Choosing the Right College

Choosing the right college begins with creating a list for yourself of what you want in your “right” college. This list is different for everyone because we all have different criteria that we find important to have in our lives. However, here are several questions to ask yourself to start your list: 1. Where do you want your college to be? Is there a state or part of the country that you prefer? Consider the climate, the people, the lifestyle, the environment, etc. 2. What size college would you prefer? Small or large campus? Many or few people? This affects class size and social activities. 3. Do you want to be located in a city, suburb, or rural area? 4. Do you want a college that specializes in your major? 5. Is there a particular degree program that you want to follow that may not be available at every college? 6. Do you want to be involved in sports? If so, do you want to play on the school team or maybe intermural? If for the school, you may want a school with a good reputation in that sport. 7. Do you want to be involved in activities like theater, journalism, dance, etc.? If so, make sure your schools offer them. 8. Do you prefer to go to a school with a particular religious affiliation? Do you specifically prefer not to? 9. What kind of housing do you want? Do you prefer singlesex or coed dorms? Do you mind being required to live on campus for the first year or more? 10. Do you want a campus that is particularly active in social activities or shows a lot of school spirit?

Once you’ve created an idea of the “right” college in your mind, a good place to go next is College Board (For Students). You can create a free account so you can save your findings or just browse without an account. Then choose “Find a College,” a web page which provides more information about finding college and a search engine for personalized results. Click the “our search engine” link in the middle of the page. From there, you can either search for schools by name, the College QuickFinder, or by criteria, the College MatchMaker. Once you have your results, look through the profiles of the different colleges. If you like what you see there, go check out their official website for more information.

Although most of the college search can be done by you personally, you high school guidance counselor is great resource. I highly encourage you to develop your relationship with them by visiting them. Asking questions and discussing your search with them helps them better understand how they can help you. They can give you advice on your search, recommend colleges, and discuss your options. It also comes in handy to have a counselor who really knows you when your prospective college asks for their recommendation letter.