Finding the Right College for You

It isn’t easy to know how you feel about a place unless you have been there. College websites and view books provide a lot of valuable information to help you get started on your selection process, but attending a college tour or information session allows you to ask important questions and meet current students. A small investment of time and money now can save you a lot of hassle in the future. Transferring to a different school because you weren’t happy with your first selection can be time-consuming and expensive.

Now that you know how to narrow down your options, you can focus on applying to college.

Now that you know how to narrow down your options, you can focus on applying to college.

How do you choose the right
college for you?

So Much To Consider

There are so many things to consider when selecting the college that is right for you. You might feel pressure to attend the same college as family members or you might want to learn a trade instead of a pursuing a Bachelors degree. There might also be a unique career track you are interested or you might want certain amentities. All of these things should be considered! In this lesson, you will review the factors you should think about before setting on a school.

Family Alumni

You may have been told that your cousin attended X college and is doing great, or your mom and dad met on the campus of X university. This does not mean that you have to attend the same college. While X University may have been the perfect fit for your family member, it does not mean that school will be the right fit for you. However, many colleges offer alumni scholarships to the children of previous students. Scholarships are a great way to help pay for college, so it’s something to consider. Ultimately, choosing the right college for you depends on several factors that don’t have anything to do with where your family member attended school.

College Type

One of the most important things to consider when choosing the right college for you is the type of school you want to attend. It can be confusing when you are thinking about attending a trade school, college, or university.

Select each tab to learn about the differences between two and four-year colleges, universities, and trade schools.

Trade School

Trade schools, also known as technical or vocational schools, provide students with career-focused training in various fields, including health care, manufacturing, technology, and construction. Students attending trade school often receive hands-on experiences in their area of choice. However, trade schools do not typically offer general education classes like composition or government. You can learn more about trade schools on indeed.com.

Two-Year College

Two-year colleges, also known as junior or community colleges, are typically more affordable than four-year colleges. For this reason, many students begin their education at a two-year college and then transfer to a four-year school later on. Two-year colleges typically include some general education curriculum. Still, they are geared toward students who are looking to join the workforce and start making money more quickly than a traditional four-year university education would allow. Many two-year colleges have extensive partnerships with businesses in the community and offer internships and apprenticeships for students to get hands-on training in their chosen field. Students in two-year college programs typically earn an Associate degree upon completion.

Typically, two-year colleges do not offer on-campus housing. This means students are required to commute from home to school each day. Many clubs and other organizations, like Greek fraternities or sororities, are not available at two-year colleges.

Four-Year College

Four-year programs are typically more expensive and don’t usually delve into specific career discipline-related studies until the last two years of study. They often require more extensive general education courses than two-year schools.

Students who attend four-year colleges may have more opportunities to live and work on campus. They may also have access to more types of clubs and organizations. Students enrolled in four-year colleges and universities can take advantage of fraternities and sororities, campus sports, service learning organizations, study abroad opportunities, and much more. Students use these affiliations for networking when they enter their careers after graduation.

It’s important to research the different options and see which institution is the best fit for you. Talk with your mentor if you need some guidance on which type of college will best fit your personal and professional goals and needs.

Start by Making a List

Make a list of all of the colleges you are interested in attending. Don’t be afraid to include schools that are private institutions, far away, or different than your friends and family suggested. This list is your starting point.

In the next few sections, we will review a few things to consider when choosing a college:

Campus Location
Academic Program
Class Size
Cost of Tuition
Admission Requirements

Campus Location

Select each campus type to learn more about the features and opportunities it offers.

Rural campuses are usually located in the country and are primarily self-contained, meaning most students live on campus. Rural campuses usually provide access to outdoor activities and learning opportunities. Many offer on-campus transportation systems or offer buildings near each other, making it easier to walk to class. Rural campuses are great for agricultural or environmental science majors.

In contrast, urban campuses are located in cities. Many urban colleges offer multiple campuses scattered throughout the city, making students dependent on public transportation or personal transportation to travel between classes. This can make it difficult to schedule classes around other priorities like work or family responsibilities. On the plus side, urban campuses usually have museums and other entertainment options nearby, and they often attract a culturally diverse population. Some urban campuses even offer cooperative internships with neighboring businesses, enabling students to gain insight into their work world before graduation.

Suburban campuses are usually located in small cities or large towns near cities. These campuses often combine the best of both urban and rural campus styles. While they are typically self-contained, they often have connections to the cities nearby and offer entertainment and employment opportunities that may not be available in a rural campus setting. They may even provide transportation services on campus or subsidize student access to public transportation.

Distance from Home

In addition to considering the campus type, you need to consider the distance the campus is from your home or family. Living away from home for the first time can be isolating, and attending college is stressful, even for the most prepared students. Even if you plan to live on campus, you will want to visit your family, and they will want to visit you. The distance from campus to home can make it difficult for family members to visit and increase the time between visits. Fortunately, technology makes it easier to communicate with family, even from far away.

Academic Program

Deciding where you want to go to college will depend a lot on what you want to study. For instance, if you want to study marine biology, you will want to attend a college near a body of water to receive the most experience. If you want to study music or art, you may want to attend a college near an art museum or concert hall. You must research the schools you are considering and find out about their programs before deciding. If you are undecided about your major, you may want to attend a community college for two years and take general studies – required for all majors – while deciding on a major.

The Time it Takes to Obtain a Degree

The amount of time it takes to achieve your degree is another thing to consider. If you want to become a doctor and plan on studying pre-med, you may want to attend a 4-year university to prepare you for medical school. However, if you want to study technology and only need a 2-year degree to get started in the field, you may want to attend a community college or trade school.

Class Size

If you are used to large classrooms in high school, entering a college auditorium with 150+ students may not come as a shock to you, but if you are used to smaller class sizes in high school, you may want to consider the average class size in your selection process. Rural colleges and community colleges tend to offer smaller class sizes than large universities and urban campuses. If this is a concern for you, find out about the average class size before applying to colleges.

Cost of Tuition

It should come as no surprise that college is expensive. While a recent study reports the average cost of college tuition dropped for the 20-21 academic year, college still has a hefty price tag. On average, private universities cost nearly 3.5 times as much as public in-state colleges. Fortunately, as we will discuss in the Paying for College section, several financial aid options are available to pay for college. Still, financial aid only covers so much, so the cost of tuition should be a significant factor in your decision-making process.

Admission Requirements

Ultimately, the colleges you consider have admission requirements that you will have to meet. Prestigious universities will have higher SAT (or ACT) scores and high school GPA requirements than other schools. You may even consider attending a community college, which often has simpler admission requirements, before transferring to a four-year school. If you consider a highly selective school, you may want to consider a slightly less selective school as a second choice. You can transfer to a more selective school later after you have established a better GPA in college.