Today looms as an important deadline in the lives of most young people - the day they must inform a college of their plans to enroll. The National College Advising Corps is sponsoring National Decision Day events in nine states on or near that day, to celebrate the accomplishment of graduating high school and to honor students' decisions to continue their education.

"At both of the high schools where I serve, there was a very heavy emphasis on celebrating the accomplishments of the athletic teams and the drama department; therefore I felt it was just as important to celebrate the post-high-school decisions of the seniors," said Ebonie Leonard, a second-year advisor in the Carolina College Advising Corps and the founder of Decision Day.

Each school participating in the events is offering its own celebration, but at all the celebrations students must bring evidence of their post-secondary plans in the form of a college acceptance letter, military orders or a similar offer letter in order to be get in.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the percentage of high school graduates who enroll in college immediately after finishing high school has fluctuated between 64% and 69% since 2002.