It is that time of year where high school students with aspirations to attend college are trying to figure out which university is the best fit for them.
There are many factors that will go into your decision and here are some helpful tips to narrow down your choices.
Your Major
If you know what you are going to major in, make sure each college that you are researching has that major. It is also a great idea to check to see how impacted that major is as this may improve or hinder you chances on being accepted.
Location
Where do you really see yourself spending 4-5 years of your life? Do you want to stay at home? Do you want to go far away? Do you want to attend college in a major city or a college town? You want to make sure that the college location is somewhere you will feel comfortable attending.
Size of the College
Colleges can range from small universities that may be the same size as your high school to schools that have 25,000+ students. Researching each college that interests you will allow you to find out a lot of data such as average class size and professor to student ratio.
Sports and Activities
Keeping busy and having a great social life is a must in college. Find out if the college you are interested in has clubs, organizations, intramural sports, and/or sororities or fraternities. In addition, you may want to know if the school has “big-time” athletics to participate or attend.
Religious Affiliation
If attending a college that has a strong religious affiliation is important to you, check out what types of campus-based religious activities it offers and find out if it offers places of worship on campus.
Cost
It is definitely important to know all of the costs for each college you are considering. Make sure you understand what the tuition, fees, and room and board costs will be.
Academic Standards
Before you apply to any college, it is important to know what you need to do academically in order to qualify for each college. Check what the average SAT or ACT scores are, the average GPA needed, and the classes you need to take in high school are.
It is also important to visit the campus to get a good feel of the campus life. Talk to students, professors, and alumni so you get an excellent understanding of what the college is really like.
You have some tough decisions to make on where you want to attend college. If you need any guidance in making that decision, please feel free to call us as we offer a variety of programs that can help you.