Image courtesy of Sienna. 

College is a major life decision for anybody, where people prepare for their future lives and careers, and where someone goes greatly affects the course of the rest of their lives. The college you go to affects the people you will meet, the type of education you get, and even the job opportunities that you will receive when it's over. 

Memories of college experiences will stick with a person for the rest of their lives. People celebrate their alma maters before, during, and after the whole experience. Most people end up with some level of memorabilia from their college days. Everyone wants the institution that holds that space in their lives to be something that they can be proud of. You spent so much time deciding on, applying to, and ultimately choosing the college you want to attend, you probably can’t wait to go and want to announce your choice in a way that conveys that level of excitement!

This announcement is an important moment in your journey that you probably want to get right. You want it to be dramatic, fun, and to let everyone in on how excited you feel at this moment. The U.S. celebrates National College Decision Day every year on May 1st, and that makes it the perfect day for you to make the big announcement! It will be a lot of fun to experience the shared excitement of students like you at your school and all over the country while you all hop onto social media to make the announcement and celebrate each other’s joy. This experience will make you feel warm and excited for what’s to come. You want to make sure your own post is as fun to read as all the others that will flood your feed. We have a few examples that show just how you can do that!

What is College Decision Day?

This is a day of celebration for seniors around the country. 

National college decision day is the day that high school seniors are required to make a final decision about the college they want to attend in the fall. Acceptances are usually sent out in the spring, and students get to think about their choice up until the first of May. They get to send in their decision to their college of choice anytime before that, but many students choose to wait until the deadline to make their final choice. 

The college you attend is such an important decision, it makes sense why so many people would choose to take their time thinking about it. But whenever you make the choice, you will be filled with a mix of relief and excitement. 

Even if you made your choice long before May 1st, it will still be fun to make the announcement on May first when so many other students will be. On May 1st, Instagram will be flooded with college choice announcements. By May first of last year, Instagram had over 17,000 posts under the hashtag #Collegedecisionday. 

Many of the students posting their decisions may use a different hashtag when they post, but either way, they are still in on the fun. This is a day for high school seniors to make a final choice on the college they attend and celebrate the upcoming chapter in their lives. 

How Should You Make Your Announcement?

This announcement marks an important moment in an upcoming college student’s life. 

There are several ways that you can make such a special announcement. You just have to figure out which method fits you best. 

Photograph

Something almost as important as the caption is the picture you use to make your post. Most College Day decision captions include pictures that showcase the school the poster will be attending in some way. You might have gone on a school tour by this point, or even ordered merchandise online ahead of getting there. You should use those items in your photograph to give a visual of the school you plan to attend. 

If you took a campus tour, you likely have some great pictures of yourself on campus. And maybe you bought merch before leaving. If that is the case, a photo of yourself wearing your new school’s merchandise on their campus would be the best choice. Other than that, you can photograph yourself wearing your school’s merchandise at any location. If a picture at your school’s campus is not an option, a picture with a great background with you pictured happily in front of it is the next best choice. 

Captions

You likely have so much to say, but you want to condense that into a short and sweet expression of joy. You want your Decision Day caption to portray what you feel within a small number of words for readability. When you look up the hashtag #Collegedecisionday on Instagram, you’ll see thousands of fun announcements that can give you some great ideas for your own post. Some are heartfelt, some are funny, some highlight past accomplishments, and some state hopes for the future. 

Anything you feel passionate about while you’re writing your post can be stated, but maybe you want to make your post fit a certain theme. Maybe you just want to write about anything that comes to mind. A few examples of how other students have made their announcements can help you figure out what you want to do with yours. 

Highlighting Past Accomplishments

You’ve spent years working hard to get to this point in your life, and you’re likely feeling very proud of yourself. Getting into college is a huge accomplishment for high school students, and it's not always easy. You can let your pride in yourself shine through when you make your post. 

One way to make this incredible announcement is to highlight your past accomplishments. Everything that you have accomplished so far is what has led you to your current options. All your scores, extracurriculars, and accolades have made you a prime candidate for your chosen school. Highlighting all that you’ve done so far brings to light the exact reasons you have earned your opportunities and a place at a college. Writing out how hard you’ve had to work serves as a reminder that every struggle you had along the way was worth it. It shows how well hard work turns into opportunities. 

Foodie Reveal

Revealing your college choice through a dessert is always a fun way to go. A dessert is sweet and enjoyable, and the perfect treat to celebrate your new stage in life with. Make it your favorite dessert! Sharing a dessert is always enticing, and you can be really creative with it. You can get desserts that match your school’s colors. You can make any part of the dessert your school’s colors. 

If you get a cake, the frosting or the inside can be the school’s colors. Even better, get a whole cake that matches your new school’s colors. Get the school’s logo and mascot on the top or side of the cake. This will also work with a number of other desserts as well. Using a dessert is an awesome way to announce your chosen college!

College Merch

This student chose to announce his college choice with a load of their merchandise displayed in their bedroom. It is a really fun announcement style that shows their school spirit even before they arrive at school! If you’re feeling really excited about your school, go ahead and purchase a lot of their merchandise. It will make you feel even more proud and excited about where you’ll be in the next few months. A banner with your school’s logo on it is ideal to have in this type of announcement post. 

Most schools have so many different items in their store with their school colors and logo, it will be easy to find an abundance of items to fill your bedroom with. You can find sheets, pillows, books, sweaters, and so much more. You will likely even find items that you didn’t even expect your school store to sell, but will decide you need to have once you see it. Whatever school you have chosen to attend, their store is most likely filled with all types of items that would make an announcement picture great. You can even get merchandise that represents your college from OCM, like this glassware. 

Scenery Shot

College campuses are often gorgeous places with amazing architecture. They usually have their own area to exist in and do what they want with the land. If you have visited the school you have chosen to attend before announcement day, you probably took some cool pictures of the place. Any picture you have in front of a gorgeous building or a large school logo can work great to make your announcement with. It not only tells people the name of the school you’ll be headed to, but shows off some of the awesome scenery you’ll be surrounded by for the coming years. 

There are likely many scenic places around your school to take pictures for an announcement later on. There are many different buildings for different purposes, and nice spaces inside of buildings with the school’s logo on the walls. Sharing a photo of where you’ll be living soon will get you and your friends excited about your soon to be living space. 

Celebration Post

A post that showcases you celebrating your college choice is a great one for an announcement. This image is great because it encapsulates the joy the high school graduate feels in the moment. This is a celebratory time where you are meant to celebrate all the accomplishments that you’ve had so far, and one of those big accomplishments is getting into college and then making a decision to commit to one. This type of Decision Day caption will have people in the mood to celebrate your victory with you when they scroll past it. Showing just how excited you are makes for an emotionally fulfilling post that makes other people feel along with you!

Creative Announcement

This student created a really creative announcement that was related to what she does and what she will be doing at her new school. It is a really fun and interesting concept. This kind of announcement will certainly catch many peoples’ interests. You can easily do something like this involving your own extracurriculars or future field of study. You can pose on the field of the sport you play or get in character for your intended career. Showcasing yourself in your element will highlight and celebrate the things that have shaped you into the person you are today. 

Low Key Caption

Keeping your Decision Day post short and simple is a good way to go about it. This student keeps her announcement low key, but still flashy in the right ways. Rather than show off a bunch of college merchandise, she carries a small letter that represents her school. While showing off your college merchandise can be exciting, it can also be fun to pick out a different kind of outfit that you like for your announcement photo. 

Making sure that you look great in an outfit you would normally wear, or even one you chose for just the occasion will add some fun style choices to your announcement. Making yourself the focal point of the picture alongside a caption that highlights your future endeavors is a good way to go when it comes to College Decision Day captions. 

College Decision Day is a time for celebration that is fun to participate in. Announcing the college you are choosing to go to is a big deal. It is of interest to everyone in your life, from your parents, to your friends, and even your teachers. Make sure to announce your choice in a way that is most fitting for who you are!