I write this on April 7th. The colleges have released all of their decisions and the next leg of the admissions season puts the ball in the students’ court. Now the colleges are on pins and needles, hoping to fill their class and meet their institutional enrollment priorities.
If you know a senior in high school, there is a chance they might have several acceptances and have to decide which lucky school will get them as a student on their campus. This can be challenging!
I was talking with a family friend last week about their choices for college (I did not work with them prior to this conversation). I shared some ideas about how to approach their decision and I thought the information I gave them might be useful for other families trying to decide. Here are few things to consider as your student makes a final choice:
- Location-Is the location/climate/distance from home of this school comfortable for you? How will you get back and forth to school? Is this manageable for you and your family in terms of cost and logistics? Does the climate work for you? Is it an urban or rural and environment and how do you feel about each of those?
2. Cost-College costs are like airplane tickets, rarely are two people paying the same amount of money. Add up room/board/tuition/fees at each school so you can compare apples to apples. (Colleges compute Cost of Attendance which included the expenses I listed plus books, personal expenses and travel. I suggest you eliminate those numbers from your calculations as they can vary dramatically between schools.) Subtract any grants or scholarships: this is your bottom line number. Is there a school that is notably more expensive or one that offers meaningful affordability?
3. Class Size-Take a look at the average class size at each school. Do they have giant lecture halls or Socratic-style class discussions? Think about your learning style and what will work best for you.
4. AP/IB/DE Credit-If you have credit from high school for AP classes, IB coursework or Dual Enrollment work, take a look and see how each college will evaluate this work for credit. (Google college name + AP credit and a table should pop up) Some schools might give you a substantial amount of credit that could sway your decision. Others might use those credits to waive you out of lower level classes.
5. Housing-While some schools require you to live on campus all four years and others do not guarantee any housing, most colleges land somewhere between these two extremes. Take a look at how each school handles housing and see if the requirements and offerings work for you. And if you think you will live off campus, take a look at what those costs look like. Finding an apartment is a contact sport in some metropolitan areas!
6. Academic Programs-Take a deep dive on the college websites to learn more about specific majors. Most schools have a course sequence or curriculum available on their websites. Is there an interesting study abroad program related to the major? Is the Economics program more math-based or focused on marketing? It there a 4+1 Master’s Degree available in an an area of interest to you? You can learn important details about how a college structures their majors/minors, learn about dual degree programs that they offer and see if their approach works for you.
Finally, go get on campus! It is an entirely different experience to step on a campus as an admitted student. You will have an increased level of confidence and a different perspective than when you visit as a prospective applicant. Go see the school, feel the vibe and determine if it is a place that you can thrive. Good luck!