Transcription
Marta: Hi, I’m Marta Moore and I go to UVA.
Janet: And I’m Janet Schirm and I go to Princeton.
Marta: And today we’re going to talk about what to do after you hear back from colleges.
Janet: So, I don’t know about you, but I, when I first heard about the various acceptances and deferrals, and well just denials as well from colleges, I thought I was going to have a very tough decision. Actually I immediately started talking to some people I knew at the colleges just to get their opinions on what they thought of the schools, even though I had already done my research, and I just took a couple of days to really think about it. For many people it’s really good to go visit the school.
Marta: Even if you went to visit the school before you applied, it’s good to go back and visit again because after you’re accepted, it’s kind of like a whole new perspective- that you could actually be there come fall semester.
Also, try not to make your decisions based on what your friends are doing or significant others or older friends where they’re at college, try and just think about yourself first, and then after if you end up with some of your friends that’s great and if you don’t then you’re going to meet a lot of new people.
Janet: Yeah, and as Marta was saying, it’s really important that you go back to the school again. Whether it be for the official visit where they often have students that they have selected to allow to come to the school, whether you go with them, or whether it’s your own visit which may be better because then you’ll be there on a weekend where the campus is full of life where everything is going on just like it normally would when you’re spending your time there, so that might be the best time to just see campus, see it when normal day to day activity is going on.
Marta: And if the organized school day where all the admitted students go doesn’t have an overnight stay, it might be good to try and stay with a friend overnight if you know someone on campus already to try and get a feel for the dorm rooms, the dining halls, like what activities go on when classes aren’t happening and that kind of stuff.
Janet: Yeah, and also if you’re thinking about you know maybe playing a sport or even a specific major or something, it would be great to go see someone who is also playing that sport or just go watch a game as well, something that you may be involved in.
Marta: And try not to make your decision at the last minute, I know for me I made it basically the last day, and it’s really stressful, so try and take time before May first comes around and make lists and think about the pros and cons of each school and make your decision slowly but don’t feel pressured at the end because that could end up in a bad decision.
Janet: Yeah, I was about to say as well actually, a pro/cons list is a very good idea. That’s what I started doing right away, the first couple of days after hearing back from colleges I started panicking and I just started making a list and it helped me really focus on what I was looking for in each college and what I really liked for each of my options. So, hope this helps.
Marta: Yeah.
