It’s time to start preparing for the important decision of selecting the right college. Many students I’ve helped have already begun narrowing down their list of colleges to apply to. Some have even created a matrix to help them manage their college application workload effectively.
Your college applications are in, the schools are evaluating them and will be providing a decision soon. Some key factors to revisit since you developed you application college list to get to which college you would like to attend.
Help Yourself by Putting Together a Way to Help Make That Final Decision
Over the years, I have assisted students in determining which colleges they are going to commit to. My recommendation is to start this process early! Why is this important? If you plan to go out of state or live on campus, housing arrangements begin early. Missing out on housing options can impact your final decision. Be sure to review the housing options for each college and look for refundable deposits. If a deposit is non-refundable, be prepared to either pay and lose your deposit or take a risk and wait until later.
Use this time to help put together a helpful way to evaluate all of the colleges that you want to attend. A simple pro/con list is very helpful at this time. A funny thing happens when you blindly sit back and list pros and cons for each college.
- Bias may arise from merely listing items off the top of your head. It is natural – after completing the exercise, take a moment to review your lists. You will notice it! This is acceptable, as this is just a basic pros and cons list.
- Take the time to determine the total cost of for each college. Each institution should provide a of expenses, including housing, food,, and miscellaneous costs. If you are traveling out of state, it is advisable to estimate the costs associated with traveling to and from school as well.
- Do not forget to consider the weather and the community of the school as a whole. Many times, a student will come in review their list with me, and I will ask about the weather. Is the weather going to be an issue?
There may be a college or two that stay on the list or get removed. Narrowing down your choices could assist you with the housing deadlines.
Final Decision Matrix
I advocate for data-driven decision-making. Upon receiving your college admissions decisions, you can compile your decision matrix.
I have created a weighted decision matrix that I will share. Simply use the contact me form, and I will send you my copy for you to use or modify.
