Decision

Until you have made your final decision, DO NOT

• Reply to the acceptance letter (accept or deny)

• Register for classes

• Pay the enrollment deposit 

By doing any of those 3 things, you are telling the college that you are going there this Fall and not considering any other options at that point. These are things you want to do in the enrollment stage.

*College Match is the exception in terms of acceptances; you can accept as many offers as you'd like on Match*

• Continue to explore your options (are there other colleges/programs you are considering?)

• Find your Financial Award Offer/Financial Aid Offer

• Make sure your FAFSA has been sent over to the college If they haven't received it (after calling the institution's financial aid office to check), check your FAFSA portal to make sure that the school has been listed on your FAFSA

• Explore the campus life section of the website and visit the place(s) you are considering

• Compare your options Cost overall (directly from the college in combination with what you need for your circumstance by choosing that option), likability of program(s) offered, likability of main professors in program(s) you are considering, likeability of campus itself (buildings for classes, dining areas, common areas, residential options if any), living on-campus v.s. off-campus v.s. commuting if those options are available to you, Resources (academic support, metal health, disability services, etc.) 

• Look at Transfer Options- Is there a college you didn't make it into, but would REALLY like to enroll into in the future? Check out course/program equivalents and transfer agreements in the Transfer section. Is there a potential option that has really good transferability that would not only be satisfactory now but for the future when you apply to transfer? (Also keep in mind that you want a really good college GPA to transfer with; start strong)

• Continue to apply to scholarships where you can (for those who have tuition covered at multiple, indirect cost oriented scholarships)- After creating and activating your account for the college(s) acceptance(s) you are considering, there might still be opportunities to apply for institutional scholarships (those are per school, not applicable to all schools)- A good example of this is Scholarship Universe within Schoolcraft College

• Continue to talk it over where needed (family, counselors, career coaches and advisers, etc.)- Take your time

It is sometimes possible to sign up for and attend orientation without accepting the acceptance to the college in question. 

If you are still deciding between colleges, you could attend the orientations for the colleges you are choosing between so that you can step on campus and get some questions answered. It also fulfills that college's requirement to attend orientation should you choose to go there as your final decision- Just keep in mind the specific school(s) policies in terms of being able to do orientation (non-refundable fee, mandatory deposit deadlines, class registration not being able to be done without accepting the acceptance, etc.)

If any of the above become an obstacle, the next reccomendation would be to instead speak to multiple people (campus life, academic resource center, admissions, etc.) at the college(s) in question in order to be able to obtain information you can use in your comparison of schools. Especially useful if you can talk to professor(s) teaching the program you are intending on studying.

If you ultimately decide something different (trade school, apprenticeship, workforce, military, different college) please speak with the program in question AND your college adviser/career coaches for what your next steps should be to prepare for the program/applying for the job/exiting and entering the program, etc.