After four years of tirelessly working towards their goal, seniors are now confronted by a monumental decision: where to spend their next four years. By May 1, most seniors commited on going to a certain college, making a deposit to have a spot in the coming fall semester.

Having to choose the city to live in, the classrooms to learn in, and the people to be around, seniors committing to a college are faced with a daunting decision.

Student counselor Ashley English said that colleges have agreed upon the May 1 deadline so they could begin planning for the following school year based on enrollment.

“Students who apply Early Decision or Action hear back from schools mid-December, and Regular Decision Applicants hear back between late March and early April,” English said.

With only around a month and half between when most acceptances come out and May 1st, some seniors feel rushed and given little time to choose a college.

Senior Kevin Wu said that a time frame of four to six weeks is not enough time to make a decision.

“College is a four year investment and is obviously a huge decision to make,” Wu said. “Ideally, the commitment day should be pushed back around a month, giving students more time to evaluate each scenario and circumstance the colleges have to offer.”

Senior Will Brown said that it feels like a short time frame, but allows time to prepare.

“It makes sense that I want to know where I’m going,’ Brown said. “College starts in August, and it would be scary to not know where to go since you need to start preparing.”

Other seniors have scouted colleges beforehand and know where they would like to attend, making the choice much easier.

Senior Vanessa Li said that committing by May 1 gives an adequate time frame to make a decision.

“I visited a lot of colleges and knew which schools I would want to go to,” said Li.

Over spring break, many schools hosted events to help seniors get to know the school better. Though some already committed to going and wanted to get ready, others used it to help facilitate their decision making.

“Being able to chat with professors, and hearing alumni talk about their experiences helped me make my decisions in choosing colleges,” Wu said. “Many of them also gave inspiring and illuminating advice in general, giving me a sense of overall college life.”

English also believes that visiting schools can help seniors decide between colleges and help them make the best informed choices.

“Sometimes, students will compare the financial aid packages they have been give, and make choices based on which college has offered them the most amount of aid,” English said.

According to English, a senior on the waitlist at a school they would prefer to go still has to commit to another college.

“If they are taken off the waitlist, they must inform the school where they have committed and forfeit any deposits they may have made in order to change,” English said.