I was interviewed for a friend’s Youtube channel today in preparation for the release of Ivy League acceptance letters and I realized that my advice could be used on my college blog. I knew of my acceptance to nine schools (thank goodness for fee waivers) after Ivy Day and I struggled to make my decision between my top two schools - Brown and Yale - throughout the month of April in 2017. This advice may not be for everyone, but this is what I have learned from the experience.
1.) Do Your Research - If you hadn’t done your research before applying to colleges, the time to do it is after you get your acceptance letters. I didn’t want to fall in love with a school and be rejected. Therefore, I applied to a majority of my “reach” schools after minimal research and then had a lot more to do after obtaining my acceptance letters. I researched academic requirements, internship/job opportunities, student organizations, and the intricacies of living on campus. At this time, you can easily reach out to deans, academic counselors, department heads, professors, and current students to ask about academics and activities. Everyone loves to talk about their school and why you should enroll. If there is a prospective student day or affordable opportunity to go spend time at your colleges, do it! Try to see yourself on campus and reach out to current students to ask about their experiences. I wasn’t able to afford a visit to Brown University before deciding to enroll and I found that current students were the most valuable resource when it came to getting a feel for the university’s environment and sense of community.
2.) Consider Financial Aid Offers (And Use Them to Your Advantage) - College is expensive and that is a well-known truth. Therefore, financial aid can make or break a college decision. For some students, receiving great financial aid solidifies their choice. However, many students are torn between their dream school and a more affordable one. If this happens to you, I would suggest immediately contacting the financial aid office of the school you would like to attend. Explain how badly you want to enroll while pointing out that you’re considering going to another school based on a lacking financial aid package. If you provide the financial aid documents of a similarly competitive school, the financial aid office of the school that you want to attend may decide to match their offer. This happened to me, yet I know that it is unlikely to happen for everyone. Regardless, I would reach out to the financial aid offices of the schools you are considering to see if there is any way that you can negotiate a better financial aid package.
3.) Taking a Break and Soul-Searching - Throughout my life, Yale was my dream school. It’s the university that I wrote at the top of my exams to motivate myself and it was the first application to college that I ever submitted. When I got accepted, I was ecstatic. I was on my way to a basketball game with a school club and I started crying so hard that my advisor had to ask if I needed to get off the bus. Later that night, I opened my acceptance letter for my mother and she started screaming and bawling at the ripe hour of 11:45 PM while my father was asleep upstairs. The next day, I called all my extended family and friends to tell them that I was going to Yale University. Finally, that afternoon, I went online to accept my offer. My cursor hovered over the button to accept and I hesitated.
That minuscule moment of hesitation changed the course of my life. At times, you need to listen to your gut and at that moment, I asked myself why it didn’t feel like everything was falling into place. It felt wrong. That hesitation made me question why I was accepting my offer to Yale University and I realized that I didn’t truly know. I decided to close the tab and give myself some time to research all the schools that had sent me acceptances. I was convinced that Yale would come out on top, but I needed to be reassured that I was making the right choice.
I buried myself in researching every college on my list, but I spent most of my time focused on Yale University and Brown University. I was extremely fortunate to be accepted and then they both offered me the best financial aid package as well as the most rigorous academics. In my research, there were many signs pointing to Yale as the typically “better” institution, yet I became even more conflicted and frustrated when I realized that wasn’t enough to quench the nagging feeling that I had in my stomach. I had to do some soul-searching.
My parents saw how I was struggling with the decision and we banned any talk of college for the next two weeks. In that time, I took a break from thinking about college and I focused on my schoolwork, hanging out with friends, and enjoying my senior year. Afterward, I came back with a clearer head. I asked myself what I most wanted from a school without regard to the universities that had sent me acceptance letters. I knew I wanted the option to double major, yet I wanted the flexibility to explore other interests. I wanted to live in a dynamic city where I could socially evolve and form strong relationships with the community through volunteering. I didn’t want to feel like I was going into a bubble for four years. I also knew that I wanted to be a part of an accepting and diverse student body with a variety of views and interests. As I thought about these desires, I realized that I started to lean towards Brown University in all these areas that mattered the most to me. That is when I felt like everything was starting to fall into place and it finally felt right. When Brown matched Yale’s financial aid offer, I think that sealed the deal for me.
When it comes to selecting a university, you need to consider what truly matters to you. It may sound cliche, but you need to do what is best for you and not what others may be expecting of you. For me, I needed to do the soul-searching to consider and prioritize my own happiness in relation to all the other factors, such as academics, financial aid, and distance from home. Where would I be happier after considering all the factors that might influence my happiness? Once I answered that question, I was able to accept my offer of admission to Brown University without hesitation.
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