The Essential College Selection Checklist
Evaluating your strengths and weaknesses as well as your goals in life is essential in your search for a good college or university. Assessing your personality will also help you in presenting yourself to the colleges you intend to apply to. Being honest and serious in achieving your goals will show in your interviews and in the essays you submit along with your applications. Below are the major criteria you will need in selecting the right college for you.
Type of college – There are generally two types — private and public.
Type of education – Which do you want — liberal arts or professional training?
Major – The fields of study that you are interested in.
Student-to-teacher ratio – Large universities tend to have huge student population hence, more students per teacher in a class while colleges have fewer students.
Cost – Your financial situation matters a lot so choose colleges that you can afford. Calculate your tuition, cost of room, food, travel and other expenses for the full four years, if possible. Find out about the payment terms of various schools.
Location – Consider where you would like to study, the area’s climate and its accessibility to facilities and services that may be useful to you during your schooling. Campuses in the cities offer more variety in food, entertainment and cultural facilities while those in the rural areas are more peaceful and conducive to studying.
Housing – Check the difference in fees for on-campus and off-campus housing. Find out the living arrangements like if a room is shared by two or more students or if there’s also a room available for one person only. For the first two years, it’s advisable that you live on campus to help you blend well into the university life. You will save additional expenses like paying for daily public transportation and you need lesser time in traveling back and forth to campus every day.
Social life – Most colleges provide social, cultural and sports activities apart from the academic programs. Find out if the students live on or off campus, whether they commute to classes and go home to family every weekend or just stay in school.
Fraternities and sororities – The Greek system as what they are called exists in most colleges and universities. Fraternities (for males) and sororities (for females) do not cater only to social life like holding parties but also hold philanthropic activities.
Affiliations – All colleges in the U.S. admit all kinds of students regardless of race, color or religious belief. But you must know that many schools were established with a particular mission such as providing a religious atmosphere on campus or a single-sex education or a mixed student population. The school’s mission statement should give you an idea on this.
Extracurricular activities – These include sports teams, academic clubs, university papers, drama productions and other programs that allow students to develop their other skills.