Choosing a College Amid the Chaos

by Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D.

It’s easy to forget about some of the day-to-day happenings in our lives lately, but despite the unusual events going on around us, this is still the time of year many high school seniors are making plans for college. The last few colleges will be sending out admissions decisions, and since seniors have had the last week off, they’ve had plenty of time to wait, wonder, and worry.

It’s time to put that energy to good use in putting together plans for a bright future. As college-bound seniors and their families consider their options, it’s important to keep these factors in mind:

Read the letters colleges are sending you with care. Many colleges are sending admissions decisions out right now, and it’s important that you read them from start to finish. If you’ve been accepted, the letter will talk about what to do next, and when you need to pay your enrollment deposit and housing deposit—and those may have different deadlines. If you’ve been waitlisted—where the college is still considering your application, but hasn’t admitted you yet— the letter will tell you if you need to let the school know you still want to be considered for admission. If you’ve been denied, the letter could let you know about transfer options you could pursue in the coming years. In any case, reading the entire letter is important.

Most colleges are still accepting applications. If the letters you get from colleges leave you thinking twice about your college options, consider starting over. For some reason, people think colleges stop taking applications around April 1, even if the college still has plenty of room for more students. That simply isn’t the case-- nearly every college would be happy to take your application now, and in many cases, as late as August. Some colleges may not be accepting students in certain majors, but call the college admissions office and ask. The answer will likely surprise you.

Many families need to update their financial aid applications, or file one. Many families invest in the stock market to save for college, and the ups and downs of the market may find many families in a different place than they were when their senior applied to college last fall. The financial aid budgets of most colleges haven’t been affected by these changes—that’s likely to happen next year—but a college can’t help a family who needs more financial support if the family doesn’t let them know their situation has changed.

In all my years as a college counselor, the single hardest part of my work is getting families to call financial aid offices. I can understand why—family finances are a pretty personal thing—but if you think the market has changed the college you can afford, it’s time to pick up the phone. If your senior has been admitted to college, that college wants to do everything they can to make sure you can afford to let them attend—you just have to let them. Pick up the phone, and make the call. They’ll tell you what they need to know.

Consider starting at one college and finishing at another. For better or worse, colleges have seen these same tough financial times very recently, with the recession of 2008. One of the many options many students took advantage of was starting their college career at one school—one a little less expensive, and usually closer to home—then transferring after a year or two to the college of their choice. This has a lot of advantages, since it allows the student to start their college career and keep their academic skills sharp, while giving their college fund a breather, and allowing the stock market time to recover its losses, making the last two years of college at a pricier school more affordable.

If transferring seems like a choice for you, you want to make a call to the school where you plan on finishing your college experience. Most colleges take transfer students, but not all of them, so you’d need to know that. You’ll also want to know which classes to take at your first college that will count towards the degree you want to get from your second college—and the best way to know that is to ask the college that’s giving you the degree.

Talk to your school counselor. If there’s ever a time to run your ideas past someone who can help you make a strong college choice, it’s now. Even if you don’t know your school counselor well, they can help you sort out your options, and even mention some you haven’t considered. Yes, most counselors have way too many students, but with school closed, they have more time than ever to learn more about you, and help you decide where to go from here. Most counseling offices are offering ways to reach out to your counselor. Check your high school’s website, and that should get you going.

It might be hard to see just when life will be back to business as usual, but when it is, you want to make sure your plans are on track to move forward with your life in the best way you can. Taking the time to revisit your college plans is the best way to do that.