As a high school student, college should be on the brain. Deciding which college you want to attend or apply to plays a large role in a student’s future, but how do you decide which college is right for you? There are a large amount of attributes to consider when trying to choose a school: location, size, tuition, atmosphere, sports, academics, and so many more aspects, each incredibly important in making this decision.
The first and foremost thing to look at is school size. Different school sizes contribute many different features to daily life. In a small school there will be a smaller student to teacher ratio which means a more individualized learning experience, something that is key for many student’s success. In contrast, a large school offers many more social opportunities. With more students comes more people to meet and often a wider variety of clubs and other student organizations.
The atmosphere of a school can also greatly sway the decision of whether or not to attend it. The easiest way to develop a feel for a school’s atmosphere is to take a tour of it and to walk around. Depending on the location of a school though, taking a tour may not be a feasible option. In these situations you can go to youvisit.com, a website that has a plethora of 360 views of colleges which allows students to see the schools without physically visiting them.
When asked, guidance counselor, Mrs. Pellecer responds that, “The most important aspect in choosing a school is knowing your career path and what you want to do with your future. Once you know this, you can choose a school by seeing what programs they have to help you reach your goals.” Some schools have an amazing program in a specific area of interest of career.
Senior Jesus Gomez decided to attend Lynn University for this coming fall purely for their aviation program, “This program was only one of two in the state of Florida that has an actual flight academy. Along with this, their amazing program is also rather small so you can gather more hours of flying.” A specific opporunity such as this can be a very influential factor in this decision.
The price of a school can be make or break in terms of attendance. Going to school outside of state comes with a high price tag, so in-state schools often offer a more practical option for incoming college students. To aid with these high prices though, there are thousands of scholarships available with the purpose of helping students reach to their full potential and attend their dream schools.
Senior Madison Ford chose Florida State University because of her economic situation, “FSU had a lot of financial aid opportunities and they also offer a lot of opportunities for jobs as well as internships.” The availability to be able to support oneself is very appealing for people who want to make an income during school as well as saving money while there.
In the end, there are many factors to consider when looking at a school that are not even mentioned here. The college chosen should be a place that offers academic growth that will aid with a future career. It should be a place that offers opportunities for growth. It should be a place that will feel like home for the coming years.
Good luck on college research and applications, here are some resources that should help ease this process.
https://www.campusexplorer.com
