Congratulations on receiving your college acceptance letters! Before you go make that social media post about it though, wait a minute. You should celebrate your achievements, but it’s important to be cognizant of others’ feelings, especially if they didn’t get in. Here’s how you can practice proper etiquette and be tasteful with your announcement and celebration.
Etiquette in college acceptance
1. Celebrate Your Acceptance Letters Appropriately
You absolutely deserve to celebrate your achievements but remember to keep it appropriate. Your family should keep this in mind, too! They’re undoubtedly proud of you and excited. But, everyone involved needs to remember this can be a difficult time for others who didn’t get into any schools.
If you want to announce it on social media, try to be mindful of how you word your achievements. You can also consider sending your family members and friends private messages until you’ve made the decision on what school you want to attend.
It also helps to keep the next two points in mind when it comes to spreading the good news:
2. Don’t Brag
When crafting your announcement to your friends, family, and social media profiles, keep the bragging to a minimum. Absolutely talk about your achievements and your plans for the future, but also take time to thank the people who helped you get where you are. This could be family members who believed in you, friends who helped you study, or a teacher who made a difference in your life.
When talking about it in school, your acceptance letter doesn’t need to be the main topic of conversation. Tell friends and teachers, but don’t make a point to bring it up at every opportunity afterward the initial announcements just because you can.
You should also make sure you’re congratulating others on their achievements! If they got into their dream school, congratulate them, but don’t turn the conversation around on your own achievements or a “their school vs your school” comparison. Be happy for them!
3. Be Respectful
Some of your friends may not have been as fortunate as you when it comes to acceptance letters. They may not have gotten into their dream school or it’s possible they didn’t receive any acceptances at all. When informing these friends of your achievement, keep them in mind. Never drag them down, tell them what they should have done if they really wanted to get into their dream school, or highlight mistakes they made.
Take time to lift these individuals up. If they did get into other colleges that weren’t their dream school, for example, talk about the benefits of the other schools on their list. If they didn’t receive any acceptance letters, discuss other avenues they can take after college and reassure them.
This is no doubt an exciting time for you, and each acceptance letter is definitely a victory. But just keep in mind how your announcements can affect the individuals close to you and around you. Hopefully these tips in etiquette in college acceptance will help! Now is the time you should be thinking about which college you’re going to attend and going out for a celebratory dinner.
Struggling to choose between the schools that sent you an offer? Our College Rankings can help you review how schools stack up to one another.
