How to Stay Busy While Waiting for College Decisions

I know - waiting for those emails or letters in the mail with the words, “YOU’RE IN!” can be excruciating. But it took you months or years to get to this point, so we can’t expect the decisions to come so quickly! Stay busy and productive during this time of waiting with these tips, and just know: the right outcome will come.

Be Patient

Some colleges will be pretty quick (especially if they have rolling admissions) and some will take some extra time.  They are truly spending time to determine who is the right fit and who would do better elsewhere, and stressing about the outcome isn’t going to make the outcome come any faster.

Relax

Relaaaax.  Hopefully you’ve applied to multiple schools that would prove to be a great fit for you, so whatever the admissions decisions are, you’ll end up in the right place that is where you’re supposed to be.  Remember to take care of yourself also!

Set Goals

Take some time to set goals for yourself.  Where do you see yourself in a year? In five years?  In ten years? You’ve accomplished so much already, so spend some time being a bit reflective and looking forward to your future, even past college.  Maybe try to scribble it down in a journal, and read it again in a few years to see where you’re at or if your goals have changed!

Apply for Scholarships

This is the time!  You can apply for scholarships not affiliated with a college or university and stack them with any financial aid they provide you.  Look for local scholarships first, like within your city or county, and then within your state. Apply for as many as you are eligible for!  Free money!

Learn New Skills

Ever learned how to cook?  You might just be the most popular person on your dorm floor.  Take some time to learn a new skill that will serve you once you move out of the house.  Maybe it’s learning how to drive that manual transmission car that your parents are letting you take to college, or learning how to cook a super easy date night dish, or understanding how to clip coupons and save money at the grocery store.  Whatever it is - it will prove to be invaluable once you go off to college!

And a piece of advice… Don’t Overhype One Scenario

I know you might have a top choice in mind.  In fact, you might have a top scenario in mind.  You get into your favorite school. They provide you with a financial aid package you just can’t turn down.  You were accepted into your top major and into the honors college. You know this is the only, and perfect, school for you.  But in case all of these things don’t magically convene into your perfect scenario, don’t overhype it. Think about other scenarios where you would still be happy - at a different school, or in a different state, or maybe even in a different major.  Don’t get your hopes up that all will fall into place with a perfect bow on top. They will fall into place, but there are infinite outcomes.