Overwhelmed, where to start?

DadTwoGirls
Tue, 28 Nov 2023 17:02:57 +0000

I think that the spreadsheet is a very good idea. One daughter did this in her head. The other daughter I think made a physical spreadsheet and wrote it all down. She has done this again as she is applying to PhD programs.

In many cases which school is the right choice becomes clear as the students creates the spreadsheet and as offers come in. In a few cases it comes down to a close decision where several schools appear to be very good options, and it is hard to choose between them.

In the end where the decision gets tough, I have been an advocate for using the spreadsheet, comparing plus and minuses, visit each school (possibly again), look at the spreadsheet again. Then put it all aside for a few days. Just walk away for a couple of days or for a week. Then do what feels right.

I am also a big believer in what @DadBodThor says about the most important thing being to establish at least one solid safety. Everything else is just extra credit. The problem my youngest ran into when applying for her bachelor’s degree is that she had multiple safeties, got into all of them with good merit aid, liked all of them, and then needed to figure out which one to actually attend. That is where the spreadsheet, careful comparison, and then walking away for a week all came in handy.