Spring is here and high school seniors are hearing back from colleges admissions offices.  For some the outcome is easy, as they have gained acceptance to their first choice college and can begin looking forward to the fall.  For many others, there may be a college decision at hand with many factors to consider.  It may have been four to six months since your students sent in the  applications and even a year since he drew up the list of colleges in which he was interested.

Admitted students should ask themselves what might have changed about what they wanted from a college and have their interests or priorities altered in anyway that would cause them to view his college choice differently? Listed below are some of the many things high school seniors should consider when making their final decision.  

Revisit the campus, if possible.  

If logistically and financially possible students should take another look at their college options. Some school have organized admitted students days which are designed to give kids and their parents an in depth look at every aspect of the college from housing to courses to study abroad and job placement. But even if the college does not have an organized program, a visit to campus with a few carefully set up meetings can be a big help. Meetings that would be helpful might include a conversation with a financial aid officer, a lunch with current students (the admissions department can help to arrange this), a couple of class visits or a chat with a faculty member or leaders of extracurricular activities.

Many colleges are very happy to set these meetings up for their admitted students (after all, they want them to matriculate) and any campus visit will be far more successful if they have been arranged in advance.

Research the colleges online and in Facebook groups for accepted students.  

Once your child is admitted to a college he may be invited to join the Facebook groups that spontaneously spring up for admitted students or are put together by the admissions office.  While much of the information in these groups needs to be taken with a grain of salt (after all these students, like your own, have not yet attended the school) they may be able to pick up some useful information from other students who are also doing their research or in some cases have siblings or friends already at the college.

Ask the college anything you don’t yet know.  

Once a college has admitted your student they are very interested in seeing him attend. If you or your child still have lingering questions pick up the phone or send an email to the appropriate person. Take a long hard look at the college’s financial aid options and if you have questions about the details or work-study options, loans or grants make sure to follow-up with the financial aid office well in advance of the May 1 National Decision Day. While admissions officers may have been overwhelmed during the admissions season, now that it is over they will want to answer questions from students, and even parents, of what they hope will be next year’s freshman class.  

Delve deeply into the college website.  

Now that your child has been admitted it is time to look at the real details of what their life would look like at that college. Look at major offerings, which majors usually fill up or may even be already filled as well as the college graduation requirements for any major your child is interested in pursing. Check available internships and work experience opportunities during the school year and summer. How is the placement track record and does the school have job listings for the type of work your child might want to do? Is there a chance that your student might study abroad?  See what offering are available and if most students get their first or second choice. How about housing?  If this is something your student will need, what are the offerings and are they guaranteed for one year or even more? Some other factors to delve into include, class size, the chance to take small seminar style classes, sports and extracurricular offerings and the focus of campus social life.