Steps to Choosing a College

When you are a junior in high school, everyone asks the same questions over and over again:

Where do you want to go to college? 

and 

What do you want to go to college for?

These two haunting questions spin around in my head constantly. 

College:

 There are so many different choices when choosing a school. 
 -location
 -price
 -size
 -quality of majors offered
 -extracurricular activities
 -campus 
 -religious affiliation (if any)

With 4,495 different colleges to choose from, where do you start?


1. Talk with your parents about money. Who is going to pay for college and if you have any money saved. This can play a large factor is where you choose to go. 

2. Make a list of your must haves. 
        ex: I only want to go to college in Virginia. or
                 Tuition has to be less than $25,000 a year.

3. Write down colleges you might have interest in and search for more. List the colleges on a piece of paper or word doc with enough space to write about the location, price, size, and anything else you find important. 

4. Know the admission requirements. If lasts year average excepted GPA was a 3.7, and you have a 3.3, you might want to reconsider. 

5. Go on a college road trip, and visit the schools! Take tours or walk around the campus at your leisure. Talk to current students and meet with professors. The best way to get the feeling of the campus is to visit it. If you have potential options all over the US, this might not be possible. But, try to visit as many as you can.  

6. After your tours, you probably will be able to eliminate your list down to 5 schools. 

7. In the fall of your senior year, apply, and wait! This can be a long process, but don't forget to be patient. 

College is an important and not an easy choice. This will be the place you will live for 4 years or longer! 

Choose wisely!