College application deadlines are coming fast. December is nearly over, and the New Year is almost here. You know what that means? Decisions.

This week I finally applied to college! I applied to four schools and it is a great feeling to know that this part of my college process is out of the way. However, now I must wait. I know some of you may have applied weeks ago and are still waiting, and then there are those who may have already found out! Either way, big decisions about where you want to go need to be made. Just think - within a few short months, the majority of us all will have decided and committed to what school we will be attending. That’s of course when the fun will begin – we still have to deal with all the financial aid and scholarships and what not. But we won’t get into that quite yet…

Decisions are the key today. I’m sure many of you all applied to more than one college, and I’m sure there are many reasons for it. Just as well, many of you will be getting accepted to more than one school. Just when you thought that you looked at the schools and got all the ins and outs, you still will need to do more research. You will want to schedule yet another tour. The second time will be better; you will see things that you missed the first time. Try to make the most of your visit and look more into what you truly want in a school. After all you will be spending A LOT of your time there. Here are some things to consider when taking the visit:

• Contact a professor in your intended field of study, club, or activity, so you can get as much information directly.
• See the dorms, eat the food, attend an event – experience the campus!
• Check out the town your college is in – as you will want to make sure it has things you need – a bank, maybe a bus or train station, a grocery store, etc.
• Take notes of what you like and don’t like, or create a checklist so you can evaluate each of the schools.
• Look at how far (or how close) it is to your home – is that a good thing or a bad thing? Think about if you will be able to get home for a homecooked meal easily, or if you are okay with coming home just for the holidays.

If you have been accepted to more than one school these are just some things you will need to look into to help you make that final decision.

Making my list and checking it twice…

Lauryn