The College Fit

One thing I’ve noticed in the last few days is the number of blogs and posts about making the college choice as May 1st looms large…this is the day for high school seniors to make their final college choice, make a deposit and also let the other schools know that they won’t be attending.

After my 5th year of working with high school seniors, I can say that the choice isn’t always an easy one; however after going through the process, students seem to be more mature, more thoughtful, and yes, even better at making decisions. This is the reason that I feel taking the time to go through the process of self-reflection, goal-setting, drafting a college list, visiting schools and finally returning to the decision itself, makes so much sense. Today we have to make so many different decisions, even in one day, that doing the work to get to the “end result” is actually worth doing.

The common theme that is running along the blog scene is that there isn’t really only ONE college that is the right fit for any prospective student; it is the effort made to get to know themselves better and really be honest about what they want, that will help steer them in the right direction. There are many other factors that weigh in- risk taking, hard work, making connections, and a bit of luck all come into play.

So, for those making their final decisions, and for those who are but only a year away, remember that the most important thing is knowing that you can’t control the outcomes in life, but that you will give it your best shot!