You opened the long-awaited Dream School email, and it’s the news you were hoping for. You’re in! Accepted Students Day? Pshaw. You don’t need to wait for that. You can just accept the offer now and send the deposit ASAP. Right? Unless you applied Early Decision, we suggest you wait—at least long enough to read this article. What’s another 2-3 minutes. Right?
Accepted Students Day
You may wonder why you should visit this school again when you were so sure before. You looked for the important things and asked all the important questions months ago. True. But that was different. Accepted Students Day dives more into the nitty gritty and allows you to see who else is visiting. Check out the students in attendance. Unlike regular college tours that include students not necessarily interested in that school, Accepted Students Day, is comprised of those who have this school high on their list. Can you imagine yourself being friends with them? What vibe are you getting from the school on this day?
We’ll take it one step further. Visit your second and third choice schools as well. The atmosphere on Accepted Students Day lets you get a better feel of the school atmosphere. What are they prioritizing? What clubs do they have? What is the focus of their speeches? Many schools also split you up by major. If you get a taste of a class, is this what you imagined?
Digging Deeper Into Academic Opportunities
A big reason you probably picked this school is because of your intended major. Before you commit, you should dig deeper. Are there summer opportunities or internships available to freshmen? Are most of the classes taught by professors or TA’s? What about the offer the college made? Were you accepted into an honors program or provided with a similar prestigious opportunity? It’s very possible your second, or even third choice, may not have initially seemed to be ranked as highly for your intended major. However, if they are offering you more opportunities for hands-on experience or providing other ways you can shine, they are worth considering.
Scholarships
We have had clients who were ecstatic to get into their dream school. Unfortunately, the scholarship packages left much to be desired. If you are offered a full ride or 50% tuition elsewhere, will the extra money you will be paying at DREAM INSTITUTION yield the final result you want? Will the education be better? Will the opportunities upon graduation and during your time at the school exceed the financial difference?
Final Thoughts
If, at the end, you decide your dream school is not the utopia you dreamt it to be, that’s okay. It may take time to abandon the idea you had in your head, but think of it as growing up and maturing. You evaluated the new information you had and chose the best option. You will be doing more of this in the years to come. Plus, now you’re on your way to making a new dream work. And how exciting is that?
Caring College Consulting 
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