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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DD asked for my help coming up with a system to compare acceptance offers holistically the way colleges compare students. Together, we came up with a matrix that may be useful to others.

Factors: Academics, Outcomes/ROI, Cost, Student/Faculty Ratio, Major, Minor/ECs, Campus, Community, Distance
Importance/Weight: Very important (5), important (4), considered (3)
Scale: 1 (worst), 2, 3 (best)
Colleges: She received six offers

First, we (DD, DH, and DW) decided together on what factors to consider and then each of us weighted them slightly differently. For example, DD and I gave Student/Faculty Ratio a Very Important (5) but DH weighted it as Important (4). We all ranked Cost as Very Important and Distance (from home) as Considered. Other factors varied in importance.

Scores were also very different. We created a spreadsheet to compare. It was a great exercise to talk about priorities together and ensure everyone felt heard. In the end, we let DD choose and she felt really confident about her choice. DH and I also felt good about it, even though it was the most expensive option.

How are you comparing offers?[/quote]

[b]Besides finances, you let your kid decide. [/b] And in reality the financial aspect should have been discussed in detail a long time ago (before applying)

You want them to succeed, and when they have issues freshman year (trust me, they will have some issues) the last thing you want is them "blaming mom or dad for forcing me to come to this college"

[/quote]

+1 There was no reason for me to score different elements of the colleges. When my two kids went through the process, anything out of budget was thrown out. Then they picked based on what felt right to them. For DS it required no thought as he'd settled on a very clear first choice earlier in the process. DD had three in final consideration but felt confident of her choice after admitted student visits. I might have picked a different of the top three but my opinion was irrelevant. And her choice has been a good fit.

For both of them the main determinants of the choice were specific aspects they liked about the program for their majors, specific extracurriculars they wanted to do, and just the overall feel of being on campus, that the "vibe" felt right to them.[/quote]

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