Tips for National College Decision Day: Keep Mental Health Resources and Minority Support Services in Mind
National College Decision Day is only 5 days away, and while some parents and students are sailing into the May 1 deadline with ease as they have already committed to their college of choice, many families are still overwhelmed with what may seem to be impossible choices. The dreaded May 1 deadline may come sooner for some families than others. For students who applied Early Action, Early Decision, or Rolling, acceptances and offer packages started to arrive in mid-December. For students who applied to selective universities and Ivy Leagues Regular Decision, acceptance letters may not have arrived until the last week of March. Some families are still awaiting financial aid packages with less than a week to compare choices.
An argument can be made that for students applying to these elite universities, the one month turn around between an approximate April 1 notification date and May 1 decision date is unreasonable. Students pack their calendars with preview weekends, admitted student days, and open houses during the weeks as well as the weekends. Some students take trains, planes, and buses for the first time to cities unknown to determine if the school has the right “fit” and “feel.” This month of school, often fraught with absences, is simultaneously filled with AP Exam preparation and Prom planning. The stress of deciding the next four year of one’s academic career with the culmination of one’s high school career does not make for optimal decision making, and yet this is the pattern that hundreds of students find themselves in year after year.
Amidst this potentially chaotic time, parents and students would be wise to remember that often students are choosing between several fantastics options, and should feel confident in the process that they have excelled at so far to help them make the right choice. Parents need to continue to look at finances to make sure that the overall right investment is being made for college, and not get too swayed by emotions and hard sales pitches at open houses. Speak to as many people as possible: current students, alumni, professors, and try to get a myriad of different perspectives if you are torn between schools.
Thrive Global also recommends keeping mental health resources and minority support tools at the front of your college checklist. Parents should be aware of the rise of mental health issues on college campuses. More than just the prevalence and risk of suicide, college campuses are breeding grounds for exacerbating depression, anxiety, insecurity, and eating disorders. It is vital that schools have adequate mental health resources on campus to address students’ needs and concerns. Parents should look at the availability and ease of scheduling counseling appointments, support groups and centers for minority groups, student organizations committed to mental health awareness, sexual assault prevention and reporting services, and financial assistance for mental health resources both on and off campus.
As May 1 approaches it is important that parents and students make sure they choose a school that will keep their student happy, health, academically challenged, and emotionally supported, every step of the way.