With college admissions letters coming to an end, and national college decision day approaching (May 1st, if you didn’t know already), many soon-to-be college students face a very tough decision.

Some may have had a dream school in mind since the second grade, while others may be feeling extremely overwhelmed at the thought of having to pick one college to attend for the next four years.

I was one of the latter when deciding where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life. I had a general idea of what kind of college experience I wanted, but by no means was I ready to commit to one school right away. I made countless pro-con lists, got opinions from family and friends, watched YouTube videos on each school I was accepted to, and took multiple tours of the schools I was geographically close to. (Fun fact: I went to Santa Barbara's campus four times before deciding to attend.)

Looking back on my experience in making this decision, I realized I made it way more difficult than it had to be. I considered things that weren’t important in the grand scheme of things. Truly, the only opinion I really needed was my own, and not everyone else’s.

Here are five things I learned you shouldn’t consider when deciding where you want to attend college.

1. Whether or not any of your friends or people you know from high school are going to attend.

Following a best friend, a boyfriend, or a girlfriend to college is probably the worst thing you can factor into your college decision. Yes, it’s sad and hard to leave friends and significant others behind, but college is the time to grow and make new friends. You can’t make decisions based on the location of other people. Rather, you should make the decision based on what is best for you, and where you want to take your life. Being apart can make relationships stronger, and being reunited over breaks will always make coming home even better. On the flip side, deciding not to go to a school because you think too many kids from your high school go there is dumb. College is so unlike high school, and the chances of seeing kids that you know from high school on a college campus is so rare that it definitely shouldn’t be factored into this decision.

2. The “prestige” of the school.

Just because one school may be ranked higher than another doesn’t necessarily mean that the more prestigious school is better for you. While it might be difficult to turn down a school with a seemingly higher rank, it is important to factor in the school as a whole. This includes location, cost, academic life, and social life. Don't just look at Princeton Review or the Fiske Guide ratings.

3. A college’s party reputation.

Whether you want to go to a “party school” or are desperately trying to stay away from one, take the reputation of a school lightly. The truth is, all colleges are party schools if you let them be. Santa Barbara may be a “party school," but it also has six Nobel laureates, and it is one of the top engineering schools in the country. Plus, Santa Barbara wouldn’t be the third UC beating out San Diego if it was such a party school, now, would it? (OK, done bragging now.)

4. If the college has your current major.

While I do think you should consider this, hear me out. You may know exactly what you want to major in and the career you plan to have, and that’s great, but that could so easily change. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 80 percent of students in the United States end up changing their majors at least once. On average, college students change their majors at least three times. With this in mind, make sure the school you choose to attend has a wide array of major choices. This way, if you do choose to change your major, the school will be able to accommodate that.

5. What anyone else thinks about a school.

Everyone is going to have an opinion, both good and bad, about where they think you should go to school. Take each opinion with a grain of salt. Feel free to discuss the choice with your parents, friends, and loved ones, but don’t let their opinions become your own. Just because your parents love one school doesn’t mean that you have to feel the same way. This decision is 100 percent your choice. Never compromise just because you think it will make someone else happy. Remember, this is your college experience, and no one else’s.