Debunking the myth of the ‘right’ college

With the curtains still drawn at midday, I sat by my friend’s bed, wondering if I should wake her. Anxiously opened envelopes littered the floor of her room in what appeared to be distinct piles. I stood up to peer at the time; my friend did not stir. During my two-day stay, she had taken more than five showers and slept a combined 20 hours. I was worried for her.

The sound of spring break usually conjures inviting images of sun and fun at the beach or lazy midday catnaps, a much-needed interlude before the beginning of testing season. Mine was not exactly the case. A freak snowstorm ruined any plans of the former, I settled for the rest and relaxation that I figured would come naturally with being away from the work environment. My own college decision long sorted out, the topic seemed the furthest thing from my mind. Yet the end of March inevitably brings the tidings of decisions to seniors across the country, and any outside contact only exposed me to an unadulterated atmosphere of decision frenzy.

Decision frenzy is the final stages of college fever, just before the patient begins to (finally) recuperate. It is, nonetheless, one of the hardest to battle through. While the application process is a mostly straightforward path of paperwork and despair, the decision process — other than the despair — is often the complete opposite. As the letters trickle in into the mailbox, some forebodingly thin, even the most confident applicant can become overwhelmed.

Rejection letters can be hurtful and disappointing, but it is the acceptances or waitlists that generate more anxiety. How does one choose between many options? Sometimes the choice is obvious but, in most cases, the final decision is not one based simply on any one component, such as enrolling in the school with the highest standing.

Aspects such as scholarships or aid received can be a huge factor in swaying someone from one school to another. What if circumstances have changed since the application? Perhaps academic interest has shifted for the student, or proximity to home has become more of an issue. Then there’s the whole waiting game with waitlisted schools. Is it even worth it? With all these considerations, the time between the arrival of decisions and deposits in May is no real time for a breather. Certainly my friend was facing this issue.

When she finally emerged from her slumber and shower routine, we talked about the challenge she faced. The problem, she told me, wasn’t that she didn’t like any of her schools. On the contrary, every school presented myriad possibilities and she could look forward to a positive college experience at each one. She liked the effortless geniality of the small liberal arts college just as much as she liked the diverse class offerings at the state university, yet she couldn’t deny the prestige of the name-brand institution. She knew that she could still visit the schools and that she had more than a month until she must choose. She feared not making “the right decision.”

What does it mean for a college to be the right one for a person? Once-significant factors such as being a parent’s alma mater are no longer as meaningful to students today. What matters more is the “personalization” aspect, or how well a student feels the school fits them and vice versa. Students don’t want to attend XYZ University unless they will be truly happy there.

I felt similarly. It didn’t matter that I could have gotten into a “better” school, or one that might offer me a substantial scholarship. Without these stipulations, I was actually given the freedom to seek schools where I felt I could explore who I wanted to be. I knew that, in the end, the experience would be what I made of it.

As I packed my things on the last morning of my stay, I told my friend to be proud of everything she had accomplished and of every one of those acceptances. I told her that, with her vibrant personality and efficaciousness, she would no doubt find success at whichever college or university she chose to attend. I then told her to stop thinking about it and to get out of the shower already.

College is just one step into our future, and what school we attend is just one choice among many that we’ll make in our lives. And in life, there really are no “right” decisions.