It may be a coach, or possibly the tour guide, or maybe something they read on the web site. When it comes to making their final decision, students choose where to attend for the darndest reasons. Often, the most difficult decision an 18-year-old can make, where to attend college, comes down to the intangibles.
Education professionals find that academics can play very little in the decision, much to the dismay of parents and college faculty. Some of the most common reasons students decide to choose one school over another are prestige, location, size, or cost. For others, it is a feeling that they get coming off of the pavement that tells them “this is the place.”
For students who have done their research up front, the decision likely comes to splitting hairs between two excellent choices. Some of the most difficult decisions arise over the summer when students, who have already committed to the school of their choice, suddenly find themselves coming off the waitlist. Often, it again comes down to the intangibles.