Selecting the Right College

Class Location: The Internet.

Description: This site will help students in selecting the college which best suits them.

Objective: Find your perfect college.

With so many schools and so much stress associated with the college admissions process, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. As a result, you might find yourself spending inadequate time investigating colleges and selecting the ones where you will apply. But choosing a college is too important a decision to take lightly. You need to find the school that’s right for you.

Start researching colleges before your senior year. You’ll have plenty to keep you busy by your senior year, so whatever you can do beforehand will help lighten your load and ease your stress level. Use college guides, CD-ROMs, and the internet to find out as much as you can about possible schools to consider. Ask guidance counselors, teachers, family members, and older students about their thoughts on particular schools. Find out not only what they like or dislike, but also why they feel the way they do. You need to understand the reasoning behind those opinions to determine whether you would feel the same way.

Think about what criteria are most important to you in selecting a college, and assign weights to them based on their importance. For example, are you willing to withstand winters in Boston for a great economics program at a school there? Some factors to consider include cost, location, prestige, and whether the school is public or private. Also think about what special features you might want in a school, such as whether it has good programs in subjects you might want to pursue, the diversity of the student body, and whether the school is liberal or conservative. Don’t put too much importance on how selective the school is until later in the admissions process. This may lead you to eliminate a school unnecessarily. It’s best to keep your options open and learn about as many colleges as possible.