When going to the College Fair Consider This!

CHOOSING A COLLEGE

Choosing the right college can seem like a rather daunting task. After all, your college education and overall experience will affect the rest of your life. With over 3000 colleges and universities in the country, it can become overwhelming to narrow your focus to just the few to which you want to apply for admission. If you do not have an absolute priority like an unusual major, a special learning need, or a unique talent, your choices are wide open. There are many factors to consider when choosing a college, but following are some of the key factors you should consider:

·         Distance from home

Do you want to live close to home or live far away? Being close to home can hinder your ability to experience independence, but being too far may make you lonely.

·         Size of school

Do you learn better in a smaller learning community or would you like to be in a large lecture hall?

Small schools will offer you more personal involvement, a community atmosphere, and smaller classes, whereas the larger schools tend to be more impersonal, make it easier for you to be anonymous, and have much larger classes. Smaller institutions may not have as many activities and opportunities to offer as would a larger institution.

·         Setting – suburban, urban, or rural

Do you want to be in a rural area, in the heart of a large city, or at least have access to a larger city?

·         Academics

Consider the majors, academic support services or honors programs each school has to offer.

Do you have any special educational needs?

·         Campus life

Consider the diversity of the campus, residence halls, campus clubs and organizations, fraternities and sororities, and religious programs and opportunities.

·         Overseas study opportunities

Are you interested in studying for a semester or year in another country?

·         Admission Criteria

Do you have the required standardized test score and grade point average needed for admission? What is the percentage of students admitted? What courses are required or strongly recommended for admission?

·         Cost

Do you have the flexibility to consider an expensive private or public institution or are you limited to a less expensive school?

·         Scholarships and Financial Aid

Will you qualify for any institutional academic scholarships? Are there other scholarships for which you can apply?

·         Reputation

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the institution?

TIP: Use www.collegeboard.com’s College Matchmaker to help you research colleges. You enter your preferred criteria and it displays the results!

One of the most commonly asked questions is, “How many colleges should I apply to?” There is no universal answer to this question since each individual is different. Some students may only apply to one or two schools while others may want to apply to ten or twelve. However each time you apply, there is an application fee that needs to be paid and it could get very expensive very quickly. After carefully investigating your requirements of a college, you should be able to narrow your choice to approximately 6 schools that provide the services you desire and place them in order of importance. As you are narrowing your choices, you may want to consider placing the schools into the following categories:

Reach Schools – These schools may be “long shots” based on your credentials and the admissions selectivity; however, consider stretching yourself and taking the risk to apply to these institutions.

Good Match Schools – These schools should possess significant features you want in a school, and it should be realistic that you will be admitted.

Safety Schools – These schools will have many of the features you are looking for, and admission is highly likely.

While there is no hard and fast rule regarding these categories, including one or two schools in each category is sufficient. You want to make sure you apply to at least two “good match” or “safety” schools to insure you will be accepted and be able to make a choice when the time comes.

A FEW POINTS OF CAUTION

1.       Many students spend hours deciding on their top few choices and very few minutes on their fifth or sixth choice. It is strongly advised that you take time in considering those choices as you may end up at one of those schools if admission and/or financial aid at your first choice(s) are not offered. You want to make sure your “safety” schools reflect the needs you desire, not just because they are inexpensive or admission is not as difficult.

2.       Some students feel that schools that fall into the “good match” or “safety” categories are not as good as those in the “reach” category. This is not necessarily the case. The selectivity may be stricter in some schools so your chances of admission may be decreased. In many cases, your good match and safety schools may be just as good to serve your purposes. You need to find the fit that is best for you!!