Choosing a university that fits you is extremely difficult. You may feel pressured to go to your parents’ alma mater or the top-notch school everyone talks about, but what’s really important is finding the university that’s truly the best fit for you. Only you are going to be attending this school, after all.
Here are a few tips to think about when choosing your undergraduate, or even graduate school, experience.
Choose a location that you like.
Location may be a lot more important than you think it is. If you’re close with your family, you may want to choose a college that’s near home. It also can save you money to commute to school instead of living on campus. On the flip side, if you’re dying for some independence, there’s nothing wrong with traveling far from home for school and starting fresh in a totally new place.
If you’re looking for a close-knit college community with a lot of campus activities, you may want to look toward suburban or rural schools. They tend to offer more activities and bonding experiences for you to participate in.
It’s also important to consider internships. Maybe the field that you want to study is famous for being prominent in a certain area or you have to be in a city to get the exposure you want. Think about that before choosing where you want to go to school. There could be more perks in some places than there are in others.
Don’t ignore the cost.
While you may fall in love with that private school, the cost of tuition isn’t something that can be ignored. The average class of 2016 college graduate has $37,172 in student loan debt. Do a lot of research into the kinds of financial aid and scholarships the school has to offer. You don’t want to go to a place you won’t be able to afford. Of course, there are literally thousands of loans and scholarships to help you out! Cost doesn’t always have to be the most important factor.
If you know what you plan to major in, factor that into your costs as well. If your future career pays extremely well or is one you’re basically guaranteed a job in after college, you may be able to afford to go somewhere a bit more expensive. As much as you probably don’t want to think about the costs, it’s one of the most important things to consider. Your future self will thank you.
Consider the size of the school.
It can be a huge shock to go from living in a tiny town to being on a campus in the middle of a huge city — and vice versa. Look at the size of the campus you’ll be living on and the feel of it as well. If you had 100 kids in your graduating class in high school, it’s a big adjustment to be on a campus with 50,000 other people.
Some campuses can feel small and intimate even if they’re larger, though. Read testimonials online about them. You can get opinions from actual students, some of whom might have been in your kind of situation before they chose a school. If you know anyone from your high school that went to the school you’re looking at, see if you can get in touch with them to find out what it’s like.
Be sure to visit before deciding.
You should probably never choose a school without visiting it first. Of course, you can find everything out about a college on the internet these days, but nothing can tell you how you’ll feel when you step foot on the campus. Seeing where you’ll be living, taking classes and eating and really experiencing it can make or break a college for you. You may have thought it was your dream school, but you might find you actually don’t like the campus experience as much as you thought you would.
Don’t give into pressure.
Not from anyone. Not your parents, your friends, your teachers or any college recruiters who try to talk you into a certain school. Be especially weary of extra pushy recruiters. There are actually laws in place against overly aggressive recruiting — Title IV of the Higher Education Act bans giving incentives to college and university employees for successfully recruiting students to the school. This was enacted to help prevent recruiters from selling a student on a school and disregarding whether the school is actually a good fit for them.
There may be persuasive recruiters or speakers at your high school trying to talk you into a college. Your parents may try to push you in a certain direction. However, this is your future and no one else’s. You need to trust your gut instincts. Go with the school that you feel is going to help you excel in your chosen career and give you the guidance you need into adulthood.
Featured image via Jonathan Daniels on Unsplash
