Q: I’ve decided where I’m going to go next year. Do I need to tell the other colleges that I’m not going to be coming?

A: You should! College admission deans watch numbers very carefully leading up to the May 1 deposit deadline. Letting them know early helps them predict and plan for what’s to come. Should enrollments not be setting pace with expectations and former trends, the college may decide to go to their waitlist early, which could help that classmate of yours that has their fingers crossed for that school.

You can let the college know in one of two ways: via your admission portal for that college (there is often the option there) or by emailing them. And while you do not have to tell them where you are attending, it is a nice thing to do. It helps them to discern their most popular overlap schools and who they are losing students to.