Finding
the college or university that’s right for you
There are more than 9000
colleges and universities in the U.S. in a wide variety of
sizes,
interests and locations. These include community colleges, professional
colleges, state universities, elite schools, private liberal arts
colleges and technical
and vocational institutions. The process
of choosing the right school can feel like
an overwhelming
experience. Selecting where to receive your higher education is
an important and often times stressful task. Such an important
decision requires a
lot of research and time – make sure you
begin your research as early as possible.
Here are some tips and
guidelines for choosing a college or university.
Tips for
choosing a college or university
1. Decide what you
want to study and major in.
2. Develop criteria for
comparing colleges (see list below).
3. Decide on the
location type of college you want to attend.
4. List the
potential schools that match your criteria.
5. Begin
gathering detailed information about each school on your list.
6.
Narrow your list of colleges to candidates with the most
potential.
7. Visit the remaining schools on your
list.
8. Apply to about half-dozen schools.
9.
Begin to search for financial aid as soon as possible.
10.
Choose the winner – the school that’s right for
you!
Criteria for comparing
colleges
Location: distance from home or
city
Type: public or private
Size: large university or small
college
Cost: room and board, tuition, etc.
Financial Aid:
scholarships, school loans, etc.
Degree programs offered and major
areas of studies
Schools ranking or reputation
Housing options:
apartments, dorms, live at home
Social life: sports, activities and
organizations
Graduation rate and diversity of student body
Schools
accreditation
Job placement assistance
Qualifications of faculty and
student teacher ratio
Campus resources, security & religious
affiliation
Internet resources for the
college search
www.collegeboard.com -
Information on comparing
college costs
www.princetonreview.com -
Data on college scholarships,
campuses and more
www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php
- Ranking of best
colleges
