- Decision Day Events
- Student Decision Announcements
- Social Media
- Reveal Parties
- Family Celebrations
The sun is shining, the weather is turning warm and high school seniors are looking forward to graduation. That means moving on to the next chapter in their lives. For many, that next phase is pursuing a 2 or 4 year college degree. Most high school seniors have applied to a number of colleges and universities, and hopefully, they have acceptances from a handful of desirable colleges.
Colleges have upped their game when it comes to the acceptance letters they send college applicants. In the past, a high school student applying to colleges would receive the decisions of the schools they applied to in simple envelopes with official letterhead. Now, college admissions offices send out electronic responses and personalized packets that inform the students of the admissions decision and financial aid options to create as much excitement as possible.
The excitement built by each acceptance received creates an opportunity for students. Colleges need to know which students are going to enroll, and have created deadlines for students to pay deposits towards tuition, apply for housing, and other important hallmarks. Realizing that students and their families want to share in the pride and excitement of their future, many admission offices have set May 1st as National College Decision Day.
Having a universal decision day has led to some very enthusiastic announcements by newly accepted students. Whether they are the first person in their family to further their education or the next generation in a family with traditional ties to a university, announcing their decision is a momentous occasion. So, how are the modern college-bound students telling the world of their decision?
Decision Day Events
With the dangers of the Covid 19 pandemic finally easing and group events becoming safer, many high schools are planning community events for National Decision Day. We love it when high schools plan cooperative events with local colleges and universities. The students and their families have access to academic advisors and financial aid officers, as well as other important college offices. These events offer a chance for the students and their families to ask questions and get key information before making that all-important decision.
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Many college admissions offices are now holding May 1st events, as well. Colleges across the country have organized exciting events that help shine a light on the school’s organizations and offices. Students and their families can do important functions, like paying their seat deposit to join the class of 2025 and take part in community-building activities, meant to develop a sense of inclusion.
Student Decision Announcements
National Decision Day isn’t all about the business of going to college. Choosing the right school for undergraduate studies can be an emotional, thrilling moment. Students take great pride in their decision, and rightly so. Going to college is a momentous decision.
Students and their families have considered many factors to get to this point. For many, the choice of their college marks the moment they have stepped into adulthood. A moment that important deserves recognition.
Social Media
A popular National Decision Day activity is announcing the decision to friends, family and their world. Social media is a major part of announcing a decision for many college-bound students. Young adults take their announcements to the world with Tik Tok videos, live feeds on Facebook and Instagram, and other social media options.
Reveal Parties
Once reserved for college-bound athletes on National Signing Day, high school students are now holding reveal parties with friends and family. Only letting friends and family know of the schools they have been accepted by, they reveal their choice in creative ways. From having hats or shirts from the possible choices and putting on the unmistakable colors of chosen school to even more involved means of expression, the presentations have become quite involved.
Make no mistake, getting to College Decision Day is a triumphant moment for many students. It is a chance to enter a new phase of their life, filled with the unlimited possibilities an education offers. Decision day marks the academic success a student has achieved and for the high school they have been attending, it serves to encourage other students to excel. It also helps guide families that are supporting these college-bound students through the initial milestones that a student will experience.
Family Celebrations
No student gets accepted to college without help along the way. Their schools have played an important role, but so has their family. When a child is accepted into the colleges they have applied to, it is an important step. They have opened themselves up to a world of possibilities.
When they decide on which college they wish to attend, it is a message to their family that they are moving forward and elevating themselves. Of course, a family should share in this momentous decision.Many families will decorate their child’s room or even the home with the colors and logos of the student’s chosen school.
College Decision Day may have had to adjust to the new realities in the pandemic era, but the events still carry the same weight. It is a day for the colleges and universities to know the incoming students and a day for the students to share their choice.
Students and families should cherish the excitement and share in the moment, celebrating the possibilities, but they should also take advantage of the information and access that the schools offer. Make National Decision Day a day not just for balloons, streamers, and cake, but a day to set off on the right foot as their education continues.
