You're In. Now What? Strategies For Evaluating Enrollment Options

Congratulations! After months of waiting, you have now heard from the colleges you applied to and, odds are, you’ve been admitted to more than one! That means you now have options—quality options.

In any case, congratulations! Your hard work has paid off, and now you get to make the final choice of a college destination. 

In this blog post, I cover how to evaluate your college options.

• How to Begin Evaluating Your College Options
• Evaluating Enrollment Options Through Campus Visits
• Addressing Financial Concerns
• Follow Your Gut
• Bonus Resources

How to Begin Evaluating Your College Options

You need to choose well to ensure a successful experience over the next four years of college.
Even the best college (by acclaim) won’t help you reach your goals if you won’t have a clear path to the academic program you want, or you find yourself in a style of instruction that doesn’t match your learning style, or getting through four years at that school is likely to be a struggle academically. Choose wisely. Stay within your ability to comfortably embrace the academic programs and achieve the educational goals you set for yourself. 

Establish a hierarchy of importance to guide you in comparing the colleges that accepted you. As you consider various aspects, be sensitive to the importance you attach to them. Consider breaking down this hierarchy into the following categories:

1. Essential
2. Very important
3. Would be nice

Factors to consider are the strength of the major, distance from home, availability of housing, etc. Be careful not to let the "would be nice" factors dominate your thought process.

Most importantly, visit each of the colleges that admitted you (if you're able), even if you have been there before. 

Evaluating Enrollment Options Through Campus Visits

The following tips will help you get the most out of campus visits.

1. Pretend to be an enrolled student

• Spend a weeknight in a residence hall
• Eat at least two meals in the dining hall
• Go to two classes in different disciplines, including an introductory first-year class

2. Talk to students and staff

Talk with professors from the academic departments that interest you, as well as the appropriate pre-professional advisor for those programs. Pull students aside in those departments as well. 

Questions to ask college staff

• What do they teach, who do they teach, and how do they teach?
• Do they engage undergraduates in collaborative research or independent study?
• Look for evidence that they (and their colleagues) are invested in helping undergraduates achieve their goals. Do you see a home for yourself in those environments?
  
  

Questions to ask students

• What courses do they take?
• Who teaches the courses?
• What do they like about the courses and professors?
• What are their opportunities to apply what they are learning?
• How accessible are their professors?
• What would they do differently about their learning experience thus far?
• Can you relate to their experiences?
  
  

3. Ask About Student Outcomes

• What is the graduation rate in four years? Five years?
• What happens to students in your major at graduation?
• What percent go to graduate school, PhD programs, or professional degree programs?
• How many get jobs?
• What are the average starting salaries?
• Ask to see the data for the last five years. Colleges are obligated to give it to you—they just might not volunteer it!
  
  

4. Bonus College Visit Tips for Evaluating Enrollment Options

• Hang out. Watch people. Listen to them talk. Ask them what they think about campus life, politics, sports, religion, or whatever is important to you
• If you are a recruited athlete, meet with the coach as well as members of the team. These folks will likely be a big part of your support system for the next four years. Where will you fit best?
• If you have academic support needs, talk with the coordinator of the Special Needs Support Center or the Writing Center. Look for evidence that you will get the support you need
• Ask to see safety information, crime statistics, and campus escort programs
• Use good judgment as you explore the social scene. Know your limits…

Addressing Financial Concerns

If you have financial concerns, make an appointment with the financial aid office. Take copies of your financial aid application and your most recent tax returns for reference. Document changes in your family circumstances. Don’t assume that troubling financial differences will be worked out after you enroll. 

Be discerning about your expected out-of-pocket expenses. Compare financial aid awards. Ask the admitting institutions to project your likely debt at the end of four years. Colleges can provide this information as well.

Student debt of up to $30,000 over four years should be manageable after graduation. Much more than that, however, could saddle you with an unreasonable financial burden as you attempt to become established personally and professionally after college.

Follow Your Gut

Finally, a word of caution is in order. As an accepted student, you will be invited to acceptance parties and open houses in your honor. Prominent alumni will call to wish you well. Some schools may even offer to fly you to their campuses for the weekend. 

Through it all, be careful not to succumb to the ego food. Allow yourself to get past the rankings, reputations, and car stickers to a true understanding of what about an institution makes the most sense for you. Most students who emerge from this process acknowledge that much of the decision-making comes down to a gut feeling. Let your gut go to work for you. Make sure the college or university you choose truly values you for what you have to offer and is prepared to invest in your success before you commit yourself. They will be lucky to have you!

Bonus Resources

Explore these blog posts next for tips to help you get ready for your first day of college:

• Dorm Room Essentials
• The Test Anxiety Battle Guide
• 6 Ways to Save Money While in College

"You're In, Now What?": A Webinar

Whether you're a college applicant or a parent/guardian, this webinar walks through more strategies for evaluating your enrollment options. While it is important to take time to celebrate your college acceptances, you must make time to consider your options objectively. Doing so can mean the difference between attending a good college and attending the best college for you; between accumulating a reasonable amount of debt and accumulating an unreasonable amount of debt. 

This webinar answers:

• What is the deadline for decision-making?
• Do colleges ever change their decisions?
• Can I be on more than one waitlist at a time?
• I haven't gotten into any college that I applied to. What can I do?
• What should I do if I've been admitted but want to take a year off?

This article was originally published on March 11, 2020. It was updated on April 25, 2025 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.