Choosing a College

Selecting colleges to apply to is an important decision students embark on in the latter years of High School.  Students are faced with the task of choosing from over 7,000 colleges and universities and often ask the question " where do I begin?".  Creating a list of potential colleges is a matchmaking process.  There is no one magic choice, but there are likely many institutions in which you would be happy.

There are three steps in the college selection process:

1. Self-Appraisal- What strengths and weaknesses do you have?  What are your aptitudes, values, achievements, career plans, etc.  What do you want in a college? How do size, location, cost, and atmosphere play a role?
2. Matching of Self and School-   Which schools meet your individual needs and wants?
3. Procedure- applying, testing, being admitted, financial aid, choosing a college.

Your goals and values...

• What aspects of your high school years have been most meaningful to you?  If possible, would you do anything differently?
• What values are most important to you? What do you care most about?  What have you dreamed about doing for a profession?
• How do you define success?  Are you satisfied with your accomplishments to date?  What do you wish to accomplish in the years ahead?
• What talents and strengths would you like to develop?  What kind of person would you like to become?
• What experiences have impacted you way of thinking and shaped your growth?

Your education....

• What are your academic interests?   Which courses have you experienced success? Which courses have been most difficult for you and why?
• What methods of teaching and style of teacher engage you the most?  How do you learn best and in what environment?
• Does your academic record reflect your capabilities? Are there outside circumstances which have interfered with your school performance?

Your activities and interests...

• What activities do you enjoy the most outside of school?  Do you participate in school or community activities?  What clubs, sports, or cultural groups do you belong to?  What are your hobbies?
• Do your activities show any pattern of commitment, competence, or contribution to others?

The world around you...

• What is the most controversial issue you have encountered?  Why does the issue concern you?  What was your reaction to the controversy?
• What concerns you most about the world around you?
• How would you describe your family and home?  How have they influenced your way of thinking? How have your interests and abilities been acknowledged or limited by them?
• What do your parents and friends expect of you?  How have their expectations influenced the goals and standards you set for yourself?  To what pressure have you felt it necessary to conform?

Your personality and relationships with others...

• How would someone who knows you well describe you?  Your best qualities? Your shortcomings?  Would you agree with this assessment?  How have you grown or changed during your high school years?
• Which relationships are most important to you and why?  What are the qualities of your best friends? critics? advocates?
• How are you influenced by others who are important to you?  How important to you are approval, rewards, and recognition?  How do you respond to pressure, competition, or challenge?  How do you react to failure, disappointment, or criticism?

Completing the self-appraisal and following exercise will help you in the school selection and application process.

• What kind of school do I want to attend? A 4-year, 2-year, or vocational institution.
• What size school do I want? A college with a few hundred, a few thousand, or more.
• Where do I want to be?  Close to home or far away?  In a urban or rural setting?
• What type of life-style do I want at college?  There are conservative schools,  liberal schools, schools with fraternities/sororities, religiously oriented institutions, and co-ed or single-sex schools.  Consider the kind of education you want, as well as what you want surrounding you when you're not studying.
• What majors, special programs or services do I want? Try to identify colleges offering activities and resources in school of interest to you. For example, specific sports or the availability of an academic support center for tutoring.
• How much am I able and willing to pay for my education?

There are three items that are critical in developing a list of schools for you to explore:
1.  The results of your self-evaluation
2.  Your "qualifications" for admissions
3.  Your family's financial circumstances

College handbooks, internet resources, and software programs are available in the Guidance office to assist you in developing a list of colleges in which to apply. Your parents, teachers, and  guidance counselors are here to help you through this process.  Once you have visited, researched, and talked about colleges, you may eliminate or add more schools to your list.  Most students apply to 7 to 8 colleges, but lists will vary in length.

College Personality Quiz