There’s a lot more to College Selection
Everyone has different priorities when choosing schools during the college selection process. Yours may vary from your closest friends or siblings. The following is a brief list of considerations to aid in the college selection process.
Curriculum
What do you want to study? Do you have a specific subject in mind, like art or music, or do you want a more general education? Do you want a range of potential majors and study programs? Are you interested in a career that requires professional certification, and does the school provide the necessary training? Do you want to take advantage of special programs, like study abroad and internships?
Quality of education
How much contact do you want with your professors? How much does it matter to you whether professors or graduate students teach your courses? How involved do you want to be in research and in learning outside of the classroom?
Size
How large or small a school do you want? Do you prefer large lectures with hundreds of students or small classes with lots of student participation? Do you want to be on a big campus with many majors, an impressive library, and lots to do? Or would you prefer a small college where you know everyone’s name?
Admission requirements
What does the school require for admission? What does the school look for in prospective students? And what are your chances of being accepted?
Facilities
What would you like to see on or near your college campus? Are restaurants, shops, and health clubs important to you? What about laundry rooms? The computer lab? The library and research facilities? What about transportation on and around the campus?
Campus life
How is life outside the classroom? What special interest groups, activities, fraternities/sororities do you want to be involved in?
Campus security
What’s the local community like? How safe are the campus and surrounding neighborhoods?
Athletics
Does the school offer intramural and varsity sports? How are the sports facilities?
Location
Which part of the country would you like to experience? Do you want an urban or small-town setting? Do you want to stay close to home so you can visit frequently? Are you going to school at night and need to work? Would you prefer to go to school online because of the convenience?
Housing and resources
If you plan to live on-campus, make sure you check out the quality of dorm life. Find out if housing is guaranteed for returning students. And don’t forget to check on the meal plan—can the school provide for special diet needs?
Retention and graduation rates
Retention rate is the percentage of students who stay for four years. Graduation rate is the percentage who graduate within four years. Both rates tell you whether students are satisfied with their experience at the school and get the support they need.
Others Considerations
You might also want to consider:
- Percentage of applicants accepted
- Average test scores of the students
- Job placement services
Of course, this is only a partial list. We recommend that you work with parents, spouses, counselors, etc. on a complete list.
