SPRING 2015
Feature
Admission Decisions are Coming!
PAGE 8
Nicole McLendon Spring is a daunting time of year when high school seniors wait in both
Staff Writer
incomparable excitement and crippling fear, either having their dreams
fulfilled or crushed.
College acceptances and rejections. It’s an odd feeling, the wanting to hear right away
and not wanting to know at all happening simultaneously inside stressed out teenagers. Either way, it’s important to be prepared and know what to do when those emails, letters, and
phone calls start to come in.
Just remember, no matter where you go to college, or if you even go at all, not going to an
Ivy League or your dream school is not the end-all be-all. You make your future, not a degree. Good luck to you soon-to-be high school graduates!
If you’re accepted... If you’ve decided...
□ Wait to hear back from all of your colleges □ Talk it over with...
(if possible) before committing
□ Know all the different deadlines
□ Compare the different colleges
- Tuition and other costs
- Financial aid/scholarships
- Living on/off campus or at home
- Culture and environment
- Clubs
- Do they have what you want?
- Can you create your own?
- location
- Urban? Suburban? Rural?
-Size?
- On-campus activities/attractions
- How are the dorms?
- What’s the food like?
- Off-campus activities/attractions
- Easy public transportation?
- Academics
- Does it have your top major?
- Double major? Minor?
- General education courses
- Work opportunities
- Internships
- Work-study
- Career fairs
- Help/connections to jobs
- Alumni
- Teachers
- Counselors
□ Visit the different campuses, if you have
the money and time.
- ...family members
- If your parents or someone else is
helping to pay, make sure they’re on
board with your decision
- ... school counselors
- ... current students at the university or
alumni
-How is/was their experience?
□ Make your decision!
□ Fill out all the proper paperwork and get in
your decision by the deadline!
□ Contact the rejected colleges
- Let them know ASAP so they can offer
your spot (and possible financial aid) to a
waitlisted student.
□ Maintain your grades/keep them C or
above
- If you’re normally an A student and get a
C in a class, you may need to explain the
drop in grades to the college
□ Don’t switch out from any difficult classes
in favor for easier ones, such as AP Physics
to Yoga
- If you have a reason for switching out,
be sure to message the college about it
in a timely manner.
□ If you do receive a warning letter, respond
with an explanation for the change in
grades or classes, and promise to rectify
the situation (and actually follow through)
□ Graduate high school!