College Admissions 101: Best Way To Choose The Right College

Some students seek to identify the ideal college. In actuality, there isn’t one. Nonetheless, there are many universities where you can study happily and with distinction. To identify colleges where you can achieve your goals, you must first explore who you are and what you desire. We can assist you in choosing a college if you need it.

Choosing The Right College

Dividing this process into manageable steps is the best approach to simplify it. To reduce your options and choose the best institution for you, ask yourself these questions before creating your list of colleges.

What objectives do I have?

People seek higher education for various reasons, including pursuing a passion, expanding their network, or gaining the skills necessary to launch a specific career. Consider your reasons for wanting this when you start your college search. (Creating a written list of the three to five goals you think a college degree would help you can be helpful.)

If you are certain about your academic interests, give top priority to locating a college or institution offering that particular degree. If you are unsure, consider attending a community college until you have a clearer notion. Alternatively, you may attend a liberal arts college with a variety of degree options to pick from.

Or maybe your primary goal is to obtain an education without incurring debt. In such a scenario, consider attending in-state colleges or other public universities, which are typically less expensive. You might also look for schools that provide a big financial aid package, such as less competitive colleges and universities with large endowments. If your chosen school is more expensive than the average, compiling a list of noteworthy scholarships can help.

What are my priorities?

While your goals will help you define your needs, your priorities will help you select what you want. Aside from academic programs, each institution provides a distinct collection of opportunities that can be essential considerations in your college choice.

To determine your priorities, write for 10 minutes about your ideal college experience. Do you want to join a sorority or fraternity? What about studying abroad? Do you envision yourself living in a dorm or a house with friends? How close to a major city do you want to be?

If you’re searching for a strong alumni network or a thriving college sports scene, a larger university may be better for you. Larger schools have a range of extracurricular programs and intramurals. A smaller school may be a better fit if you prefer a quieter or more intimate atmosphere, or if you value the educational benefits of lower class sizes.

How does the school measure up in my field of study?

varied colleges have varied strengths, and these don’t always correlate with the school’s overall reputation. For example, a school famed for its science departments may have a mediocre visual arts program. In contrast, an institution with a low academic reputation may provide an excellent degree program in your field of interest.

College rankings might help you assess a college’s strengths. One of the most renowned is U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of the best colleges. While overall ranking may be helpful in your decision, selecting a school that offers excellent chances in your selected academic field is critical.

What career resources does the school have?

One of the primary reasons students acquire a bachelor’s degree is to advance their careers. However, having a degree is not the only way to get a job.

Some schools have extensive career counseling services. Some emphasis placing students in internships prior to graduation or linking each student with a mentor in their chosen area. Prospective students should browse college websites before applying to get a sense of the school’s approach to career preparation.

Find out the counselor-to-student ratio, which is usually a good indicator of how much attention you’ll get as a student. You can also get a good sense of career resource availability by interviewing current students during college visits.

Is location important to me?

For some students, being away from home is an important aspect of the college experience. Others find solace in being close to their family. If you’re in the former category, think about how far away you want to be and how much out-of-state tuition you can afford. If you fall into the latter category, compile a list of in-state institutions and begin narrowing your options from there.

If location isn’t an issue for you, consider attending school in-state, which is generally far less expensive than going out of state.

Can I afford it?

The best college is not always the most expensive. According to CollegeBoard data, the average annual tuition cost for in-state public institutions in 2021 was $10,740, while private schools cost $38,070. That hefty sticker tag is one of the reasons so many graduates now are burdened with student loan debt.

Before you begin the college application process, perform some math. Write out an estimate of the utmost college tuition you believe you can afford. To compute this amount, you must first ask yourself these four questions.

How much financial assistance am I receiving?

Examine the financial aid packages that you have been offered after receiving acceptance to one or more universities. Large endowments enable certain universities to provide more financial help, while tiny endowments enable others to provide relatively little. Next, tally the following:

The amount of financial aid your institution receives
Any assistance you receive from the state (apply by completing the grant application form for your state)
Any federal financial help for which you are eligible (apply by completing the FAFSA®)
To find the true cost of tuition, deduct this amount from the sticker price of each school. This figure should be the basis for your choice.

Am I willing to apply for scholarships?

You will need to figure out how you are going to pay for the remaining portion of your education after you have determined the true cost of college tuition for each institution you are considering. Since you won’t be required to return scholarships, they’re a great option in contrast to student loans. The majority of costs associated with schooling can be met via scholarships.

Finding out what kinds of scholarships you might be eligible for is the first step. You can sort through your alternatives with the aid of Going Merry. After creating a profile on the Going Merry portal, you can receive scholarships according to a variety of criteria, including your race, gender, location, and field of study.

Am I willing to supplement with student loans?

For many college students, financial aid and scholarships may not pay the entire cost of tuition. Many of those students take out student loans to help cover the remaining gaps. As you go through the college admissions process, consider how much (if any) debt you are willing to take on.

Student loans can help you afford college. However, unlike scholarships, they must be repaid in the future, and most include interest rates, which means you’ll pay more than you borrowed. Despite this, student loans remain an excellent option for many students.

Am I okay with starting at a community college?

When you’re looking at a list of college rankings, you won’t often see community colleges listed. But just because they don’t have national-level prestige doesn’t mean community colleges aren’t an awesome option for all types of students.

Most community colleges offer core-requirement courses at lower prices than state schools or private colleges do. These credits can then be transferred to other universities. That allows students to complete their coursework at more prestigious institutions — which means you end up with a brand-name diploma without having to pay the full cost of it.

If you need help making any of these calculations, try Going Merry’s College Cost Insights tool. It is a school comparison tool that allows you to evaluate your financial aid packages and the true cost of each college.

Do I like a specific size of campus?

Enrollment size is one of the most significant differences across institutions. Many public institutions and in-state universities are larger, while private colleges and universities are typically smaller. There are a variety of reasons why kids may choose one size over another.

Perhaps you attended a small high school and want to broaden your horizons and live on a large college campus with a diverse student body. If you prefer specialized attention from teachers, you might want to look for a school with lower class sizes so that you can have more access to your professors both inside and outside of the classroom. (If you’re not sure if a school is big or small, use the Carnegie Classification of Institutions as a guideline: schools with 5,000 or fewer pupils are considered small, whereas schools with 15,000 or more students are considered large.)

Is the school offering the extracurricular activities I am looking for?

College allows you to unleash your creativity and pursue a wide range of hobbies, from new academic subjects to extracurricular activities like fencing or pottery. But, before you disregard it completely, you should understand that your university’s ranking is more than just something to brag about at a party. In some careers, a degree from a prominent university may provide you an advantage in the job application process.

However, for many students, prestige is less important than they might assume. If you take difficult courses and maintain a good GPA, a bachelor’s degree can help you find a job, regardless of which university’s name appears on your diploma. (To determine a school’s prestige, review college rankings lists or examine data such as acceptance rates and test scores. A school with low acceptance rates and excellent exam scores is likely to have a prestigious reputation.

Is the school accredited?

Before you commit to a college or university, be sure it is accredited, which is a credential that guarantees the rigor of education and the quality of the degree. (The United States Department of Education maintains a list of approved schools that you can consult.) Accredited schools must follow particular guidelines for course design and faculty hiring. It’s also easier to transfer credits across authorized colleges, which is a useful backup in case you need to change institutions halfway through your degree. However, most significantly, only students who attend accredited universities are eligible for government financial aid.

What do the numbers reveal?

Assessing hard data might assist in alleviating some of the highs and lows associated with college applications.

• What is the student retention rate at each school?
• What percentage of students graduate in a specific amount of time?
• What percentage of students obtain full-time jobs following graduation?

It could be a good idea to develop a chart or spreadsheet with these types of facts for each of your target colleges. Most institutions will include this type of information on their websites, usually in a section titled “Facts” or “Data.”

Also, keep national averages in mind as a reference. For example, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that the average graduation rate for undergraduates in the United States was 64%. So, if your prospective school has a better graduation rate, you’re undoubtedly in the right area. If its graduation rate is lower, you may want to consider that in your final decision.

Can I perceive myself here now that I’ve come?

Campus culture can be important to your college experience, but it is one of those “x-factors” that can be difficult to pinpoint, let alone convey through a college website or a collection of data. If it is financially viable for you, consider scheduling a campus visit and tour.

When you come home, ask yourself if you can envision yourself prospering there. Did you feel at ease? Did you meet any students who gave you insight into the school culture? Could you see yourself on campus, wandering the walkways, and studying in those classrooms? If the answer to all of these questions is yes, put that school at the top of your list.

What does my family think?

If the college admissions process becomes too time-consuming, consider reaching out to family members for assistance in weighing the benefits and drawbacks of various colleges. Perhaps your parents can provide some insight into campus life at the school they attended. Alternatively, if you have a parent who graduated with student debt, inquire about how it impacted their college experience and the first years after graduation. Then use that knowledge to determine whether or not to take out student loans. If you’re thinking of attending a school far from home, ask your parent or guardian for guidance on how to make it work in terms of travel and transportation.

Get scholarships delivered to you with Going Merry.

The college admissions process is thrilling, but many students feel pressured to choose the perfect college. Financial aid packages, extracurricular activities, and academic programs are all significant considerations. The good news is that there is rarely a single ideal school for a student. If you do your research, analyze the benefits and disadvantages, and create a comprehensive list of schools, including “reach” and “safety” schools, you’re more likely to find one that meets your criteria.

Conclusion

The question “What college should I go to?” does not have a clear solution. Everyone’s aspirations are unique. There’s a strong possibility you’ll come across many colleges that check every box. Consider the factors that are most important to you. Keep an open mind, investigate all opportunities, and submit multiple applications to keep your options open.

There are many outstanding schools to help you prepare for the future. Discover more about them at BigFuture. Narrow your options. Find the perfect college for you.