How to Pick a College or University

This article gives basic guidelines on how to choose a college or university that suits you best.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• The Internet
• Time to visit schools

1. 
   Collegeboard website

   Start your search online by researching schools that you are interested in. A great place to start is College Board. On College Board you can search nearly any college or university and the site will provide an immense amount of data regarding said school. School size, location, athletic information, average SAT and ACT scores, clubs, important dates regarding applications, pictures, campus life, demographics, etc.

2. 
   Princeton Review

   Another great place to look is in Princeton Review books that can be found at nearly every book store. The Princeton Review books provide school rankings and a wealth of information.
   You can also search schools by the field you are interested in. For example, if you are looking to go into business you can find a list of top business schools at www.businessweek.com.
   Check out the actual website of schools you are interested in. This is the best place for information specific to each school.

3. Make a list of schools you are interested in. Try and choose two schools are are reaches and will prove a challenge to get in. Choose approximately five schools that are on your level. Also, choose two- three schools that are safeties where you are positive you could get in. Rank these schools according to your desires. Some things to keep in mind include:
   1. Location
   2. Size
   3. Climate
   4. Work load
   5. Social Class
   6. Curriculum
   7. Company/Graduate School affiliations
   8. Intern Opportunities
   9. Relativity to cities
   10. Atmosphere
   11. The name (despite what people say... a school with a good name will help).
   12. Distance from home
   13. Social life
   14. Anything else you feel is important

4. Set time aside to visit the colleges and universities you are interested in. Call in advance to arrange an on-campus tour.

5. Bring a list of questions to your tour. Your guide should be highly trained to answer your questions. Ask anything that comes to mind, after all you are going to spend four years at that place.

6. Pay close attention to the atmosphere at the school. It is important to feel like you are at home and or some where you would want to be. You are not going to perform well unless you enjoy your surroundings.

7. After visiting schools, reevaluate your rankings. Add or remove schools as necessary and continue to conduct research.

8. Once you have a solid list together it is time to begin applications!

9. After receiving acceptance letters, travel to the schools you were admitted to. Once again see what you like the best. Don't always choose the school that has the best academics, parties, or athletics. Choose the school you feel the most comfortable at.

Resources

• college board
• business week
• princeton review

[HowTo09]

on 12/7/2008 Very informative. Great article.

[HowTo09]

on 12/7/2008 Very informative. Geat Article.