You’ve Been Accepted to Some Colleges, Now What?

You’ve written the essay, submitted the applications, and college decisions are now rolling in. It’s an exciting time, but if you didn’t choose early decision for your top school (a binding decision), you’ll have to narrow down the list. Here is what you should do next after you’ve received college acceptances.

• Celebrate! You’ve accomplished so much, so take time to enjoy the moment.
• Keep up your grades. While there is a bit of senioritis in all students, make sure your grades don’t slip too much that you risk getting your acceptance rescinded.
• Attend accepted student days. Every college has a day or two (typically in March/April) where they invite all accepted students to campus to learn more about the school. This is different than when you toured the school as it will be targeted only to those accepted. On this day you’ll meet potential friends/roommates and get a deeper understanding of the campus and major you want to pursue. At accepted student days colleges are trying to woo you to commit to the school, so they will put on the hard sell. However, it is a great opportunity to get final questions answered and see if it’s the right fit.
• Put down a deposit. If you have a school or two that you’re interested in, it’s a good idea to put down a housing deposit especially if the school has housing issues. While you may not get back the deposit if you choose not to attend, it may be worth it for peace of mind.
• Review the financials. The acceptance letter or a subsequent letter will explain the financial aid and/or merit you have received. Carefully review the total costs of attendance to ensure the final billable cost is financially feasible. You don’t want to get a surprise after you’ve committed when you get the final bill in August and realize you can’t afford it.
• Make a list of pros/cons. If you are having trouble making a decision between schools, list all the pros and cons. Visit all schools, try out the food, connect with some current students or even alumni, and join social media groups to meet local students in your area. Some schools may also allow you to shadow a student for a day in the life, which can be a great way to get a real feel for college life.

Once you have made your school choice, here are the next steps:

• Put down a deposit by May 1.
• Decline other offers (while not necessary it’s a nice gesture).
• Access/set up your student portal. The portals will have everything you need, like medical forms, orientation dates, housing preferences, and roommate search questionnaires. You may also need to take placement exams for subjects such as math or a language. 
• Sign up for classes. This typically happens over the summer, but you can browse potential classes before. 
• Communicate with your high school guidance counselor to submit your final transcript.
• Send official SAT/ACT scores if you self-submitted and AP scores.
• Keep up with school emails, as you will get many of them with specific deadlines.
• Start buying what you need. It’s a good idea to spread out the purchases so you don’t incur all the costs of supplies at once, and look for sales like Amazon Prime Day in July. Check out our list of what to buy for college for some suggestions.