down your options based on college difficulty and tuition. Your dream college is right in your hands, why not take the opportunity? Let’s go over the best ways to figure out which college is right for you.
Ask more questions
Although you may have done extensive research on the colleges on your list, ask more questions! Dig deeper into what you want to know about the college that may help you make a decision.
Some questions to ask these colleges are:
- What percent of freshmen return after the first year? How many graduate?
- Do students feel at home here?
- What do extracurricular activities at this school look like? What are my options?
- What is the school of [major/interest] like?
It’s important to communicate with more than just the admission officers during this process. Talk to the students and employees as well as the staff. There are always more ways to get information. The college’s website is also a great determining factor and an amazing source of information.
Visit the campus
If you haven’t already, you should visit the campuses of the colleges you got accepted into. This is a major factor that will help you decide if you like the atmosphere. When you are able to experience a little bit of what the campus is like, then you can get an idea of what your next four years will consist of.
While on campus, you can list the pros and cons in your head and ask students what the atmosphere is like. This is one of the easiest ways to help determine if you like the college or not.
Pros and cons between colleges
One of the most common ways to compare your options is to make a pros and cons list. Write down what you liked and didn’t like about each college you received an acceptance from.
Ask yourself questions like:
- How did you feel when you visited each campus?
- Do these colleges match your list of must-haves?
- Can you imagine yourself successful and happy here?
- Do they sell ice cream on-campus?
Schedule a free consultation
Contact us to schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss your college counseling or career coaching needs.
Financial aid offers
Another factor to consider is tuition. If your receive financial aid, you can venture out to colleges that you believed might have been out of reach. This is the appropriate stage to bring your parents in and talk through it. They might be able to give you additional information about your finances that can narrow down your decision.
Time to make a decision
Taking the time to decide on a big decision like this one is expected. You certainly don’t have to make a decision overnight, but it is important to choose the best one for you. There are even colleges that don’t require you to decide until May.
Though keep in mind that colleges are very serious about their deadlines. So even if you’ve made a choice, make sure to get your deposit in on time or you’ll risk losing your spot.
Make it official
The time has come! You have decided on which college you’re attending. Now you have to send out your acceptance and decline letters.
- A deposit
- Additional required documents
- Your acceptance letter
- Acceptance letter for financial aid (if applicable)
What to do after you’ve accepted a college
- Set up your college email
- Follow your college social media accounts
- Sign up for freshman orientation
- Finalize financial aid
- Get in touch with your roommate (if applicable)
These are all important things to stay on top of, especially to ensure you have a smooth transition to your new home. You don’t want to have to stress out about anything while you are making the big move.
What if I’m not accepted anywhere?
There are a few different routes you can take if you are not accepted into the colleges you originally applied to. The first thing we recommend is to keep your head up!
There could be colleges accepting applications for Rolling Decision, apply to those! A college won’t close its application window until they’ve filled up all of its spots for the class. Double and triple-check your application to ensure that it showcases the best narrative.
Another thing you can consider is attending a local community college. With qualified classes, you can still stay on track and transfer to a 4-year college down the road. Plus, you’ll be able to save some money!
Lastly, if the first two options don’t pan out, you can always take a gap year. Consider getting a job instead to save up some money, or travel during this break of school. Then get back on track to apply to colleges again. Stick with it!
Summarizing college acceptance
Again, we congratulate all the students that were accepted into college and are following their goals. We hope you have picked the perfect college for you and have an easy transition into your new home. Don’t forget to send in your acceptance letters on time and send out any declining letters as well. We wish you the best of luck!
