That first acceptance letter you receive can feel like a ray of sunshine after months of hard work and that stress of waiting to hear back from the colleges you applied to. Of course your first instinct might be to accept the first college that accepts you. After all you did apply to the college didn’t you? And if it happens to be one of your top choices, why wait?
There’s actually very good reason why you should not accept the first college that accepts you and wait a while to hear from the other colleges.
Compare Financial Aid Packages
When colleges send you an acceptance letter, they also send you details about the financial assistance package that they are offering you. Your award letters will vary from one college to another. If you accept the first college in a hurry, and then receive other acceptance letters offering you better packages, you will not be able to consider those award offers.
You Have Time to Mull the First College and Others Over
The good news is colleges will give you some time to consider the offer and decide whether or not you want to accept. This buys you some time so you don’t need to rush. Just make a note of the final deadlines. If you end up accepting that first college’s offer—great! Just make sure you wait until you hear back from others before committing.
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