Tufts Blogs

After all the hoopla and chatter of April, it’s time to decide.  This thing is over, and yet a hefty pile of procrastinators (more than you’d guess, trust me) still ponder their choice with 48 hours to go.  Maybe they’re emulating Hamlet?  Perhaps they’re trying on an array of collegiate sweatshirts to see which one fits best? 

I can imagine the scene as you dissect your decision, compare the pros and cons of each option, analyze data, mull over this program versus that major.  You seek guidance on Facebook as you face the moment of truth: “Help!” you type. “Tufts or X?  Can’t decide!!!”  Your exclamation marks plead for urgent assistance.

While I don’t (won’t) add my voice to the Facebook chorus, here’s my procrastinator’s “guide” to picking your college.  And it’s just four words:  stop thinking about it. 

I know.  Such ridiculous advice, isn’t it?  The dean’s gone mad, you think.  Choosing your college is a big decision and “thought” is usually a sound approach.  Of course it is, but too much thinking creates a jam.

Here’s the thing.  With a few exceptions, you negotiated the analytical aspect of your college search when you decided where you would apply.  If a college wasn't a viable option using whatever criteria you determined was important to you, it wouldn’t have (or it shouldn’t have…) been one of the places to which you applied.  Now, as May 1 inches closer by the hour, trust the decisions you made in late December.   Unless you’re still wrestling with the financial aspect of the decision (in which case, stop reading), it’s time to assess how your options make you feel.

Ignore the buzz about acceptance rates and rankings and the various percentages and ratios. Almost every time a student approached me at Jumbo Day and said “I’m still deciding,” we never talked about the data.  The choice at hand was usually about flavor rather than quality.  And asking me which flavor is the best for you is like asking the ice cream scooper at JP Licks in Davis Square which flavor is the “best.”  That’s impossible! The answer is so personal that it depends on your taste buds.  It requires an emotional response more than a rational one.  I can’t offer any advice on that score.

If you’re still deciding, let’s assume academic quality is the common denominator among your finalists.  As you pick your college, trust your (metaphoric) taste buds.  (But don’t lick the grass on the quad to see how it tastes.  That would be gross.) 

Do you feel a connection to the community?  

What's the vibe you picked up when you visited (in person or on-line)? 

If you’re chatting with people on Facebook, do those conversations engage you or bore you?

Can you see yourself spending four years with people like them? For example, if you prefer a laidback and groovy atmosphere did the campus vibe make you feel that way?  In this example, that would be an important clue for you.  Follow it. 

It’s like buying a house.  The realtor shows a family many options that fit their requirements but which one feels like home is usually a feeling more than an equation. 

Trust your gut, or your heart, or the little voice inside your head.  You’ll know what’s right for you.  I suspect you already know.