It's the season of committing to colleges. At my school today, hundreds of kids and parents pass by me daily on tours of the campus. Last year when I was a high school senior, I took the college admissions process very seriously. I made spreadsheets with my mom charting out all the different accommodations and programs for every college. Every pro and con were accounted for. It may have even been color coded.
With all this experience, I come to you today with a decently comprehensive list of all the things you should choose to consider before picking your perfect college.
1. Where is the college?
Do you want to be close to home, far away or somewhere in between? This is very important to your college experience. Do you want to be able to drive 30 minutes home every weekend to see your family or do you want to have a couple hours safe distance? Maybe you even want to be a couple states away! It's all personal preference. Sometimes you may really like a college, but it's either too close or too far away from home, so this is definitely a good thing to consider.
2. Does the college offer a good program for your major?
You may love a college campus feel and location, but then the program for the degree you're interested in pursuing falls flat. Maybe they only offer a few classes in the area you're interested in, or maybe they don't even have your major at all! I remember looking at one college I liked early on in the process only to find they only offered a theater minor, not even a major.
3. What living accommodations does the school provide?
If you're planning on living on campus, it's important to know what kind of living spaces the school has. Do they only have dorm rooms where you'd be rooming with one or two other people and have a shared bathroom on the floor or is there suite style living where you have your own bathroom? Another thing to consider is the variety of living. If you anticipate wanting to live on campus for more than your first year, you may want a school that has dorms as well as apartment style living so you can have a kitchen your second year. This is a very personal preference depending on who you are, but it can have a huge impact on your college experience.
4. What are the alumni doing?
At any school you tour, it's important to ask what alumni in your field are doing after graduation. You want to ask about employment rates of the graduates, if anyone has made a significant impact, etc. You need to know that the school and program you are interested in is actually creating results with their students and building connections between students and employers. While this may not seem like an important thing to a 17- or 18-year-old, it will be extremely important once you become and junior and senior and start the job search in a few short years.
5. What extracurricular activities and clubs are provided?
Campus life is so important especially to incoming freshman trying to get involved on their campus. Are the intramural sports teams? Greek life? Clubs and organizations that are making a difference? All of these speak to the character of the campus as well as the current student body. If you know you want to be an involved student on campus and try new things and meet new people with similar interests be sure to check out the campus life aspect of a school before making your decision.
6. Do you feel at home there?
Oftentimes, when you tour a college campus that's right for you, you just feel it. Maybe you love the architecture of the buildings and all the activities happening on the campus green. Maybe you sat in on a class and loved the professor and the discussions happening in the classroom. Maybe you just look great in the school colors. Any way you feel it, you'll have a gut feeling when you've found the perfect college for you.
