Decision Day, a tradition decades old originating in the late 20th century where students decide their final enrollment. It was popularized by the Department of Education as a deadline for students to officially commit to their chosen school.
Vincent Brannon, senior, said, “Having choices made the process a blessing and a curse, since I really didn’t make my final decision until the last week when my enrollment deposit was due. However as a first generation college student I know it makes my parents proud to see me accomplish so much and seeing not only mine, but their hard work pay off.”
Finn Caramagno-McNeilly, Senior, said “You get to dive deeper into certain fields that other colleges may not offer, so its good to have your own choice. I started going to Macomb because I didn’t know what I wanted to go into and Macomb has a variety of different fields to discover. This also comes at almost no cost to me since my classes are covered by lakeshores, so it’s easy on the bank too with loads of options of different career paths to look into.”
“After I transfer from Macomb, I will go to Detroit Mercy because their architecture program is one of the better ones in Michigan.” Caramagno-McNeilly added.
Scholarships are a big factor of where students go to college. Students who do not have as good scholarships as others may take the same route as Caramagno-McNeilly. Going to a community college and then transferring is a great fit for some individuals, as they may not be able to afford the cost of living on top of loans to a more prestigious school.
Anthony Woods, senior, said, “The most important aspect of it is to look at the majors and scholarships that a college offers, and the requirements of those scholarships.”
“I decided to go to Saginaw Valley because of the sports program and a scholarship program they have where they pay for any money leftover after financial aid,” Woods included.
Adam Rach, Senior, said, “Being somewhere close to home and what that school offers for the major I’m going into is the main reason I chose it. I’ve had family and friends attend Oakland and have only heard good things about the college. Decision Day is important because I decided on a school where I’ll start a new chapter in my life.”
While decision day may have started as a way to get kids to deposit and commit sooner, it also can help keep the students in line. Having earlier deadlines allows students to lock in on what they want to do sooner rather than later. Although a downside may be some people going into fields they don’t want to be in, or aren’t a good fit for.
