May 1st is almost upon us! Days are dwindling until students planning to enroll in US colleges and universities must declare their enrollment and submit a deposit (one deposit, by May 1!). Lately, I have been speaking with many students and families about the pros and cons of different universities. Sometimes, there is an obvious choice, sometimes you might have ‘no’ choice because of a binding Early Decision application, but for many other students, the decision-making process about which institution to ultimately enroll in is not so cut-and-dry. 

Especially in a year when most students did not have a chance to visit colleges before applying or even before enrolling, we encourage students to proactively research and learn about their options, make lists of their own priorities and questions, and then attend accepted student webinars, reach out to the admissions office, or reach out to the individual departments and professors. There are avenues to learn and get more information, and you should! This makes for a decision-making process that is more objective and less reliant on subjective peer group feedback.