It is time to start looking for a school. The process of beginning the search for a college may seem exciting, but it can also be extremely overwhelming. There are so many schools to choose from it is hard to know which one might be right for you. If you go about it the right way and keep an open mind you might find your ideal school faster than you think.
When preparing for your search follow these steps:
Determine what you really want your experience to be like.
These are some questions to ask yourself:
· What kind of school might be best? (trade school, community college, traditional four year school)
· Do you learn best in small or large settings?
· What opportunities would you like to have at the school and from your education?
· What resources would be helpful at the institution?
Use your resources
Your high school and guidance counselor, online search tools and school websites and brochures are all great resources when it comes to researching schools.
Your guidance counselor can help identify areas that you may want to consider when choosing a school. They will also have access to relevant test scores. They will most likely know what is available at different schools-specifically the ones located nearest to you. Most likely there will also be college fair days at your school.
Online tools include searches to find schools in specific areas (i.e. towns, states, areas of the country) if there is a specific location you are wanting to be in. There are also websites that can do comparisons of data between schools you may be looking into. After doing initial research using these types of websites make sure to do further detailed research on individual schools.
A great place to find more detailed research is on individual school websites and brochures from the schools. This will help you narrow the list to the schools you want to visit. You might want to consider making a spreadsheet to help keep facts straight. If you are looking at several different schools you can often forget what you saw & where you saw it.
Don’t rule anything out!
Keep an open mind all the way through the college search. The cost of a smaller, private college or out of state school may initially look higher than an in state school. However, after you apply and financial aid packages are awarded there may not be a huge difference.
Time for campus tours
To date you have done a lot of research, but visiting a college campus will most likely be the best way to decide if a school might be a good fit for you. On a typical tour you will get to see buildings/classrooms, dorm rooms, common areas, etc. You might be able to get a meal at the cafeteria (this is a great way to find out how good the food you might be eating for four years will be-this could be a really important factor in your). Make the most of this opportunity to ask the tour guide and other student’s questions about the school (see attachments for ideas on things). Other things that might be valuable to do during your tour is talk to a professor in your intended major, chat with financial aid and your admissions counselors. If in-person tours and counselor visits are not an option, many colleges provide virtual tours as well as virtual meetings with the college counselors.
Decide what schools make the cut
Now it is time to narrow down the list to determine the schools in which you would like to apply. Make sure to have a few good options. Putting all your eggs in one basket, per se, isn’t the best move no matter how high the acceptance rate is. Choosing the right college and what you want to do in the future can be overwhelming and it is okay to take a gap year. Taking a gap year is a great opportunity to explore potential job fields, work to save up for college as well as travel.
During the entire process of choosing colleges it is important to keep in mind the financial aspect of getting a degree. Be sure to “like” our Facebook page to see our follow up article regarding the importance of financial literacy and to get help finding financial aid resources when attending college.
Additional Resources
College Board which helps filter the right schools for you- https://www.collegeboard.org/https://www.collegeboard.org/
Apply to multiple colleges easier – https://www.commonapp.org/
Blog Author: Tara, Family Peer Support Specialist, Orchard Place Integrated Health Program
