Choosing a College When You’re Still Figuring Yourself Out

Future-Proofing Your College Decision

In our earlier posts, we’ve explored how choosing a college isn’t just about picking the top-ranked school or following a pre-set formula. It’s about navigating uncertainty and ambiguity, identifying what truly matters to you, and making a choice that’s resilient—not just impressive on paper.

This week, Arman shares his story. His journey adds depth to the conversation we started with Michael’s story on April 16 and builds on our April 2 piece about robust satisficing—choosing what’s good enough and adaptable across different futures.

Image Credit: ChatGPT

“I Thought I Knew What I Wanted…”

Arman grew up in Vancouver, Canada, in a family where education wasn’t just important—it was everything. When college decisions started coming in, he faced a scenario many students know well: high hopes, mixed results, and more questions than answers.

Here were his three main options:

• A top Canadian university with a prestigious international relations program (his primary interest), close family nearby, and a location he loved.

• His local university, just a ten-minute drive from home, with a solid program and a large group of peers from high school also attending.

• A U.S. university, further away, more expensive, with fewer personal connections—but also more academic flexibility and a dynamic campus environment.

Each school offered something different. Each came with trade-offs.

Step One: Reduce What You Can’t Know

Arman began by distinguishing personal uncertainty from external uncertainty—a concept we’ve discussed before.

• Personal uncertainty: What do I want? How far am I willing to go from home? Do I need a familiar community? How fixed am I on a major?

• External uncertainty: What is this college really like? Can I picture myself thriving there?

To tackle these unknowns, he talked to alumni, attended virtual tours, visited campuses when possible, and asked questions that helped paint a clearer picture. While some ambiguity—like whether you’ll “click” with a place—can never be fully resolved, uncertainty can be reduced through curiosity and research. With this reduced uncertainty, he was able to eliminate his local university since he figured out that he didn’t mind being far from home.

Step Two: Build for Flexibility

Over time, Arman realized something important: his interests were not as rigid as he once thought. That realization reshaped everything.

The Canadian university had an elite program, but with strict entry requirements and limited room for electives. The path was clear, but narrow. The U.S. school offered a strong program too, but with more academic freedom and the chance to explore different fields.

After serious conversations with his family about finances, he chose the U.S. university—not because it had the best program on paper, but because it gave him the flexibility to pivot if needed.

And pivot he did.

Today, Arman is a second-year student majoring in computer science and preparing for a career in cybersecurity—something he never imagined when he first applied.

What Arman Learned (and You Might, Too)

1. Know yourself—but also know that you’ll change.
   At 17, it’s hard to predict who you’ll be at 21. That’s not a weakness—it’s insight. Choosing a college that supports that evolution is a smart move.

2. Shoot high—and be okay falling short.
   Some schools may feel out of reach academically or financially—but surprises happen. Sometimes, the most unexpected offers turn out to be the best ones.

3. Embrace robust satisficing.
   As we discussed earlier, robust satisficing means choosing a path that balances aspiration with adaptability. Arman gave up a world-renowned program for one that still met his goals but gave him more room to grow. That trade-off paid off.

Final Thought

The college decision process won’t always unfold the way you expect. But if you approach it with self-awareness, dialogue, and the mindset of robust satisficing, you’ll likely end up where you need to be—not just where others think you should go.

And remember: you’re not just picking a college. You’re designing the launchpad for the next chapter of your life.

Let us know in the comments—how did you choose your college? What surprised you? What would you tell your younger self (or your sibling) about making the decision?