Congratulations!

With multiple acceptances in your kitty, you truly are in a sweet spot. Your commitment, focus and hard work of the past years have yielded the desired results and you must be truly ecstatic. Go ahead, enjoy your moment-it is a great feeling and you deserve every bit of it. 

But it also brings with it some difficult decisions to make-maybe you like the location of one college, the course of another and your friends are going to the third. Unfortunately you can only go to one! Whether you choose to go to a college in the United States, Singapore, UK, Canada-it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of each college, beyong rankings and brand value, before you make a final choice.

How do we come to a decision?

The easiest way is to use the time tested SWOT analysis format for each college and come to a conclusion. You may have done a similar exercise when you were applying. Given below are a few variables which you can evaluate to make your task a little easier and objective. For a more detailed list of questions to research, refer to our blog, Shortlisting Colleges: Questions To Ask.

The Right Fit

When you choose a college, consider the fact that you will be living there for the next three to four years. Your college should make you feel happy and that is the question to ask yourself over and over again. Some factors that can help you ascertain whether is the right fit for you include:

Location

We are not implying a beach side or an institution with a mountain view, (we do agree that it would be an added bonus).We want to draw your attention to an urban or a rural setting. Is the hustle –bustle of a city or a town important to your wellbeing? Do you connect with yourself in tranquil surroundings? A university in a college town would provide for more intimacy within the fraternity while a big city institution ensures the opportunity to enjoy all the delights of a city life. Also explore locational advantage with respect to industry interface. Climate may not be a priority but it’s useful to get an idea of what you getting into.

Culture

As an international applicant, it’s important to look at the diversity and cosmopolitan quotient of the institution. Look into the previous class composition–statistics on international, gender, community will help you understand the social fabric of the institution. You are not going to spend your entire time in the pursuits of academics-identifying clubs, organisations you could be a part of will help you assimilate easily. Class Diversity and Composition is an important point to consider, as your peers will be an integral part of the 'college experience.'

Career 

College is an investment–a gateway to your future. Look into factors like graduation retention and career services to understand employability. Past recruitment stats, alumni network, visa and employment laws should be considered too.

Academics

The college should offer the degree of your choice. Research the Curriculum thoroughly to ensure it holds the promise of enabling you with the skills and knowledge to catapult you into the next phase of your life. Explore specifics like class size, teacher to student ratio, research opportunities, internship opportunities, international opportunities. Your future career and professional growth depends on this.

Aid/Scholarship

Receiving a financial incentive in the form of a scholarship or aid is a big motivation-please create a comparative ‘cost of attendance’ chart and make an informed decision.

Extracurricular Opportunities

With the college, and opportunities in the vicinity cater to your extracurricular interests adequately? Explore the various student clubs, groups and outside affiliations to gain a clear understanding.

Crawl The Internet 

Become a ‘spider’ and browse the internet-go through student blogs, trace alumni careers, look at college poll websites, Instagram, student YouTube channels and you will get a sense of the institution.

COVID19

Most colleges have tried their best to deal with the evolving circumstances brought by the spread of the pandemic. You could find out how the colleges have handled the crisis brought about by the pandemic in terms of student support and what it implies for you as an incoming freshman. **Connect-**The onset of the Pandemic has ensured an enhanced virtual presence of all colleges, universities and Institutions. To replace actual visits, they have organised virtual guided tours, webinars, and outreach sessions with alumni and representatives.  Ask if you could attend a virtual class as well. Most of them are very prompt and open to engagement; maximise the opportunities.

With the facts neatly plotted on your SWOT chart; evaluate and at the end-ask yourself the question  we started with-“ will I be happy?” and go with your gut. 

The secret of a successful college experience lies in the belief that once you take your decision, you will work towards making it right.

The Final Word

Once you make your deposit, protocol and courtesy demands that you email the other colleges and cancel all your other acceptances. This will help students on waitlist to firm up their admissions.