Choosing the Right College: How is it done?


Monday, June 7, 2021

Choosing the college you will be spending your next 4 years in is not a decision that you can make lightly. Let’s discuss the aspects you need to take into consideration in order to make an informed decision.



During Senior year at High School, there are so many decisions that you need to make that it can be extremely overwhelming. Now, we are handed our lives and we have to make decisions that will affect our future in one way or another. 

There is a lot of pressure on our shoulders, but we need to make sure that we have all the help we can get so that we make sure we have an easier time and we make a decision that benefits us in the short and long run. 

The first decision to make is what we will study. It can be extremely hard to choose what degree to pursue, because we need to consider what we want to do in the future, what our expectations are, what we are good at, what we like, among many other things. However, once we choose what to study, there is still another very important decision to make: Where will I pursue my degree?

Choosing a college is more than just about the name of the institution that appears on our diplomas. The college we choose to pursue our degree touches numerous aspects of our lives, including our academic studies, our social activities, our future possibilities, among other important factors that will determine our lives both as students and as professionals. As you can see, the importance of this decision is obvious and, as such, students must think carefully about where they decide to enroll when looking over their options. 

Are you undecided about what college to choose? Here are some tips that may help you make your decision. 

1. Write down a short list


There are a lot of great colleges across the country, and choosing just one of them from the beginning isn’t easy. That’s why making a short list of the colleges you would like to attend will be helpful. 

2. Rank your own priorities


After you make your own list of colleges, you can start to narrow it down by making your own ranking considering certain criteria that will help you choose the ones that meet your needs. You can consider certain aspects, such as location, academic standing and reputation, quality of the degree you want to study, among other aspects. 

3. Go back to schools


Once you’ve sent applications to the colleges you chose, visiting those schools again will be helpful to see if you would like to spend the next few years in any of them. Walking around the campus, talking to students, asking questions about student experiences, about classes, among other things you may need clarification about will help you narrow down your list even more. If you can’t travel, whatever the reason may be, visiting the schools’ websites and talking to students or instructors online may also be resourceful. 

4. Study not only the college, but the department you are interested in as well


Looking at the bigger picture is important, but examining your options on a smaller scale is a must! This means that college rankings are a toll that will help you make your decision, but you can’t forget about academic prestige at the level of the department your degree is related to. Choosing a college that is recognized for the department your degree belongs to is a top priority. 

5. Focus on employability


The reason why students pursue a higher education degree is to set themselves up for a job, so you also need to consider the career prospects of each school. 

6. Compromise

You cannot expect a school to meet ALL the criteria that you are looking for. You should find out which are the aspects that are more important to you. 




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