May 1st is traditionally College Decision Day. At many colleges, prospective high school students are expected to send in their deposit and accept an offer of admission by this date. However, many students are not ready to decide at this point.
For undecided students, the May 1st deadline can be a scary one for a number of reasons. Some colleges will rescind their offer of admission if students do not declare by this date. In addition, there is added peer pressure for many high school seniors because their friends will be talking about their college decisions as the May 1st deadline approaches. At many high schools, students even wear their college t-shirts and sweatshirts to school on May 1st to celebrate their college choice and show everyone where they are attending. But what about the undecided students who have not decided on a college or have not decided if college is the right choice for them? What are they supposed to wear? (Cue my AI-generated “Undecided” sweatshirt kid)
So if you are an undecided student (or a parent of one) and the May 1st deadline is approaching, what should you do?
Three Tips If You Are Still Undecided As The May 1st Deadline Approaches
For many, this is more than a wardrobe crisis. Not knowing what to wear on the May 1st College Decision Day pails in comparison with the more weighty decision to accept or decline an offer of admission from a college that may have large amounts of scholarship money attached to it. So here are three tips for the undecided students:
1. Don’t Assume That Every School Needs A Decision By May 1st
If we are talking about highly selective colleges, you should assume that you need to make a decision by May 1st. For other colleges, this is not as cut and dry.
As I mentioned in a previous article, in 2023 only 40% of colleges met their new student enrollment targets by May 1st.
Many schools that are on a rolling admissions schedule (applications are reviewed as they are submitted with no specific deadline) hope students make a decision by May 1st but know they need some students to accept an offer of admission after May 1st as well. For other colleges, they will initially state that students must decide by May 1st, but then they extend this deadline. Last year over 190 colleges extended their commitment deadlines. This news was highlighted amid FAFSA delays, but the reality is this happens every year.
So I’m not suggesting you kick back your feet at the beach until July, but I also want students to know that in many cases it’s okay not to know by May 1st.
2. In Some Cases, You Need To Make A Choice
My counselor friend used to say, “Pick it and stick it!” Sometimes you just need to make a choice and stick with it. This is especially true if you are deciding between two or more great options. In certain scenarios there isn’t a right and wrong choice. Just pick it and stick it!
3. In Other Cases, Maybe It’s Best To Wait
If, on the other hand, you don’t have any college options that are a good fit for you, don’t make a choice just to say you did. Just because other people have made a college or career choice doesn’t mean you have to. Everyone is on their own timeline, everyone is writing their own story.
