Decisions are Seldom Rational: Choosing a college?
How Did I Choose My College and What Did I tell my Younger Brother?
This piece builds on an earlier piece and shares a personal story from Michael and his brother.
In an earlier piece, we have discussed how uncertainty and ambiguity shape decision making.
The rational actor model suggests that one should weigh factors like academic reputation, cost, and career prospects to make an optimal choice. However, organizational constraints, such as admissions policies, financial aid structures, and university bureaucracy, shape what options are realistically available. Additionally, other decision-making model reveals how family expectations, peer influence, and institutional pressures may also play a significant role in shaping the final decision.
Making a college choice can feel overwhelming. With so many options and uncertainties, how do you pick the "right" one. Forget about satisfying too many options to find the optimal solution. Instead, focus on robust satisficing.
Well, removing yourself from the Optimization to the Satisficing framework is easier said than done when considering the uncertainty and ambiguity simultaneously in a life-changing situation such as choosing your college.
Let me share a personal story of Michael!
Seldom overlooked, but consistently underestimated is the power of free choice in this situation. I’m not talking about the abstract illusion of choice – the pre-existing nudges and external influences affecting your decision. I mean the raw willed ability to weigh your options and decide your college after. In reality, I’m referencing the binding college application feature known as Early-Decision (ED). Designed for students who “know where they want to go”, ED provides the college evaluation committee the certainty that if a student is selected, they will be admitted, therefore removing the reducible uncertainty to zero by ensuring that admission rates will not suffer by admitting the student.
Image Credit: ChatGPT
From a student’s perspective, I was happy to be admitted to my ‘dream college – Tufts University’ through ED. I did not, however, realize that I had to withdraw my applications from other colleges after an ED acceptance. During the regular decision round, I was accepted at UMass Amherst, Rensselaer Polytech Institute, and Cornell University with more generous financial aid packages than Tufts. Yet I had to stick to my ED decision to join Tufts. I am glad that my choice of Tufts worked out very well, but In retrospect, I still wonder was ED a good decision for me.
My younger brother started his application process two years later in 2021. I had the privilege of ‘learning by doing’ and giving him the advice I would’ve given to myself – provide yourself flexibility for the unknown and put yourself in a position to make the dilemma of uncertainty-ambiguity dilemma actionable to your advantage. He did not apply ED, and his options listed were follows:
1. 1 Year Local Community College with Guaranteed Transfer to Northeastern
o Affordable, options open to switch to better finance program
2. Providence College
o Socially vibrant, decent finance program, high tuition
3. UMass Amherst
o In-state tuition, reputable finance program, locationally challenged
Before considering the three options, I asked my brother to identify what was important to him. He wanted a location close to Boston (our hometown) and best “bang-for-your-buck”, ie. providing a good chance to land an impressive finance job out of college without breaking the bank. Using this framework, he chose option 1, which incorporated the ideals of robust satisficing the best – meeting all standards with a greater degree of flexibility to address uncertainty and ambiguity in his decision-making process.
Final Thought
Choosing a college isn’t just about academics or cost—it’s about finding a path that supports your growth, balances your constraints, and adapts to the twists and turns of life. By synthesizing robust satisficing with principled pragmatism, you’re not just making a choice—you’re crafting a strategy for success.
Got your own college decision story or questions? Share them in the comments—let’s learn from each other!