Acceptance Day: What To Expect As a Newley Accepted Student
By Jody Bell
I was sitting on a rickety fold out chair in a huge auditorium. My nerves were getting the best of me as my leg jumped up and down making the entire chair shake as the sound reverberated across the auditorium. In the front of the room was a presentation for the college I was visiting.
This was March of my senior year in high school. While I was thrilled to see acceptance letters beginning to roll in, I had less than 2 months to decide what college I was going to attend for the next 4 years. Nervous was an understatement.
In the months leading up to this accepted students day visit, I was seeking advice from guidance counselors, family, and teachers. Nearly every single person I spoke to recommended I go with my “gut feeling” and that visiting the right college will “just feel natural.” Yet, there I was, on my last accepted students day before my big decision, and absolutely nothing about this process felt “natural.”
How was I supposed to make this huge decision when my life was still chock full of question marks? I’ve never even visited a college campus, what am I supposed to be comparing this to? What even is a “gut feeling” when it comes to an entire college community?
These questions were so loud that I was struggling to even focus on absorbing the information in the presentation. The formality and scheduling of the accepted students day event just amplified the nerves I already felt. My mom turned to me and whispered “do you want to just go walk around?”
After nodding, my mom and I ended up walking around campus for hours. We got lunch in the cafeteria and talked with current students. We sat on the bench outside of classes to watch as students nervously chatted about their professors and tests with textbooks in hand. Like an epiphany, I realized the anxiety gnawing on the inside of my stomach was gone. I felt comfortable, exactly like the cliché. This was the gut feeling people were talking about.
I committed to that college the same day of that visit, and now I’ll be graduating from there next year.
If you’re struggling with making a decision and riddled with nerves like I was, here is how to make the most out of your accepted students day.
1. Listen to your nerves if they’re asking you to slow down
Each accepted students day, colleges cram in as much as possible to try and sell and present their school to you. It can be as overwhelming and fast paced as a Superbowl ad that lasts the entire day.
For the vast majority of people, this is entirely out of their comfort zone. Running from session to session across unfamiliar campuses mixed with stressed out parents results in a pretty awful time.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, listen to that feeling. If you are visiting the campus with your parents, ask them to listen in a session and take notes while you walk around and take a breather. If you don’t listen to these feelings, your reflection on your campus visit will be clouded with such anxiety that you may miss out on the chance to really appreciate the campus.
2. Put time aside to people watch and observe
Sitting on a bench during my accepted students day was where I learned the most during the entire visit. In fact, it was on that bench that I decided to go to the college I currently attend.
As you people watch, you can get a gauge on student sentiment. Are they rushing around to classes without speaking? Are they walking in groups discussing schoolwork and grades with a stressed tone? Or are they maybe sitting on a blanket and nonchalantly reading their textbooks? And, the most important question to ask, do you see yourself reflected in these microscopic snapshots of student life?
If you want to take this a step further, go sit in the library or cafeteria. You may want to even strike up a casual conversation with another student over a meal!
3. Ask to sit in a class (or a few!)
While accepted students day may be a huge event for the college as a whole, for the students already there it is just a normal day of classes. That’s exactly why taking a chance to sit in on a lecture will give you a chance to experience the college in a more authentic way.
Most colleges have vastly different class structures depending on major and year. If you know you’re interested in biology, try sitting in a freshman biology class, and also in a class intended for juniors/seniors. Oftentimes, the underclassmen lectures are not nearly as engaging or interesting, while the upperclassmen classes are discussion/project based. Ensuring that you have some exposure to both of these will give you a more holistic assessment of the classes.
Plus, you could introduce yourself to the professor after the class to learn more! There’s the added bonus (if you decide to attend) of knowing a professor and distinguishing yourself before you even move in!
4. Have a meeting with financial aid
As a student of Girls With Impact you have a huge distinguishing factor that you can use to your advantage.
During the visit to the college I am attending now, I met with a financial aid counselor and was blunt about the fact that I couldn’t afford tuition as is. I brought my press kit from my Girls With Impact venture and less than a day later I got a call saying that I would receive a $20,000 scholarship if I attended.
Displaying your entrepreneurial mindset can be hard when sticking to the traditional application process. Yet, if you can pitch your venture and discuss how you have developed through that process you are automatically more desirable as a student. Chatting with a financial aid officer is a great way to do just that and get some more financial support as a result.
The month leading up to my college decision was one of the most stressful times of my life, and the accepted students' day visits were particularly difficult. If you can take away one piece of advice, just try to remember to breathe and take each visit at your own pace. If you feel you could get a better gauge of the college by leisurely walking around on your own, don’t be afraid to say that! Despite the pressure to comply with crazy schedules for the visit, remember that this is your college decision and your future. You get to decide how exactly it goes.
Jody Bell, 20 is Girls With Impact’s Editor in Chief and a program graduate from Greenwich High School. Girls With Impact is the nation’s only online, business and leadership program for girls 14-24, turning them into tomorrow’s leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators.