Choose the Perfect College for You

If you are about to embark upon the adventure of college admissions, you will probably ask yourself ‘how do I choose a college’? There are so many different reasons as to why students pick colleges. Sometimes it is a reason of necessity, getting away from home, or an important reason that ties in with the students future prospects, whereas other times it is as trivial as the student seeing a great bar on campus. Whatever your personal priorities, motivations, emotions and justifications, it is still never easy to know how to choose the right college. Do not fear; these advices will help you pick a college that is the best for you.

The List of Priorities

When choosing a college, you should make three choices. One should be the top choice but the hardest to get into, the next one should be not as good but easier to get into, and the third should be the worst (‘safety net’) but practically a dead-cert. We say should because you don’t have to apply in this way, but it is the best method.

Seek Personal Recommendations

The best way to start researching potential colleges to apply to is together with your friends, peers, family and teachers. Most of these people (perhaps not your family) will have plenty of advice to give. Your teachers probably know you better than you might think, and this makes them great at advising what options would be good for you.

Academic and Social Goals

The college you choose should be weighted highly on your academic goals. If you want the best education for your subject, find department with the best reputation. If you want specific training for a specific future line of work, look for the most suitable departments with high post-graduation employment rates. It helps to clarify what you want from your education, and then seek out the most appropriate college for you. Social considerations are also important, for example, choosing a college in the right kind of town.

Look at ‘How to Choose College’ Directories

There are many books and websites which profile and review colleges, and they can provide a wealth of useful information, especially in terms of culture, campus life and the surround areas. Never rely on guides that are not impartial, such as college brochures.

How to Choose a College the Smart Way

Most students simply look at the University ranking to determine how good it is, but this is only good as a first measure of research. There is no need to rely solely on rankings information when you can determine the actual specific evidence for yourself, and the following list of factors will help you do it:

• Location
• Size
• Reputation
• Curriculum
• Cost/Living expenses
• Quality of professors
• Student Population
• Admission Rate
• Graduation Rate
• Student/Faculty Ratio
• Retention Rate
• Post-graduation employment rate