Choosing
a college that meets your educational/career goals and individual
needs is not an easy task and is an important decision to
make. When choosing a college you must consider the quality
of education, reputation, admission requirements, costs, and
financial aid. The process of choosing a college typically
involves: knowing what you are looking in a school, researching
those schools, and making a final decision.
Select a topic
to help you choose a college:
• Determine
your career goals
• Select
College Characteristics
• Research
Options
• Request
College Applications and literature
• Develop
a Short List of Schools.
• Visit
the School(s).
• Make
a final decision.
Determine
your career goals
There are many questions to ask yourself before choosing
or applying to a college.
Consider the
following questions:
•
Why do I want to go to college?
•
What do I hope to achieve in college?
•
Do I have some idea of what I want to study?
•
What are the educational requirements (i.e. Associate’s
or Bachelor’s degree) for my planned career?
•
What type of school will I attend?
•
What schools offer programs specific to my career choice?
•
Which school do I really want to attend?
•
Do I want to live at home or go away to school?
•
Do I prefer an urban, suburban, or rural environment?
•
Do I want to attend a small college or a large university?
•
What matters most to me in choosing a school: location,
cost, reputation, and class size?
Now that you
have identified your career goals, you may have to attend
a postsecondary school to attain the appropriate certificate,
license, or degree required for that career. Your next step
is to identify college characteristics that match your educational
and career goals.
Select
College Characteristics
The first step in selecting a school is to know what you
are looking for. Select several characteristics that you
consider important in your search for a school from the
list below, and then start gathering information about schools
that match your selected college characteristics.
Consider the
following characteristics:
•
Type of School (i.e. Public or Private School, college,
university, etc.)
•
Graduation and Retention Rates
•
School and Class Size
•
Admission Requirements
•
Location (i.e. urban, suburban, small town, or rural)
•
Distance from Home
•
Religious Affiliation
•
Ethnic Composition
•
Single Gender or Coed (i.e. women's/men's/coed)
•
Curriculums and Programs
•
Certificates, licenses, and degrees offered
•
Quality of education
•
Facilities (i.e. computer labs, libraries, restaurants,
shops, and health clubs, etc.)
•
Campus Environment and security
•
Housing and transportation
•
Social Activities and Clubs (i.e. special interest groups,
activities, fraternities/sororities)
•
Faculty
•
Athletics (i.e. intramural and varsity sports)
•
Cost
•
Financial Aid
•
Job Placement (i.e. internships, co-operative education
programs, etc.)
•
Other
Written
by: Sedgwick Hines Copyright 2004 AvScholars Publishing, LLC.
All Rights Reserved. 
