College bound high school seniors will likely start receiving college admission letters in the next few weeks. In fact, seniors who applied for early admission status may have received several admission letters already.

Once a senior receives admission or rejection letters from all the colleges they’ve applied to, they must make the most important decision of the college selection process: decide which college they will ultimately attend.

Deciding which college to attend is one of the biggest decisions that can affect the rest of your life. Be sure to know the answers to the following questions in order to avoid buyer’s remorse, taking unnecessary courses and paying extra college fees and costs.

Why did I apply to this college in the first place?

Students apply to colleges for a myriad of reasons. In fact, the most common reason most students apply to any given college is because a friend was also applying to the same college. Oftentimes, students are advised to apply to multiple colleges by well meaning guidance counselors, teachers or relatives and so they do. Whatever the reason, the senior should not enroll at a college if they can’t recall why they applied to it in the first place.

Do I still feel the same way about the college as the day I applied?

Back in October, you watched No Reservations and the next day you applied to several culinary colleges. However, this weekend you saw The Rite and now you want to go to seminary school and study exorcism. As good as any college may be, if it no longer offers you what you need to get into a career in the field that you now want to work in, it makes sense to reject their admission offer.

WARNING: Admission representatives at some colleges might not take a rejection of their admission offer lightly. Expect to receive follow up calls from admission representatives at some for-profit colleges and other institutions that aren’t meeting enrollment quotas. The representatives might utilize high pressure tactics to try to get you to enroll at their college. Explain to them that your interests have change and you will be enrolling at a different college.

Can I still afford this college?

Many students make the mistake of pricing a college using only the published tuition schedule. It isn’t until they receive their acceptance letters or later that they find out the true cost of attendance at any given college. Find out how much dorms, books, meal plans, etc. will cost as soon as possible to determine whether you’ll be able to afford it or not.

Even if you correctly priced a specific college, has the financial situation at home changed? With record recession and unemployment rates, many parents may no longer be able to afford to send their children to the colleges of their choice. Along with the acceptance letter, did the college offer scholarship money as well?