D-Day
FOR ANY TEENAGER bound for higher education, it is always a relief to receive acceptance letters from various schools.Yet, for all the advice that shows how to create a standout application, there is little that addresses what to do when the hard work pays off: How does one evaluate and select the right college or university, and what happens if a student is placed on a waitlist?
When you are faced with multiple college admissions letters, first you have to honestly examine yourself as a prospective college student and decide what your priorities are to determine the best fit, said Eric Greenberg, founder and director of the Greenberg Educational Group, Inc., an educational service center.
By evaluating different personal criteria, which can emphasize everything from academics and class size to social factors, tuition and distance from home, students can narrow down a more targeted group of potential colleges.
These remaining schools merit more scrutinyand some mileage, whether real or virtual. Most experts agree that visiting, or revisiting, these schools will be hugely helpful in the decision process.
Being in the school environment is the best way to determine where you will thrive over the next four years, said Melissa Present, director of admissions at the Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies at The Jewish Theological Seminary.
Another bonus to visiting campus is that you can talk with current students and other accepted students. By meeting the people you will be sitting next to in classes, campus meetings and eventually networking with as alumni, you will get a clear picture of what you will gain from attending each university being evaluated.
During a second visit, accepted students usually see the school in a different light. Greenberg explains that factors like weather or even the enthusiasm level of the campus tour guide can color a students perception of a school. Tova Tolman, associate director of undergraduate admissions at Fordham University, echoed this.
Every school is great when it is 70 degrees and sunny, but if you like a school when it is raining as well then you know it