At this point in the year, seniors are in the process of hearing back from all the colleges they applied to. Many students are fortunate to get accepted to multiple colleges; these students will spend the coming weeks deliberating over which school to attend by May 1st, “National College Decision Day.” To get to that final decision, they will weigh the advantages and disadvantages of available options, hear input from family and friends, and try to tune out the relentless choir of well-meaning acquaintances asking about their plans for next year. This decision-making process can be stressful given the high stakes associated with the outcome, all of the variables to consider, and the sometimes conflicting voices from their support system. With that, students can feel paralyzed with fear of making the ‘wrong’ choice or default to going to a school where friends also plan to attend rather than being thoughtful and reflective about which school is the right fit. 

Counselors offer an impartial perspective, wisdom from experience, and knowledge of important resources to support students through this process. And, most importantly, they can provide students with a sounding board to help them prioritize the variables they feel are most important and discern which college really has the constellation of characteristics that is best for them.

Guiding Seniors Through the Decision-Making Process

With all that comes with receiving a college acceptance letter, students can feel a rush of emotions. Feelings of excitement and relief can shift to feelings of anxiety and confusion, and those emotions can cycle around and around. Some students will struggle to even know how to process the information, what to consider when making their choice, and how to make the ‘right’ decision. To support seniors in making their college choice, counselors can:

Help Students Identify Important Variables:

‍Counselors can work with students to collect their thoughts by inviting them to compare options across different variables. In some ways, this is similar to going back to the basic considerations of their initial college search so they can identify the most important details. Asking students about the things that were important to them in those initial searches can provide context for how the lenses they should use to consider their options. Students might highlight the financial aid packages, availability of degree programs for any possible area of interest, distance from home, extracurricular opportunities, and how it felt to be on campus if they were able to visit. Organizing thoughts across primary considerations allows students to more objectively identify which school is the best choice and provide justifications for them as they communicate their thinking to family and friends. 

Support Students in Overcoming Obstacles:

‍If it becomes evident that one particular variable is the block to a student feeling confident about a decision, encourage them to think about what can be done. If a financial aid package, for example, offers more at one school than another, suggest that the student and their family request an appeal and negotiate. If a school feels too far away, encourage students to think about how they could get rides to visit home. Or, if a school feels too close to home, encourage students to have open conversations about boundaries, especially for the first few months. Sometimes, bringing concerns to the surface and talking through ways to solve the issues allows it to shift from a barrier to a more neutral point of consideration. 

Encourage Students to Learn More:

‍After students receive college acceptance letters, it can be helpful to have them more deeply consider the options before making their final choice. Counselors can encourage students to visit the campus once they are admitted. During the visit, seniors might meet with current students, sit in a lecture, and even stay overnight. Seeing the campus, knowing that it is a real option, can provide additional layers of assurance that a certain school is (or is not) the right choice. If a visit is financially not a possibility, counselors can connect students with potential support to fund these campus trips. They can also encourage students to connect digitally with current students and take a virtual tour. Seniors might also follow colleges on social media, read recent editions of the school newspaper, or connect with any current or former students at the college, possibly even some alumni from their high school. All of these opportunities allow a student to gain a better perspective on what college life is like at particular schools of interest.   

Work With Students Who Are Feeling Stuck:

‍If students do not get into any of the schools they apply to, counselors might share a list of colleges still accepting applications and encourage students to find a couple of options that appeal to them. Some students might benefit from a year or two at a local community college. Counselors can connect students to information and resources about local schools and share with them that a community college can be a good strategic choice both academically and financially before transferring to a 4-year school. And for students who are placed on a waitlist and are struggling to balance excitement over a potential option with building enthusiasm for a school they have been accepted to, counselors can offer important perspective. While the wait can feel long and emotionally taxing, the right choice will emerge. Counselors might suggest to students ways to improve their chances of acceptance, like retaking standardized tests or submitting a portfolio. Counselors can help students who are waitlisted to get excited about their other options, too, alleviating some of the stress of waiting for what might be.

The Importance of Building Excitement and Framing Success 

Making a decision about which college to attend can be an emotional and exhausting process. The process very often includes letters of rejection to schools students were excited about in addition to the acceptances. Other times, financial aid packages do not provide enough support for a student to attend a preferred school. And, for some students, having to decide between multiple options can be debilitating all on its own. 

Whatever the reasons, one of the most impactful ways counselors can support students in their decision-making process is to help them feel confident in their choice. These decisions are rarely made lightly, and each student’s final decision is a reflection on who they are and who they hope to be. Counselors can work with students to frame this milestone as the capstone on years of hardwork in high school and the beginning of the rest of their lives–a moment in time worth acknowledging and celebrating.  

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