There's not much of a difference between Early Decision 1 and Early Decision 2 - except for the timing.  Students that know that they have a first choice school, and will go regardless of being accepted elsewhere, have the opportunity to apply a bit earlier.  The timing for these 2 rounds are different with Early Decision 2 deadlines closer to the deadlines of Regular Decisions, but that the notification of Early Decision candidates is typically in February instead of late March/April.  

Here's a list of schools with the option to submit and Early Decision 2 (ED2) application:
​

Here's a list - Stanford (our alma mater) comes out today!

Barnard College: Mid-December
Boston College: December 5th, 5:30pm EST (Early Decision I)
Boston University: December 15
Brandeis University: December 15
Brown University: Mid-December
Cal Tech: Mid-December
Carnegie Mellon University: December 15
Columbia University: December 12th, 7pm ET
Cornell University: December 12th, 7pm ET
Dartmouth College: Mid-December
Duke University: December 15th
Emory University: By December 15
Georgetown University: December 15th
Harvard University: Mid-December
Harvey Mudd: December 15th (decisions mailed)
Johns Hopkins University: December 13th
Middlebury College: Mid-December
MIT: December 14th, 12:14pm ET
New York University: December 15th (Early Decision I), February 15th (Early Decision II)
Northwestern University: Mid-December
Notre Dame University: Mid-December
Pomona College: By December 15
Princeton University: December 12th
Stanford University: December 6th, 4pm PST
Swarthmore College: By December 15
Tufts University: Mid-December
Tulane University: November 20th, 4pm CST (Early Decision), December 19th, 3:30pm CST (Early Action)
University of Chicago: Mid-December (Early Action and Early Decision)
University of Michigan, By December 24
University of Pennsylvania, December 16th, 7pm
University of Virginia, December 6th, evening (Early Decision), January 31st (Early Action)
Vanderbilt University: Mid-December (Early Decision I), Mid-February (Early Decision II)
Washington University in St. Louis: Mid-December
Wellesley College: Mid-December, ED Round I
William & Mary: December 6th, evening (Early Decision I)
Williams College: By December 15
Yale University: December 16th

We got together with Juni and were able to share our thoughts on with them on how to think early about college prep.  You can find the whole article here: ​https://junilearning.com/blog/how-to-get-into-elite-computer-science-program.html

Prepare for College as an Aspiring Computer Science Major
At Juni Learning, our goal is not only to provide our students a structured computer science curriculum that is fun and effective; our mission is to expose and prepare students for exciting careers in software engineering, data analysis, artificial intelligence, mobile and app development, and more. A common step on the path these careers is attending a university with a top-tier Computer Science department.

We consulted with Agnes Chen, Owner of Lucent Education and Stanford University graduate, to gather research on steps that your students can take to be competitive for admission into the top Computer Science universities in the U.S. Agnes’ team offers focused coaching to help students get into their reach schools, such as Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford.
Develop Passions Early Educational Psychologist Jacquelynne Eccles says that the years between early adolescence and middle school is a time of significant developmental advances that establishes a child's sense of identity and long-term interests.

In these years, it is important for parents to observe the natural talents their children possess and the activities in which they show a natural interest. From such observations, parents are encouraged to involve their children in activities that lean into those very interests.

Below is a guideline for steps you can take to provide quality exposure in content areas to your children.
Ages 5-11Introducing your children to coding games, toys, apps, and videos in their formative years can help stimulate a curiosity for Computer Science. Interactive, hands-on experiences and challenging problems motivate children to want to learn and grow. Some activities to promote a Computer Science education include:

• Playing with relevant games and toys
• Participating in an Hour of Code
• Listening to a Ted Talk related to technology
  • A 12-Year-Old App Developer
  • Yup, I Built a Nuclear Fusion Reactor
  • Hands-On Science With Squishy Circuits
  • The Math Behind Basketball’s Wildest Moves
• Enrolling in Juni Learning introductory coding classes

In learning Computer Science early on, children develop a knack for computational thinking. The principles and concepts behind programming promote students to break down problems into manageable parts, observe patterns in data, identify how patterns are generated, and develop step-by-step intuition for problem solving.

Such exposure will help your children filter and refine their interests and hobbies as they progress into middle and high school.

Ages 12-16

According to Agnes, college preparation can and should start as early as middle school. By age 13, middle school students should embark on new hobbies and explore their natural aptitudes. Agnes gives some proactive suggestions below:

• Speak to a guidance counselor to help you choose high school-level classes
• Explore dual-enrollment courses at local universities
• Attend or arrange a Computer Science Career Day
• Launch a Computer Science club
• Begin preparation for USA Computing Olympiad (USACO)

Through consistent exposure to both academic and extracurricular activities, a natural chosen focus will likely emerge. Whether it is coding projects or robotics, a student should have completed a few significant projects in a focused area by the end of middle school or at the beginning of high school.

Juni StudentsAt Juni, majority of our students begin coding with Scratch in elementary school and move on to Python in middle school. With these programming languages, students are able to build their own websites, animations, video games, and complex projects.

By the 8th grade, Juni students with enough experience are primed to begin preparation for the USACO Bronze division, and further progress through divisions over the years. While USACO is traditionally a competition for high schoolers, often the students who have been coding since the age of 9 and up are the ones who really excel in their competitions.
The same age range applies to the AP Computer Science A course and exam. Because many schools do not offer the AP course, or even CS introductory courses, middle school students interested in computer programming often look outside the classroom for a Computer Science education.

Studies have shown that the students who have taken coding classes outside the classroom are sufficiently prepared to take the AP Computer Science A course in their Freshman or Sophomore year of high school.

High School Steps to Get into a Top-Tier UniversityThough there are a variety of paths, lesson plans, and extracurriculars aspiring CS students can take to Get into An Elite Computer Science University, below, we explore a sample high school career that has proven success for students pursuing a Computer Science degree.

As first-year high school students, it is critical to explore a variety of Computer Science programs and extracurriculars. T

This includes participation in:

• School clubs
• Local community involvement
• Leadership opportunities
• Volunteer work

By Sophomore year, students should have a targeted sense of direction as to what they would like to study to further progress their professional development. A student should then seek leadership opportunities in their designated areas of interest.

By Junior year, students’ development of “passion hobbies” should culminate in competitions and meaningful projects that have significant weight. At this juncture, students should also be placing focus on:

• Researching desirable university CS degree programs
• Refining their professional relationships that will yield promising letters of recommendation
• Writing personal statements and college admission essays

In Senior year, students’ primary focus should be:

• Visiting college campuses
• Weighing the differences between college CS undergraduate programs
• Researching specialized CS professors and classes to pursue
• Exploring ways to get involved in the CS community through on-campus college organizations

College advisors, like Agnes, consult students about long-term goals, schools that feed into their interests, and career trajectories beginning as early as middle school. To ensure progress continues in an upward trajectory, it is not uncommon for students and advisors to meet for ongoing coaching throughout the four years of high school.

Sample Computer Science TrackA sample grade-level plan for a student who is interested in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Game Design, or Information Science may look like the following:

Middle School: Explore a variety of extracurricular activities

• Research college advisors to see if this path is right for you and your family

Freshman Year: English, Math, History, Biology, 3 Electives

• Join a robotics or coding club; upload programming projects to the web and create an online portfolio
• Volunteer at a local recycling plant to learn how electronics are disassembled
• Join “unplugged” clubs, such as debate, chess, dance, or drama

Sophomore Year: English, AP European History, Math, Earth Science, Foreign Language, 1 Elective

• Compete in local hackathons and/or robotics competitions; Google Code-In competitions
• Participate in Hacktivations – build technology for nonprofits and social ventures

Junior Year: AP English, AP Chemistry, Trigonometry/Pre Calculus, AP Computer Science Principles, Foreign Language, 1 Elective

• Compete in ACSL and USACO
• Start drafting personal statements and other college admissions essays
• Visit the schools you wish to attend

Senior Year: AP English, AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Computer Science-A, 2 Electives

• Lead school programming club and mentor other students starting to compete in programming competitions
• Letters of recommendation (2 months prior to submission)
• Apply to schools

We get this question a lot - should we be preparing for the ACT or SAT exams earlier on in high school as opposed to waiting until Junior year to take a test prep class? Well, that depends. Some students decide to take their PSAT exam as their first indication of what to do in preparation for other standardized tests that will be a more important factor in their college applications.  That means waiting until sophomore or junior year to get a baseline.  And, for most students, this is the right path.  Many students are busy with keeping their grades up, time management between activities and academics, and it makes sense to push this until later.  If you know your student has generally tested well on standardized tests in the past, this may make the most sense.

However, if you are worried about the student as a test taker, we suggest taking a diagnostic practice test during or just after 9th grade to see whether the additional practice, earlier, would make sense.  This might mean sitting down for the Khan Academy SAT test offered free or the many resources and practice exams that are likely found at your local library. The diagnostic practice test will help indicate if there's a need for additional tutoring/test prep studies that need to occur outside of the usual school work preparation.

For all students, consider the following:

• Take the right classes: choose classes in a college prep track that will well prepare you for the subjects that will show up in the SAT/ACT and the chosen SAT subject exams you hope to take
• Do well in these classes: get to know the material well, the way it's posed in class might be slightly different than how it will show up in a standardized exam; knowing the material well will help to overcome the differences more easily
• Read a lot: this exposes you to lots of different types of writing, perspectives, and vocabulary that will better get you through that verbal section; it doesn't hurt that this is also our #1 tip for freshman that are wanting to write excellent college application essays as well
• Talk to upperclassmen: ask to see what the experience is like for the different exams, ask them what their biggest challenges were on the day of testing and what they would do differently next time (if there is a next time for them)

You've been soul searching about transferring schools.  One factor that's likely going to contribute to your decision making process is what  challenges may lie ahead if you do decide to go for it. 

Here's a list of possible challenges to think about:

• ​Application process - well, you've done it before if you're in school now.  It's arduous, hard work that usually incites nervousness and anxiety at different points of the process. But, it's also a time of self reflection, especially as it relates to why you'd like to transfer. You'll be carrying on with a college level course load while also working on personal statements and essays. 
• Course credits - depending on which school you're transferring to and from, your credits may not all (or at all) transfer in the process. It's like changing majors, but more so as you're changing schools entirely. Many schools have different foundational/general studies requirements, too. This might set you behind especially if you're considering studying abroad or a double major.

• Leaving behind people - you've likely made a few good friends in your first year or two at college or have met some professors/TAs that you really connected with. It can be hard to say goodbye.
• Fresh start - this is obviously also a positive, but a fresh start means making new friends and new connections.  This also means relearning the physical campus, culture, and social life of the school.
• Financial aid - the paperwork! And the financial aid package might be different at the new school; navigating this is administratively challenging and time consuming. This could also have positives if the new school is giving you a more substantial financial commitment!
• Academic changes - class style, educational philosophy, requirements of the school, and individual professors, will all change when you transfer schools. This might be adjusting to large lectures or needing to take more literature classes because of a core requirement at a liberal arts college.
• Logistics: the basics of registering for classes, orientation, checking your grades, communicating with the bursar, on campus housing, etc., are all new again. Things that you just got the swing of, you'll need to learn to navigate once more.

​However, there are lots of positives that come along with transferring, especially if it's the right decision for you:

• Personal growth - change usually means you get to learn something new, and there will be lots of changes ahead if you apply and get in (and especially if you choose to go)
• Best fit - most likely there is something significant about your current school that is unchangeable, hence consideration of transferring to another. Transferring will mean that this significant challenge will be very different and hopefully a much better fit for your learning needs.  Whether it's rigor of coursework, right social environment, or a school that has a strong department in your chosen career path, you'll feel a bit more at home in this regard.
• Friends - you'll gain new ones, while hopefully keeping the ones from your "first" school. 

While there are lots of challenges to consider, with the right self reflection and research, you may come to the conclusion that it is the best possible decision for you.  In which case, you'll be glad you did it! ​

There is a lot of narrative out there on thoughts for and against transferring schools - so you're not alone if you're reading this (about 25% of students actually transfer!).  We've compiled it here into several topics to consider as you go through the process of deciding if putting in applications is right for you:

Think twice:

• ​Is there a major problem with the current school? Homesick, long distance relationship challenges? Definitely think twice about transferring if these are the case; and see if there are workarounds that will solve these difficulties while staying.
• Trying to upgrade schools? Well, if you're at Cornell, aiming for MIT, and were denied admissions the first time around, keep in mind that the odds are lower as a transfer applicant. Consider if there have been major shifts or changes in your academic and career resume that would make a big difference in your admissions chances (major awards, publications, etc.). Also, consider that the time and effort to apply/adjust to a new school may not be justified depending on where you're coming from and going to (transferring courses, financial aid, the application process).
• Lousy roommate? This is something that can may have solutions if working with school administration or with time (rooming with others the next year or semester, or finding a single the next year).
• Classes are too hard or too easy?  Consider changing classes first, not schools.  Do some research: talk to professors and upperclassmen to better gauge if rigor might be a good reason to leave.
• Not making friends right away? This is more common than people think. Already tried to join a bunch of clubs? How about actively going to more events or finding an on campus job? Putting together a study group for a challenging class or sports/gym may also put you in places that will expose you to more possible future friends.

Reasons to transfer:

• You're in a 2 year program and looking to continue your education.
• Your current school is in a location that is no longer a fit for your academic learning or social interests.  For example, you decided that you wanted to study urban challenges, but your rural school is over an hour to the closest major city where you can get hands on experiences.
• Your current school's academic breadth and depth don't meet your career goals.  Perhaps you've decided to become an engineer, but your liberal arts school doesn't have a mechanical engineering program.  Or you're hoping to become a doctor, but there is a weak (or no) program for pre-med students.
• Your school's social life and culture is holistically not in alignment with yours. For example, most students leave campus to connect with the external community more often than stay on campus to build depth to student-student relationships. Or, Greek life rules campus and you hoped to have meaningful connections through clubs and have found that unsuccessful due to the dominance of Greek culture at the school.
• Your current school's method and philosophy of education/learning do not align well with your own.  Perhaps you're at a huge university with lecture classes, but you have a strong need and desire to have deep discussion in learning new material. Or you're a visual learner but all the seminar style classes are not conducive to your learning style.

There are lots of components of the Common Application and some look at it as simple and straightforward, others feel daunted by the amount of work ahead of them.  Here are some basic things to keep in mind as you start to put together the application.

• Get organized: there are lots of deadlines, essays, and various requirements.  Get organized, start a spreadsheet or check list, anything that'll help you track what you need to get done.
• Essays: typically the most feared part of the essay, but they don't have to be.  Have the right expectations going into them - similar to a major final paper for a class (or even more important!), you'll want to revise it over and over again with help from peers and other trusted adults.  Get the essays organized so that nothing falls through the cracks (be sure to check all the tabs for supplemental short answers and writing prompts).  We have a lot of tips on how to put together the essays on our blog as well; they're stylistically very different from most of the writing completed in high school.
• Activities: there's a section where you can list 10 of your activities.  But, the section allows 50 characters for a title and 150 for a description...characters, not words!  It's hard to cram all that you did in so few words, so you'll want to set aside special time to take a look at this section.  You can use this section in tandem with the Honors/Awards section in the Education section to maximize usage of space on the application.
• Word Real Estate: as mentioned in the prior bullet point, don't repeat yourself!  There are only so many words, characters for each section allowed, so use them wisely.  Think of the application holistically.

• Some popular activities that I've seen students experiment with: tutoring younger students, learning to program, volunteering at a hospital, getting involved in other community based non-profits (food bank, senior centers, etc.), new sports, new instrument, school clubs (or starting one!).
• Really let interest and enjoyment lead the way in exploring the different activities.  While you don't want to quit after the first meeting, you also don't want to stay beyond your true interest's expiration so that you can dedicate more time to activities that you truly enjoy into the next few years.

10th grade:

• Start sifting out the activities that are not worth the time that's put into it; for example, many times sports fall into this category where the love or skill level of the sport won't outweigh the 12+ hour commitment per week a school sport requires
• Consider moving into entry level leadership for the activities that you're in.  This might look like taking on a treasurer or secretary role at a school club or taking on larger projects at a non-profit or coaching younger athletes of the same sport.  Leadership doesn't have to be traditional, there are lots of ways to have big impact without a title (just as there are individual contributors and many industries that are very important such as within the engineering world).  This might look like starting or vastly increasing success in a fundraising for a club at school or taking on full responsibility for a sensor project for a new robot in your robotics team.

11th grade:

• This is when you might narrow down even further and deepen interests and increase leadership in the activities in which you're involved.  This will look different for each person and each activity.  For a cellist that might mean taking on first chair, coaching younger students, teaching private lessons to younger musicians, and competing more frequently.  For a school club member, that might mean taking on VP or Presidency 11th or 12th grade, starting new projects/ideas for the club (new fundraiser, new ways for the group to be more productive in its goals), or train new members to take on a leadership role you might be leaving in order to take on a bigger role.

Summers:

• Don't waste them!  Do something with them.
• Consider deepening interests in one of the activity areas you most enjoy.  For example, if you love to volunteer at the hospital, consider looking into summer programs that help children that are hospital bound or look into shadowing a doctor.  Or, if you are a swimmer, consider taking a life guard course or exploring other water sports.
• If applicable, summers can be a time to explore possible future careers.  If you're interested in becoming a dentist (as I was growing up!), you can ask a local dentist how you can volunteer in their office and learn more about what their day looks like.
• Of course, there are incredible summer programs put together for various activities (science research, robotics, math, writing, music).  The general rule of thumb for these programs is, the less it costs, the more its worth on a resume (typically because the more competitive it is to be part of).  Typically, these programs will have applications open during the winter of the school year prior and are great practice for future college application essay writing.

Utilizing the internet has made all parts of our lives easier - finding long lost friends, making reservations for date night, and finding x or y product with the best reviews.  Similar to our daily lives, admissions officers have also started using the internet in higher numbers to aid their admissions process. From a Kaplan Test Prep research study, 35% are searching out applicants and 68% consider it fair game to do so, but not all of them actually put it into practice.  From the same study, they found that admissions officers were finding positive supporting information for applicants as often as they were finding information that would negatively impact a student’s application.

Generally, admissions officers are hoping to find a more holistic version of some students through online searches and social media accounts - looking for additional, positive information about applicants.  However, it’s possible to turn off an admissions officer with remarks, posts, and images that violate (or do not align with) the expectation of how students are in a school's student community.  Here are some tips and cautionary words about social media for those applying to college/university.

Keep these tips in mind for before, during and after college acceptances.  Poor form after the fact can mean that a college rescinds their offer of admissions (this includes poor grades as well, don’t let senioritis get to you!):

Things not to do...

• General rule of thumb, if you don’t want your parents/grandparents to read something, don’t post it to social media at all
• Avoid any and all comments posted that can be seen as offensive such as  discrimination against race, groups, etc. - this includes comments meant to be funny or sarcastic; when in doubt, just don’t post it, you never know how something could be taken by someone else
• Generally, posts that violate a schools code of conduct will negatively impact an application if seen or share with an admissions officer (here’s info from Yale’s code of conduct equivalent: http://catalog.yale.edu/undergraduate-regulations/policies/)
• Be careful of posts that might even be semi-protected such as those on Facebook or a public Instagram story that's meant to go away after 24 hours; comments and posts can be saved with a screen shot and passed along, this includes memes, posts, stories, snaps, other images, etc.

Consider doing…

• Polish the public parts of your facebook page (e.g. about section, public images)
• Highlight your interests and accomplishments, there might be an opportunity to showcase information that you can’t expand upon in your actual application or a new hobby you're exploring
• Open a LinkedIn account: include work, research, and volunteer experiences; there is also a summary section to talk about aspirations and accomplishments
• Use Instagram to showcase unique experiences, hobbies, and new interests that may not be highlighted on the application
  
• If you write in a journal or are thinking about chronicling your life in a public space such as a blog, this might be a great place to showcase interests and extracurricular activities if put together earlier on in high school

​Last thought: don’t get too wrapped up in tailoring your presence as the research statistics don’t necessarily merit a lot of effort on this front (for now!).

As students transition from high school classes to the more challenging complexity and higher volume in AP and college coursework, many need to adjust their study habits to the needs of these more demanding courses.  Here are a few tips that we’ve aggregated from several educational articles and studies that we think students can experiment with.
Not cramming.
This isn’t a secret - but there are studies that show that when you distribute your studies throughout a period of time, the retention is higher.  This is similar to the studies regarding summer learning loss, a phenomena many are familiar with.

Create a schedule.
This is taking the prior note a step further.  Take the time to plan and strategize for when you’ll do homework, study, take additional notes, and review other materials.  Since we know that cramming doesn’t work, plan for spurts throughout the week to study. Many studies show that finding the same space and similar times during the day to study have shown better results.  In this section, I’d also include finding a space in which you’re able to consistently focus for long periods of time (such as quiet room at a library or noise cancelling headphones).

Skillful reading.
Once you do sit down to study, it needs to be productive and likely more thorough than in the past with courses that may have come more easily to you.  There are several ideas to experiment with around this.
Try reading summaries of text before reading the entire section

• Take notes while you read to keep for studying during a later session
• Compile notes from different areas of learning (practice exams, study sessions, book, lecture), this can serve as a good exercise to review, but also as aggregated notes to use in later study sessions or exams (like a final)
• ​Synthesize and summarize each section of material in your own words

Practice the same questions that will show up on exams.
Although it seems obvious, most students actually don’t do this.  Creating flashcards and practice tests for a study buddy are a good way to practice this method.  In many challenge courses in college will include exam questions in which students have never seen before, having a study buddy to stretch your understanding of the material through inventive practice questions will be helpful in exploring material that you may not have yet spent much time or depth in.

Known when you need help.
Learn to get a good feeling of when you’re falling behind or not grasping the material as thoroughly as you hope (or an exam shows).  When a course moves quicker and with more depth, it can be easy to fall behind. And since material can oftentimes be cumulative, it’s best to stay ahead of the game!  There are several options for high school or college courses to start off with such as joining a study group, finding a peer tutor (many high schools and colleges have this set up already), attending office hours, scheduling time with the teacher for additional support, and of course, tutoring.

Get enough sleep.
​Self explanatory!

We've put together an easy to follow, high level overview of the college admissions process including the four major components that admissions officers evaluate: academics, extracurricular activities, standardized testing, and the application (and essays).  This is actually a very truncated version of a presentation that we hold (for free!) in the spring time frame in both NYC and SF.  We're hoping to add more YouTube videos in shorter chunks of time on the most asked frequently asked questions from our clients.

So you've made it through a few years of high school and you're feeling pretty solid about your classes, grades, and extracurricular activities.  There are a few more things to now focus on if you're college bound.  The most obvious - which schools should I be applying to?  Fit is incredibly important and it's something that we stress when working with high school/transfer students.  It's about a great match so that you get a lot out of the school, but the school and its community also get a lot out of you as a person.  Outside of the usual check on your numbers (SAT/ACT, GPA, etc.), here are a few pointers to consider in the process:

• GET ORGANIZED: this is important as you start to track standardized testing, deadlines, recommendations, and essays; 11th grade is a great time to get ultra organized for your test prep scheduling and starting to put together information for schools (e.g. spreadsheet with data of schools that match your background and interests, file folders via email and/or in real life to separate information that comes in from schools)
• ASK AROUND: stay open minded at the start of the process, we get a lot of students that really want to stay in state, but realize major opportunities may lie beyond the borders!  Start conversations with adults inside and outside the school setting that know you well: family friends, extended family, parents, teachers, school coach, religious mentors, etc.
• DO YOUR HOMEWORK: you're already doing that if you're reading this blog!  Great start.  Check out a few more blogs, contact college admissions offices for their materials, reach out to your school counselor, visit campuses
• HOW MANY: this is a common question and generally the rule of thumb is between 8 and 20; if you're incredibly organized, can take the additional work load that will be coming at you in your senior year, then 15-20 is doable
  • Definitely take into consideration the quality of the applications when considering a higher number of applications
  • Be sure to include a range of schools between safety schools, target schools, and reach schools
• FIT IS KING: ranking and reputation are hard to ignore, but don't forget about fit - this means taking into consideration whether you will thrive in a particular setting: 
  • Do you see yourself in a close knit, small class sized learning environment? 
  • Do you love division 1 sports?
  • How important is diversity? 
  • Does the campus look and feel like a place in which you'd enjoy life for the next 4 years?  
  • What about any majors that especially appeal to you?
  • Would you thrive as a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond?
  • How would it feel to be further than a road trip away from home?
  • How is the housing and food on campus?  Or does that not matter to you?
  • How is the social life on campus?  What about off campus?  What might be your preferences?
  • What types of students would you want to be around - does the campus have a political, religious, liberal, conservative slant that you do or don't want in high doses over the next 4 years?

​Best of luck in exploring the different schools out there!  

You're at the tail end of the undergraduate application process - the testing, the interviews, the essays are all behind you now.  Whew - congrats on completing an intense process.  And, if you're reading this article, my guess is that you also have choices ahead of you.  Wonderful.  

So, which college/university? 

I've compiled a few tactics to thoughtfully review the choices at hand.

• First and foremost - don't procrastinate; it's a big decision and requires thought space/time to make
• Definitely go back for a visit, if possible; this gives you the best idea of what life might be like over the next several years; most schools have admit days or opportunities to take classes and shadow a current student; this gives you a better idea of whether this is somewhere you'd thrive and enjoy over the undergraduate years
• Compare and contrast both financial aid and the departments in which you'd likely complete your major/concentrations
• Attend local events where you get to meet admissions officers and alumni - this is a great way to get to know the school better and understand the culture of the campus, especially if you're unable to go for a(nother) visit
• Go back and revisit your initial desires and why you decided to apply to a particular set of schools, these tend to include the following topics: size, location (east coast, near a big city, by the ocean, etc.), diversity, ranking; another way to think about this is why were your top 3 schools in your top 3 originally?
• Reach out to friends and friend of friends that are currently at the schools in question; schedule a conversation with them to understand what they love about it and any concerns they see as a student
• Continually keep the conversation open with your parents and family; if you're relying on their generosity of both time and money (as many students do), also  take their thoughts and considerations seriously
• Be wary of emphasizing the following in your decision equation: partying, attractiveness of the student body, relying on rankings/reputation only, over focusing on specializing in one major/subject (many students do change their minds!), rebellion (wanting something that perhaps the parents would not want for you), following (friends, significant other)

Best of luck on your decisions!