Choosing a School
Campus and Online College Search
There are several things to take into consideration when selecting the college or university where you will attempt to obtain an education and earn a degree.
When it is time to start selecting your college or university sit down and make a list of criteria. That will make selecting the perfect school easier. This list should include things like the type of degrees offered, location, size, public versus private cost, financial aid packages, graduation rates, employment rate, resources, social life, housing options, entry expectations, and staff.
Using your list make a list of colleges and universities that fall into the set of criteria you desire. There are several books and web sites that can help you with this compilation. Try to narrow your list of possible colleges down to the ten that best suit your needs.
When you have a list of 10 potential colleges you may want to consider visiting each and every one of them. By visiting each school you will be better able to tell how the school will suit your personality.
Bear in mind that this is the place you will be spending the next four years your life. Make sure you are comfortable. Make the most of your time on the campus. Before you even arrive at the campus read all the literature that you have been sent, learn as much as for possible from the literature and write down any questions you might have before stepping foot on the college grounds. By the time you arrive on the campus know what you are looking for, know exactly what you can and cannot live with before visiting.
Take the standard campus tour but also make time to form your own opinions, talk to current students, try to meet some of the professors you may have at your first year. Are these people you can spend the next four years of your life with? Try to locate a current copy of the campus newspaper. This newspaper will help give you an idea of the culture of the campus. How consistent is everybody? Do the student’s opinions seem to match the faculty's? When you go to visit a college, ask if it might be possible to audit a class in progress.
Take some time to explore the areas off campus where many students spend a large part of their student life. Time permitting, try to spend the night in the student housing. This will give you a chance to meet fellow potential students and discover more about the college’s culture. Some questions to ask on your campus visit might be what organizations encourage student involvement, how large the average class is, does the college have a community atmosphere, what are the tutoring programs like, and what is the average dropout rate? Be sure to plan time to talk to the admissions counselor.
For students who simply don't have the time or the money to make the trip, most colleges and universities now offer a virtual tour of their campus. While these in no way replace the benefits of visiting the college in person, they will at least give the student an idea of the campus layout.
Keep a journal so you can record all of your impressions of each school.
After visiting the campus’s, apply to the six that best suit your needs and expectations.
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