Important Factors in Choosing a College

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For many incoming high school seniors, the excitement of finally reaching the end of high school quickly turns into stress as college application deadlines start coming up. College is indeed an exciting new chapter in life. But before getting there, you need to think carefully about where to go.

College is an important and substantial investment for the future. As such, there are many factors in choosing a college. The main idea, however, is to choose a college that is a “best fit” for you. Here are the main factors you should consider when making that decision.

Factors in Choosing a College

While some people only think about a college’s name and prestige, the truth is it’s only one factor to consider in choosing a college. Remember, this is a place you’re going to be spending the next 2-4 years in, maybe even longer. So take these following criteria into consideration.

Name

The name of a college is essentially like a brand these days. Some, like Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, are household names. While it is true that some employers may look at where you went to college as a sort of pre-screening criteria, in most cases it’s not very important. Your skills, experience, and other personal qualities are the most important in the workplace, and you don’t need a famous college to develop those.

Now, while attending a prestigious college won’t guarantee future success, it can help. Famous colleges typically have more resources for their students, like better career centers or alumni organizations. But it’s on you to make use of them. The most successful students are those who take full advantage of them, regardless of what college they go to.

Student Resources

Some colleges are simply better equipped than others. Fitness centers, career centers, and counseling services are all examples of student resources that you should look into. For example, if a career center in one college is poorly staffed, you might want to pick another one. While these are rarely deal-breakers, they can be important for quality of life and for building useful connections.

Cost

College is expensive. That’s why it’s important to treat it as an investment. Choosing a college without considering the costs can leave you with crippling student loan debt long after you’ve finished your classes. It’s a widespread problem. In fact, Forbes reported in 2018 that the total amount of US student loan debt was a whopping $1.52 trillion.

So, before you make a decision make sure to compare the costs of attending various colleges. Tuition, room and board, and traveling costs are all good starting points. In the US, many public colleges and universities have in-state tuition costs that are much lower than the ones they offer to students from outside the state. Also consider whether you can get any particular scholarships or financial aid by attending a certain college. These could save you thousands of dollars, so it’s definitely something to look into.

There’s one warning I want to give, though. Since financial aid is complicated, there are some unscrupulous groups that try to lure you into scams. These usually involve some kind of upfront “fee”. Talk to your college counselor to find out which organizations are legitimate ones.

Environment

As mentioned before, the college you pick is where you’re going to be for most of the next few years. So naturally, you’ll want to pick a place you’re comfortable with. For example, if you like city life, you don’t want to pick a rural college. Likewise, if the countryside appeals more to you, you probably don’t want to pick a college in the middle of a busy urban environment.

Before making your decision, you should definitely visit each campus you’re considering in person to get a feel of its environment. Speaking with current and former students and faculty is also another good way.

Atmosphere

Colleges come in many “flavors”, so to speak. There are ones with tens of thousands of students, and there are ones with a few hundred or even less. There are also ones that are coed and ones that are single sex. Some colleges also have particular religious affiliations. Focus on what you want in a college and use your preferences to help narrow your selection.

Field of Study

In my opinion, this is probably one of the most, if not the most, important factor to consider in choosing a college. While you don’t need to have a good idea of what you want to do in life (and to be clear, most people at this age don’t), you should at least have some idea of what your interests are. If you don’t, now’s the time to think about it. Colleges are gateways to your adult career, and the one you pick can have a big impact on what options you have should you decide to change your major and on what kinds of connections you have later on in life.

I’ll give an example using the University of California system (where I went to college). Say you want to major in biology. You can find that major in every one of the UC campuses. But if you have an interest in marine life, you might want to consider going to UC San Diego, which has the renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Or if you have an interest in biology in the field of medicine, you might want to go to either UC Los Angeles (UCLA) or UC Berkeley, which have access to some of the best medical facilities on the west coast of the US. In both cases, if you picked another UC campus, your options would be more limited if you wanted to change majors to pursue your interests.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get into the college of your choice, but you should at least choose colleges that specialize in subjects that you’re interested in.

Some Other Tips

Don’t be afraid to ask for help from counselors. That’s what they’re there for, after all. The more information you get, the more you have to make good decision.
Don’t wait. College application deadlines can arrive sooner than you think, especially when you’re still dealing with other schoolwork. The sooner you start thinking about it, the more time you’ll have to get all the information you need.
Work with your parents. Communication goes a long way when ironing out issues like cost and living arrangements. While you may argue over some issues, you’ll most likely end up with a more thought-out decision in the end.
Rejection isn’t the end. Even if you don’t get into the school of your choice, you can still get a quality education in just about every college. Who knows, maybe you’ll find a new interest in the college you end up picking.

Yue’s Recommendation

When I was picking a college, one resource that helped me narrow down my choices was the Fiske Guide to Colleges. I highly recommend this book because it has a lot of data on the most well-known colleges in the US, some of which you can’t find on any website. Things like student population, demographics, tuition costs, and special programs are all there. It even has detailed descriptions of campus life with anecdotes from real students. It’s in-depth information that will save you time by helping you narrow the list of colleges you want to look into. It’s updated every year, too.