Today is May 1.
If you are a senior reading this — you made it.
I do not say that casually. I say it because I know what this year actually looked like from the inside. The applications and the essays and the waiting. The decisions that came back exactly as you hoped and the ones that did not. The moments you were completely sure and the moments you were anything but. The process that probably looked nothing like you pictured it — and somehow still got you here.
You made it. And I am so proud of you.
To the Senior Who Is Excited
If you woke up today knowing exactly where you are going and feeling genuinely good about it — soak it in. That clarity is not nothing. A lot of students do not get there. You did the work, you made the call, and you feel it. That is worth celebrating today.
Go ahead and celebrate. You have earned it.
To the Senior Who Is Still Unsure
If today arrived and the decision still does not feel clean — if you are staring at two options and still do not know which one to pick — I want to say something important.
The uncertainty you are feeling right now is not a sign that you are making the wrong decision. It is a sign that you care deeply about making the right one. And those are very different things.
Here is what I know after years of watching students make this call: there is almost never one perfect answer. There is almost always more than one school where your student could thrive. The goal is not to find the one right school. It is to choose one and commit to it fully.
So here is what I want you to do today. Go back to the thing that matters most — not the ranking, not what sounds impressive, not what other people think. What does your student actually need to thrive? Environment, community, financial peace of mind, a specific program, proximity to home. Weight those things honestly. And then make the call.
Not because you are certain. Because you are ready.
To the Senior Who Is Grieving
If today is hard — if you are submitting a deposit to a school that was not the dream, or watching peers celebrate schools that said no to you, or just feeling the weight of a process that did not go the way you hoped — I see you.
The grief is real. The disappointment is real. And you are allowed to feel it even on a day that is supposed to be a celebration.
What I also know — from watching students walk this exact path — is that the school that was not in the picture can become the school that changes everything. The student who arrives somewhere unexpected and falls in love with it. Who finds a community, a professor, an opportunity, a version of themselves they did not know was coming. It happens constantly. More often than anyone posts about on social media.
Where you are going is not the whole story. It is just the next chapter.
Now What — The Practical Stuff
Okay. You have committed. The deposit is in. Here is what needs to happen next because May 1 is not the finish line — it is the starting gun for a whole new set of tasks.
Withdraw from every school you are not attending. Log into each portal and officially decline your offer. Do it today if you can. It is the right thing to do and it frees up a spot for a student on a waitlist somewhere who is waiting for exactly that news.
Let your school counselor know where to send your final transcript. They handle the sending — they just need to know where it is going. Give them that information before the end of the year rush hits.
Send official AP score reports. Scores are released in July. If your college requires official reports for credit or placement — and most do — order them through College Board and have them sent directly. Check your college’s specific policy now so you are not scrambling in the summer.
Send official SAT or ACT score reports if required. Even if you sent scores during the application process, some colleges require official reports sent directly from College Board or ACT. Verify and handle it.
Request dual enrollment transcripts. If you took any dual enrollment courses, those credits do not transfer automatically. Contact the college where you took them and request an official transcript sent directly to your college. This is the most commonly missed step and it can affect your credit hours. Do not let it slip.
Confirm your housing deposit and deadline. If you have not submitted a housing deposit, find out when it is due. Some schools have first-come first-served housing and the window closes faster than families expect.
Register for orientation. Many schools open orientation registration in the spring and popular sessions fill up. Find out when yours opens and get on it early.
Check your scholarship requirements. Read the fine print on every merit award you received. Some require a thank you letter, additional documentation, or a FAFSA verification step. Do not let a scholarship slip through the cracks because of an administrative detail.
One Last Thing
This week I got a text from a family I had the honor of working with. Their daughter came into this process unsure of herself and a little scared. She finished with 17 acceptances — full honors college offers — and over a million dollars in merit scholarships. She does not have straight As. No perfect test score. Just an awesome kid with a heart of gold who showed up fully for this process.
And her mom told me that her daughter remembered something I said early on. That there would be a point during senior year when it clicks. When the work comes together and the noise settles and you just know you are ready to launch.
She said her daughter was there. She was ready.
I hope that is where you are today. And if you are not quite there yet — you will be. The click comes. Maybe today. Maybe at orientation. Maybe the first week of school when something happens and you realize — this is exactly where I am supposed to be.
It is coming. I promise.
The finish line was never May 1.
It was always the first day of the rest of it.
Congratulations, Class of 2026. Go do something great.
Here with you every step,
