Declining an Acceptance…

Yes you read that correctly, declining an acceptance.  You got into your first choice, congratulations!  Now you need to tell those other schools that you got into that you won’t be attending their schools.  This can be very awkward, but it has to be done.  You may have been tucking the letters and invites to their open houses away or even throwing them out, but you need to be upfront with the school and let them know that you will not be attending.

There are a couple ways that you can do this, one way would be to call the admissions office and tell them that you have chosen another school.  You could also send them a polite email stating that you will be going elsewhere.  No matter how you handle things, they will ask you to explain your decision and to tell them where you will be attending.  Obviously, be honest with them.  If you think your school has better academics, tell them.  If you think that your school has a better campus, tell them.  You’re not trying to impress them anymore, just be honest.  It’s very awkward and uncomfortable, but thank them for their interest in you and move on.  You’re going to a school that you picked out for yourself.

Scholarships

Paying for college is the scariest part, I think, about getting that higher education.  Many people take out way too many student loans and end up in debt for just about ever.  That’s why there are so many scholarships made available.  Most likely your college will have a “merit scholarship” which is the amount of money that they think that you deserve based on your academics.  You may play a sport, and if the school is not a D3 school, that will also get you some scholarship money.  Maybe you got a music scholarship, or you got into a special program at your school.  In most cases, you probably didn’t get a full-ride.  If you did, then I’m not sure you really need this information.

There are tons of websites that have lists and lists of scholarships.  Some have essays and supplements that you have to write, which are often very similar questions and you may end up re-using the same essay over and over.  College Board and Scholarship America are two very useful tools in your search for a college fund.  You should really apply for just about every scholarship that you find because all money is helpful, plus you never know which ones you may end up getting.

It is almost certain that your guidance office has tons of intimidating pamphlets and flyers and packets about a million and two different scholarships.  You should ask your counselor to help you to pick out the ones that are best suited for you.  There are also bunches of obscure scholarships as well.  For example, I heard of one for girls with blue eyes.  There are plenty of companies that have different scholarships for the most random and obscure things that you can imagine.  No matter what it is, you should apply to all of them.  You may end up coming out of college with no debt!

Acceptance

Once you start getting your acceptance letters to the schools that want you, it may seem like the stress is lifted off of your shoulders.  That’s a great feeling, however there is still a lot that you will have to get done.  When you get a few acceptance letters, you may be ready to make a decision, but you should wait until you hear back from all of your schools to make that final decision.  Some things that you may want to take into consideration is the amount of money each school offers you.  Many schools offer an upfront merit-based scholarship which will account for your grades and SAT/ ACT scores.  Some schools may even give up to half tuition (or more) if you’re in the top 10% of your class.  The schools will send that number that they want to offer you with their acceptance letter.  They will also inform you on the materials that you need to complete and send back in order to enroll/ move in.  ONLY SEND THIS BACK AFTER YOU HAVE MADE YOUR FINAL DECISION.  I know that you probably have you first choice schools and back up schools, but what if one of your back up schools offers you $15,000 per year and your first choice offers you nothing?  Then are you still willing to go to your first choice?  I know right now that sounds like an obvious yes, but money is a very important thing to think about when you make your final decision.  Of course, you’ll end up picking the school that you believe is your best fit, but having the extra aid is always nice.

Once you do make that decision you’re going to have to fill out your acceptance form.  This is a form that allows you to accept their acceptance of you.  I know, it’s redundant, right?  Whatever works though.  Anyway so you have to fill that out and you have to get a physical done at your doctor, and you have to submit a vaccination history to make sure that you have all of your boosters up to date.  You also have to send your parents contact information and any other emergency information along with it.  You also have to send your housing deposit along with a housing contract and your roomie survey.  This all seems like a lot to handle, but once you get that over and done with, you’re pretty much set for school in the fall!  It’s all really crazy and really fast, but sending in all of that will make sure that you get registration materials when they become available, and then you’re really IN the school.