Struggling to Choose Between Colleges? Here’s How to Decide

Getting accepted into college is a huge relief, a sign that your hard work has paid off and your accomplishments have been recognized. Most students will be accepted into more than one college or university. You may receive acceptances from three, four, five, or even more of the schools you applied to.

Having choice is great, but it creates its own challenges. You will need to commit to one of their colleges over the others, even if multiple have exciting opportunities.

In this blog, we provide a few tips on how you might make this all-important decision of which college to attend. We highlight a few qualities and offerings you might look for—including the degree offerings, financial aid, campus life, and admitted student events—so that you feel confident with the decision you made and are ready for the next step in your academic journey. 

1. Compare Financial Aid

The first and most obvious step in making a decision is to look at more practical questions: What are the costs of these options and what are the colleges offering me to make it affordable?

To start, break down the costs involved with college. You can look at the tuition fees, room and board, meal plans, and books. You may also look at personal expenses, such as transportation. Count up all of the expenses so you aren’t surprised by any unexpected costs and remember that increases in tuition price average roughly 3.6% per year.

Take a look at what options you have to pay for those expenses. Beyond any resources you and your family may have, look at the financial aid offers. Are your options offering any scholarships and grants? You might also look at what aid is available through the government and other bodies. Do you have access to work-study or loans?

Try to subtract aid from the overall costs and, once you have the final numbers in front of you, think about the long-term financial implications. For example, if attending one college requires you to agree to substantial loans, you may want to ask yourself if you are prepared to handle repayment plans post-graduation. You may also look at what your salary could look like post-graduation for most in your field.

At the end of this step, you should have a sense of what college will cost and your ability to meet it.

2. Revisit Your Degree Plan

The next question you can ask yourself when looking at colleges is: How does this correspond to my degree plan?

As you start this next phase of your life, you should have some sense of the kinds of things you want to do in college. Even if you plan to enter college as Undecided, you will have interests and passions, classes that interest you. 

These can be basic: Do you see yourself wanting to pursue the arts? Do you see yourself working in a lab? In what kind of field might you be happiest and most fulfilled?

Having asked and answered these questions, you can then go to the websites of the colleges you are interested in. Look at the departments they have that relate to your interests and determine what they offer. If you have a particular major in mind, see what required courses and electives you would be expected to take. Do you see yourself pursuing these? Which of your colleges offers better opportunities?

If you want to take this work a step further, you can look at additional material such as faculty expertise, departmental resources, and institutional connections. Some universities may be well-known for having a particularly accomplished researcher on faculty while others may have connections that can lead to internships, fellowships, and study-abroad opportunities.

3. Explore Campus Life

If you are still unsure about colleges after looking at the degree offerings and finances, you might try to compare the campuses themselves. In short: What kind of student life are you looking for?

Colleges come in all forms. Some universities are large, containing 20,000 students or more. Others are very small and tight-knit, with only a few hundred people per class. They vary by atmosphere (e.g. urban, suburban, rural), location (e.g. West Coast, Southern, Midwestern), and “vibe” (e.g. schools where sports are big versus those known primarily for academics). 

Consider what it is that you want in a college, where you see yourself as thriving. If you want a college with a lot of student organizations and clubs, you may want to compare your options to see which offer the clubs that are most appealing to you. If you want to be located in a big city where you might enjoy various aspects of city life, you might pursue that instead.

This can also serve as an opportunity to think critically about housing, dining, and transportation. If, for example, you lack a car and worry about feeling “trapped” on campus, then attending an extremely rural and isolated college may not be ideal for you.

As a final step, we highly recommend visiting the campuses of each school that accepted you one more time to get a fresh perspective on what they look like. It may offer you a greater sense of understanding than simply visiting their websites.

4. Take Advantage of Admitted Student Events

Colleges that extend offers to admission do so with the hope that students will actually attend. Knowing that students are often weighing competing offers, they often offer a variety of in-person and virtual admitted-student days to let prospective students experience campus life first hand.

These opportunities are a great way for students to get further information about their college. They may offer a chance to meet with current students and professors to get an insider perspective. Students can use these events to ask questions about academics, student support services, and career opportunities.

We highly recommend taking advantage of these events to compare colleges side by side and see which one feels like the better fit. The worst thing that can happen at an event is that you do not enjoy your time there, which is an indication that maybe the college is not the right fit for you.

5. Trust Your Gut

After considering all these factors, the last thing students can do is to simply trust themselves. 

Having considered academic offerings, cost, campus life, and the events the colleges themselves offer, you have the information you need to take the next step. You will know where you need to go to excel academically, socially, and personally.

Always remember that there is no “wrong” choice. You should pick the school that is best-fit for you.

***

We at Class 101 know this is an exciting and stressful time for any student. It is important to take your time and consider the various factors at play as well as what your own personal priorities are. Whatever you choose, your college will offer you opportunities for success and achievement. 

If you are struggling with a decision, there is nothing wrong with asking for help, whether that be with your guidance counselor, mentor, or family. If you would like support from Class 101, we are happy to meet with you to discuss your decision further.