You got into College! Now what?

You are opening those fat envelopes (or rather, you are clicking on the portal!) and finding out where you got into college. It’s an emotional time, all that work and time you spent the last six months completing college applications is now coming to fruition. 

So what do you do now that you’ve been accepted?

Firstly, you need to decide what school you are going to attend and SIR to ONE school by May 1st. What does SIR stand for? It is your “Statement of Intent to Register”—meaning you are accepting the offer the school has given you and you are planning to attend that school. 

This also means that you will put down a non-refundable deposit to hold your place at the school.  If you decide to accept a waitlist offer after you have SIR-ed and put down a deposit, you will need to inform the school you plan to attend a different school and you will lose your deposit.

Keep checking your chosen school’s portal. Along with accepting the offer, you need to make sure you accept/decline any scholarship or loan offers to you as well.  You also need to make your housing choices, know when you can log in to register for classes, sign up for freshman orientation…lots of small to-do items that you need to get done to successfully enter your first fall semester of college.

You may also have the opportunity to visit your new college in the spring before your starting date, so keep an eye out for information on that and plan accordingly! 

High school is not over yet! You still have to complete your finals and pass your classes.  Colleges can rescind your offer if you fail your senior year classes. Or you will have to spend time making up some classes during the summer. You definitely don’t want to spend the summer before college feeling stressed about making up a class, so keep up the hard work now! 

Spend time with your family and friends. For many of you, this may be the last time you live in your hometown.  The next four years (or more) are life changing.  You may not move back to your hometown after college, so take the time to enjoy your favorite places with your favorite people!

Learn some basic living skills if you don’t already have them. You should know how to do your laundry (work a washer and a dryer).  Learn to cook an easy meal using a microwave or even a stove/oven.  Most of you will have access to a shared kitchen, even in the dorms, and homemade chocolate chip cookies will help make lots of friends!

College is an amazing place and you will meet people who will become life-long friends and mentors in your life and career. Remember that everyone is feeling the same way as you; they are in a new place, starting a new chapter in their lives, so start conversations, have lunch with someone new and have fun! 

All the best, 

Team Insight