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College decision day coming up for high school seniors

Many seniors will be making their college decisions without visiting schools they have been accepted to.

KENTUCKY--High school seniors who are headed to college will soon need to decide which school they will attend.

The decision date is usually May 1, but now some colleges have pushed back the date.

The University of Louisvile (UofL) did not have its traditional admitted student day this year, where prospective students could walk around campus and meet some of their future classmates.

Not being able to visit colleges has impacted some high school seniors’ decisions about where they will go in the fall.

DuPont Manual senior Rojin Shirwan made her college decision Tuesday. She will attend the University of Michigan next year.

“I went there in February before all the coronavirus break happened,” Shirwan said.

She had plans to visit a school in California over her spring break but cancelled the trip amid coronavirus concerns.

Because she visited Ann Arbor, she felt confident making her decision.

“I couldn’t get that experience with other colleges, so I feel like maybe that’s why Michigan felt more personal to me because I was able to get that experience,” Shirwan said.  

Getting to talk with students and faculty on campus helps a lot of students make their decisions. With all events cancelled, colleges are relying on virtual tours and virtual admission days.

DuPont Manual guidance counselor Amy Medley says a good way for students to get a feel for a school is by reading the archives from campus newspapers.

“We’re, everyday, brainstorming and coming up and rolling out new things,” U of L Executive Director of Admissions Jenny Sawyer said.

UofL is working with students to help them find out if the school is the best fit for them. The May 1 deadline has been extended. Students who have been awarded scholarships now have until June 1 to decide.

“Students who are weighing options that have financial implications really do have more time to find out what’s happening with their families and what’s happening with their financial situations,” Sawyer said.

North Hardin High School senior Khajonna Anderson says cost is a factor in where she will go to school. Like Shirwan, she was planning on using her spring break to visit schools.

Now, she’s relying on talking to friends who currently attend, and virtual tours.

“My counselors at my school have told me you won’t get a feel for a place until you’re there, so it’s kind of weird doing it like that,” Anderson said.

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