It can be a wonderful feeling to get multiple college acceptances, but it also leaves you with a daunting task- choosing your college. Even if you get into your top college choice, it’s important to consider all your options before making your final decision. After all, Rory Gilmore spent her entire life working towards Harvard, but gave up her Harvard acceptance to go to Yale, a college that she decided would give her better experiences. There are many factors that can play into making a final decision, but a few of them prove to be the most important.
Do you see yourself at the college?
Your college will have a major impact on the life you will lead in the future in terms of friendships, opportunities and your personality. Therefore, you shouldn’t go to a college you can't see yourself in. A way you can find the answer to this question is through research. Research your colleges online to get other students’ perspectives from forums such as College Confidential. Students’ perspectives are the best way to see if the college is a right fit for you because students don’t sugarcoat their experiences. Visiting the prospective colleges are also a good way to get the feel of how walking on the campus can be and the life you can experience on campus and around town. Being able to get to know the campus and town can paint you a picture of how safe the location is, and if it’s in your preferred type of setting, such as a rural, suburban, or urban environment.
Is it affordable?
Getting into your top college can most often be very costly. While it is true that better colleges can provide you with better opportunities and education, it’s important to keep in mind that you can also get opportunities and an education without having to pay your student loans for the rest of your life. Make sure you take into account the scholarships and grants you may have gotten from the individual colleges. No matter how great a college is it’s not always worth the high cost, especially because opportunities can rise anywhere, even at a college that’s a tier under your highest choice. Ultimately, it’s your personality and attitude that will get you opportunities in the world and not entirely the college you attend. Proving to be consistently hard working will be more appealing to hiring companies than somebody who gave up trying after getting into an Ivy League.
Does it offer good facilities?
Having good facilities, such as a gym, computer labs, libraries, dining halls and so on are very important in making college a comfortable place to live. Having readily available facilities makes living away from home that much easier and makes the transition smoother. Having all the facilities you need will also make parents more comfortable with sending you away knowing that you have everything you need to be comfortable. Make sure your college choice has all of the facilities you are looking for, because there is no reason to be spending all of your money on a place that you are not happy with. Simple research and student opinions can show you whether or not the different types of facilities offered are right for you.
Does it have a good job placement rate?
Colleges will usually report the students’ average job placement rate for 6 months after graduation, which can help you determine whether companies consider that college to have a solid education to pick employees from. This rate can also provide you with an estimation of how quickly you can get hired out of college. This is important especially if you have student debts to pay off, thus requiring an income. However, you should remember that these numbers are just an average and many other factors do contribute to the numbers, so you should not feel discouraged from the college if other aspects are up to your standards.
Does it have a variety of courses, or courses within your interests?
Most incoming college freshmen don’t know what they want to major in. This is completely understandable, but you should make sure that your college has enough courses so that you can experiment with possible majors. On the other hand, if you have a possible major in mind you should make sure that your college has a good undergraduate program in it. Participating in a stronger undergraduate program in your major can make you more appealing to companies that want to hire because they know that you received a better education in a major that will help with your job, thus giving you an advantage. You should keep in mind, however, that this is purely an advantage and not a guarantee that you will get hired because other aspects such as your work ethic play into being hired which are equally, if not more, important.
Ultimately, remember that whatever college you choose is going to be your home for the most pivotal years of your life. Make sure you’re not being forced into a decision because it comes down to your happiness in the end. It may seem like an impossible task trying to pick a college to start a new era of your life, but making a pro/con list can really be your life-saver to making an informed decision. Just look forward to the extraordinary things that are headed your way because that's what the rest of your life will be- amazing.
