The one thing you might not be prepared for is the question that most students wind up dreading:

“So, [insert name], where ya heading off to college next year?”

Why does this question get annoying? Well, for one, you might not know the answer. And for another, any question that is repeatedly asked by anyone and everyone you happen to come in contact with will make you feel like you accidentally stepped into a never-ending inquisition.

So here are 4 ways to repeatedly answer the most dreaded college question:

1. RUN
As soon as you notice the words forming in your podiatrist’s lips, hop off the chair, and run out the door–you can send a pigeon for your shoes later.

If you are not a good runner, or you haven’t trained your pigeon to carry heavy objects quite yet, the next 3 options might be for you.

2. I’m Still Searching
You might have zero clue where you’re going. In fact, depending on the time of year someone asks you the question-that-shall-not-be-named, you might only be in the beginning of your college search. If this is the case, be honest. Let the inquisitor know you’re really not sure. You can tell them about the schools you might apply to, or which schools Cappex has introduced you to. Keep your answer short and sweet.

3. Magic
Don’t underestimate your magician-like skills as a conversationalist. Utilizing the magician’s method, you can make it seem like the question never existed by artfully changing the subject. This takes skill, but, hey, David Copperfield didn’t just make the Statue of Liberty disappear one random morning–he honed his craft (and had a big crew).

4. Bore your listener
If you really want to teach the person who asked the dreaded question a lesson, give them all the gory details. They’ll realize how much is behind the question–the hours you spent studying for the ACT/SAT, the conversations where you asked your favorite teacher to write you a recommendation, more hours you spent studying for the SAT II’s, asking a teacher you didn’t like that much for a recommendation, figuring out what to write your college essays about, joining the 10 different clubs that all raise money to help children–the list goes on!

The more you elaborate, the less likely that person is to ever assault another high schooler with the question:

“So, where you going to college?”

At Cappex, we’re very familiar with the college search and decision process. We have some great tips we’d love to share with you on how to make your college decision so you can avoid resorting to “eenie meenie miny moe” to make your decision. In this post, we’ll talk about part 1: setting clear college priorities.  This pretty much means firmly understanding what you want out of your college experience.  If “college experience” is too vague a term, we’ll help break it down with these words of wisdom from the Cappex College Priorities Worksheet:

1. Location
The actual location of your college or university is a major factor.   If plane flights were free and time travel existed, a lot more of us would probably be studying way further from home.  So the question comes to down to where you would like to live for four years? How far from home are you comfortable being?

2. Academics
Do you know what you want to study in college?  Of the schools you were accepted to, which one has the better program for what you want to do?  Does one school have bigger classes than the other?  What type of environment do you want to learn in?

3. Campus
What are the major differences between the college campuses you’re choosing between? How long does it take to walk from the dorms to the union? Where are classes held? Is it urban or rural? Small differences in one college’s campus over the other might help you make your college decision.

4. Social Life
Some schools are more academic or more social than others, so you’ll want to find the perfect balance for you. A social life can involve parties, sports, arts, Greek life, whatever you’d want yours to revolve around.

Making the college decision is not an easy one. And if you really want help making your choice, try this worksheet.