|
Deciding which college to study for is an extremely important decision. Not only does it affect the next 4 years of a student’s life, it also plays a major role in their career. This article will help students and their families pick the right college by highlighting some of the most important factors to consider.
Distance From Home
Moving to a college is a major social change. For most students, it’s the first time they are separated from family and friends and live entirely on their own. The impact of this change can vary greatly, depending on how far away from home they go to college. These students are forced to make many new friends and quickly adapt to their new environment. Students who attend college closer to home are more likely to retain the same social circle and a closer approximation of their old lives. Who feel frightened in new and strange environments, going to college far from home can lead to homesickness and a bad experience. There are many compromises between staying in your home town and moving cross country. Think about how much you value new experiences versus how much you need to be near home when making this decision.
Affordability
Attending college is a major investment. How cost impacts a student’s decisions depends on the financial position of the student and his or her family. If the student’s family is able to comfortably pay for college, and is happy to do so, then the price of tuition might not be the biggest factor in the decision.
On the other hand, if the student is planning to pay for college themselves (by working or taking on students loans) cost becomes extremely important. Student debt is no small burden, and many students spend decades paying off their college loans.
Before taking out a major loan to pay for college, here are few things to consider:
* Do you plan on pursuing a course that will help you earn a lot of money?
* Are you comfortable being in debt for many years?
* Will the benefits of one college out weigh the extra cost? If the answers to any of these questions are no, the student should strongly consider a more affordable alternative. Everyone wants to attend the most prestigious school, but for many students it does not make economic sense.
Areas of Study
Consider when choosing a college are the specific academic programs offered by each college. If the student already has a good idea of what they want to study, they should research these departments at each college. Quality of education can vary widely between different departments at the same college, so it’s important to gather specific information. Some colleges might be excellent overall, but have poor programs in the area most important to you. Others might not have the most prestigious reputation, but have top notch programs for certain subjects.
For students that are undecided about their course of study, it’s more important to find a college that has a wide variety of offerings and overall high level of academics. This will allow the student a broad range of equally good choices. List of criteria you want to use to evaluate for colleges
Here's a list of common criteria:
* degrees offered
* location (rural or urban setting)/distance from home
* size of the student population (from small at 1,000 to large at 35,000+)
* public vs. private
* costs (tuition, room and board, etc.)
* financial assistance packages
* campus resources (labs, libraries, computer access, etc.)
* graduation rate/time
* placement success/internship and co-op programs
* accreditation
* class size
* faculty contact/classes taught by full-time doctorally qualified faculty
* quality/reputation/ranking
* degree of pressure to excel
* safety (campus, community)
* student body (diversity, gender, etc.)
* social life (sports)
* housing options (dorms, apartments, living at home)
* realistic entry expectations (based on typical student admitted)
Visit the colleges on your list
The best way to really get a feel for a college is by visiting the campus, taking a tour, meeting with students, attending a class, reading the campus newspaper, eating in the cafeteria, and spending the night in a dorm (if possible). You have to feel "at home" at the place where you will spend the next four years of your life, so visiting is important. Talking to Students and Alumni
After you narrow down your list of colleges to a few that you are very interested in, you should try to go deeper and talk to someone who has attended the college. They’ll have the most up to date knowledge about what life is like at these colleges and will probably be more honest about shortcomings than the school’s admissions department.
Your guidance counselor might be able to put you in touch with current college students. Ask them if they wouldn’t mind talking with you about the college on the phone some time.
Another good idea is finding alumni of the college. Your parents and friends might be able to help you find alumni in your area. You could also try calling the college directly and asking for referrals.
|
