26 March 2026 archive
Making Your Final Decision 0
Countdown to National Deposit Day!
At this time of year, most of the Class of 2026 seniors have heard from the colleges to which they applied. The most competitive colleges and universities have finished reviewing applications from across the country and around the world. April 1 is the date by which all colleges will have sent out letters to anxious, awaiting seniors.
There will be just one month from then until “National Deposit Day”. May 1 is the day by which all college-bound seniors must decide where to enroll in the fall of 2026. Making the final decision may not be easy unless students have done certain things in the year or two prior to the spring of the senior year. Most students are presented with at least two positive alternatives to choose from. The pandemic has made it much harder for students to do their best work from 2020 through 2024. Unfortunately, there is still confusion and questions surrounding the science. (Read my December 2024 post to learn why there is confusion.) In addition, colleges have had a much more difficult time during the application reading and selection process. Trying to measure college readiness or candidates without standardized test scores in many cases and differing grading systems instituted in the previous years when distant leaning was in full effect.
So how does one go about making an effective decision ~ a decision that allows the entire family to win? The following steps are what we advise our students. Think about these even if you will not be facing such a decision for a few years.
The overall goal, I believe, is to integrate the academic decision with financial considerations. That is particularly important when there is more than one college bound child in the household.
First ~ Think about the academic reasons those colleges were on your list in the first place. Review the departmental majors and using the second “A” of the AAA process learn more about student outcomes with that major at that college. Read my essay “What is College For” and follow the links with you curser. They will be highlighted.
Second ~ Make an objective evaluation of each financial aid award. Determine how much aid the college is awarding in the form of grants, scholarships, and loans. Most colleges do not include adequate amounts in the cost of attendance (COA.) to include personal expenses. These are books, supplies, personal sundries, and transportation. If you have done a money saving Dry Run with us prior to your students application you will see that we often add $4,500 to the direct expenses. The direct expenses are the fixed billable costs, tuition, fees and room and board. You should too.
Keep in mind that college work-study is not a direct credit toward billable costs. Do not include that in your calculations. If there is a loan offer in the award (other than a Stafford), do not include that either. Subtract all the other awards from your COA and you will close to knowing what the real out of pocket cost is for that college. Do this for each college and make an objective comparison.