Applying to multiple schools may have seemed like a good idea a few months ago, but now, the result may be an acceptance letter from more than one college, and the question of which one to attend may have some of us in dilemma; and rightly so, because that decision  pertains to a major investment in your life, not only in terms of money but also in time and experience – not to mention it plays a big role in everything you do in the following years of your professional life. So, whether you’re compiling an initial list or making a final choice, here are some tips for you which can help you while taking that crucial decision:

1. Avoid hasty decisions

Firstly, wait to hear from all the colleges. Just because you have received a likely letter does not mean that you have to attend that college. Whether it’s an undergraduate program spanning four years, or a post graduate course of two; these are crucial years of your life that need to be invested very carefully. So, try to collect as much information as you can about the school(s) where you have been accepted and then take time to make your decision.

2. Consider all the opportunities offered

What if you have offers from multiple colleges, and all of them rate similarly as far as academics & course learning goes? In such a case, you must be well versed with the other details of the program like internships and research opportunities as well as the extra-curricular programs and clubs a college has- how well rated are they and which ones are those which go best with your talents and interest? For example, an MBA applicant who is interested in gaining valuable internship experience, and has offers from London Business School, Wharton and Harvard- would be best advised to accept the Wharton offer as while all 3 schools are almost on the same level as far as their MBA programs go, Wharton earns more praise for its internship program with 90% of its students graduating with internship experience.

3. Look for financial aid and scholarships

For international students, almost all Ivy League colleges follow the need blind policy and while the top graded colleges have low acceptance rate, they also have some great financial aid and scholarship programs. Most top notch schools are also open to providing scholarships based on sports, theatrics, dance and music etc. Therefore, students with any of these skills must factor this in as well while finalizing the school they pick. So when you get your offers you will also want to compare the financial aid packages, if any, you receive.

You may want to go through some of our previous posts talking about various scholarship programs in top schools around the world

4. Look for more information, but through credible sources

There are tens of thousands of information–rich sites on the net, but where there is abundance of crop, there is also bound to be weed. Other than the official websites of the schools which you are accepted in, where else on the web can you find information which will help you make your decision and is also worthy of trust? Some important statistics sites that students and families can refer to and rely on are http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ or http://www.collegedata.com/. Try to look up data on various criterion like “students returning for sophomore year” which reflects the retention rate of the students in the school, and support features of a college like “the best college library” and post-course info like “employment statistics” etc.  There are also forums and discussion boards where students can interact with other aspirants who are in the same proverbial boat like http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/. Similarly, on popular social networks like facebook there are useful interest pages like I Dream of Ivy League where aspiring students can find and interact with others like them. There are also various admission blogs which you can sign up for almost every school and an equally good idea is turning to the alumni of the schools which every top notch institute has; like the Harvard Business School Alumni Association and MIT alumni association, which enables more than 123,000 former students to stay well connected with one another and each year, more than 9,000 alumni extend their services for the institute. (Source: http://web.mit.edu/facts/alum.html).

5. Visit the schools if possible

Visiting the university is the best way to get a feel for where you’d be most comfortable. Talk to the current students, counsel with the academic professor, and make sure you dig deep to see what the truth is about departments and programs. Students interested in sports should meet their coaches and the one interested in theatre and arts must check out the student productions. While this may not be an option for a lot of international students, those who can use this “real life” experience to understand the school, atmosphere, classes and professors and decide where they feel they will best fit in and thrive

6. Explore the job prospects carefully

Of course, one of the top considerations while entering a course is prospects after graduating.. For instance, if you want to pursue a career in finance and Booth is one of the offers you have, then it would be one of your top choices. One of our recent blog posts on MBA & entrepreneurship emphasizes in detail the importance of keeping this in mind when selecting a college. Another consideration is money- which school pays off the most, and it’s always beneficial to research that area too before selecting a college. According to the pay scale inc., graduates of Princeton University, earn the highest mid-career median salary that of $123,000 per annum.

So there you have it, six points an applicant who is lucky to have multiple offers from top colleges in their hand must deep dive into before making their final choice. Hope that helped some of you move closer to the best decision. Choose prudently!