What Is the Best School for Me?

Decision time! Most colleges send acceptances by April 1 and expect you to respond by May 1, unless you applied for early acceptance or early decision. Check the dates to confirm. That means you have about one month to zero in on some very important questions:

• If you have been accepted by more than one school, which one will you attend?
• If you were accepted by a single school, are you ready and willing to go there?
• Is the financial aid award enough to meet your needs?
• If you did not receive the acceptance or financial aid you were hoping for, does it make sense to defer enrollment for a year while you build your savings, or attend a community college to improve your grades and skills?

Take a deep breath, count to 10, and remind yourself: You’re in charge here. Now is the time to put everything together and calmly decide what works best for you.

Step 1: Think about what’s important.

People hope for different things from a college. Use this checklist to think about which issues are most important to you.

Step 2: Ask the tough questions.

Use this checklist of tough questions to investigate how each of the colleges you are considering meets your goals on each of the four issues.

Step 3: Compare your options.

• Complete a column in the checklist of tough questions for each college or university you are considering.
• Highlight any areas where one option stands out. Is this a strong reason to attend this school?
• Use a different color to highlight any problem areas or holes. Are these areas that you identified as important to you? If so, is this a strong reason to drop the school from consideration? Or are there other ways to work around the problem?

Step 4: Make the commitment.

When you’ve decided which college you want to attend, the tough work is behind you — but you still have some important details to take care of. Read your acceptance materials again and make a note of all the things you need to do and their deadlines. Use this checklist to get organized.

Get the Support You Need

Going to college is a big adjustment, so as you decide what college to attend, think about what kind of support you might need when you arrive on campus. See tips for assessing the level of support at your colleges and a list of colleges with a track record of success for helping DC students graduate.