Written by: Annie Stammreich
Image from nohat.cc
Calling all high school students! Whether you’re applying to colleges this year, have already applied early, or will be applying in later years, you might be wondering how to limit your options or how to make the final decision. With over 4,000 colleges in the United States and over 25,000 internationally, there are plenty of choices that can be overwhelming at times. Understanding what your options have to offer is a great way to make the decision easier.
The best way to narrow down your top picks is to create a list of a few safety schools, colleges you are in the target range for, and dream schools. Next, put them to the test with the following list:
Step 0: What do you want to do in the future?
Before looking at colleges and universities that you could possibly attend, ask yourself: “What is my dream career? What do I see myself doing as a career in the next 10 years?”
This may seem like a daunting set of questions, but they are crucial to determining your plan after high school. Many careers (including but not limited to: web developer, dental hygienist, physical therapist assistant, respiratory therapist, and medical assistant) do not require a bachelor’s degree but rely on a certificate program from a trade school. Other careers can be acquired through community college or with just a high school diploma. Different schools can be found worldwide and are all important depending on what your career needs for qualifications.
Your future after high school does not have to be the traditional path of a four year university. Alternative schools, gap years, community college transfers into a university, and going straight into a job are just some of the possibilities that you can consider. You can refer to Step 2, which talks about the costs of college, to see why getting certifications in other ways can save thousands of dollars.
The best way to figure out what path is best for you is to find out what you’d like to pursue. Figuring out your major is easier said than done but understanding what you’d like to learn generally (medical, engineering, culinary, language arts, the arts, mathematics, etc.) will play a big role in what your next steps are.
Step 1: What would you like to do in college?
Possibly the hardest step for most high school juniors and seniors is finding out what they’d like to major in or do after high school. Though some colleges have plenty of offerings and a wide selection of majors, many are known for a specific group of majors or a certain specialized school inside their university. Your major is a big deciding factor in the school you’ll attend.
If you are planning on playing a sport in college, learn more about the sport you’d like to play at the colleges you’re considering. Many schools are competitive in a certain sport or devote a lot of money to specific sports. Find the colleges that are willing to scout out high schoolers and have demonstrated interest in your area and start building up your athletic resume before applying to schools.
If you know what you’d like to major in, that’s great! Start doing research further into the major to understand how your major fits in with your interests and remember that switching majors is very common and is completely valid (Over 75% of undergrad students change their major). Once you are certain that you would like to pursue a certain major or a career cluster, start finding out the best colleges for your major. Many colleges are known for specific majors and create the industry’s best professionals.
If you don’t know what you’d like to major in, that’s great too! Around 25 - 50% of college students come into school undecided. However, it is not a bad idea to start exploring the options you have before going to college to make the decision a lot easier. If you are not applying to colleges this year, explore different careers! Take diverse classes in high school and find out more about other fields with any opportunity possible (job fairs, career days, talking to professionals, and clubs/organizations). When you expand your horizons to different fields and keep an open mind about different skills, you will be able to find out what you are passionate about and how that translates into a career. If you are currently applying to colleges or will be this year, look back on past experiences you’d had in classes or clubs outside school. Ask yourself: “What interested me the most?”
When researching a specific school, their major list is arguably the easiest thing to find. If your major is not on their list, cross them off! If the major is listed, find out how the college performs in that major or if they are known for that major.
In order to make sure you truly want to pursue a certain subject, ask yourself: “Why do I want to learn in this major?” If your answer is certain and is based on your personal goals and passions, that major will be beneficial to you.
Step 2: What is your budget?
Ah, the crusher of college dreams: the cost. The costs of tuition, housing, dining, textbooks and supplies, and general expenses are all incorporated into the cost of college, which can add up each semester for 2-4 years. College or post-high school education in general is known for putting many into debt that is not paid off for a long time depending on how much education is needed for their career.
There are many factors that play into how much college costs. Higher-level schools like Ivy Leagues in the United States are known for having large tuition rates because they are private schools that do not receive federal or state funding. State schools, which are public universities, usually have lower costs for tuition, especially if you live in-state.
In many cases, your savings can determine what type of college you can afford. However, if you don’t have enough funds to pay for the college you’d like to go to, you can always apply for both scholarships and financial aid. Financial aid can come from FAFSA and from the college you are applying to. My advice is to always apply for financial aid, even if you think you will not need it, because it will surprise you how much they give out. Scholarships are another great way to receive funding for college based on merit or financial need. You can apply for them at any time during high school or college and there are thousands of opportunities to win money that goes towards college. Even if you are not sure where you are going to college yet, it is a great idea to start applying for scholarships early and earn money in advance.
Even with financial aid and extra money from scholarships, the cost after aid can still be too expensive. While usually expensive is considered to be better quality, costly colleges are not always the best options. Many times “value” schools can give better opportunities than more expensive schools, minus the price tag. When deciding between certain colleges, the expenses may not be worth it for a more prestigious school if you are getting the same education at a state school that costs much less.
Step 3: What does the school offer?
Though your education at a college is technically the most important part of the “college experience,” there is so much more to college than just learning. From campus life to clubs and organizations that you can be a part of, you want to look for a college that you will fit into and participate in extracurriculars.
Though many colleges are part of similar systems, no two are the same. Having good sports teams, not just to be a part of but to cheer on at home games, is a big priority for some people. Others are interested in greek life and joining sisterhoods or brotherhoods at their future school. From clubs and organizations that you’d like to be a part of to events throughout the year that are traditions, there are so many possibilities to consider when researching colleges. Each website will have a list of all the clubs and groups you can be a part of as a student, as well as events that occur every year on campus.
Another great way to learn about campus life is to find either younger alumni or current students at the university. On Linkedin or social media like Instagram you can talk to people who have attended the school to find out the reality of being a student there. Compared to student testimonies given out by the school, talking to alumni and current students will give the truth about campus life and what opportunities you can find at the school.
Though you might consider it to be unimportant in the application process, finding out if you will enjoy your time at a university is crucial to the next few years of your life.
Step 4: What is the campus like?
People will always tell you to do a “campus tour” before applying to a college. One of the many reasons to do so is because getting a feel for the environment of the campus will determine your opinion on the school and observing current students gives a hint into the reality of being a student there.
Unfortunately, in 2020 no universities are allowing in-person college visits to prospective students. This is subject to change in the future but for now there are no scheduled and official college visits at any campus. However, you have a variety of options to find out what a campus is like.
Most colleges have set up virtual campus tours to give a good impression to incoming students and to help them understand where they are applying. These tours will take you through important buildings and areas on campus to give you an idea of what their campus is like. Often these virtual tours give you a more glamorous view of the campus, so a great website to use is Google Earth to see what the campus looks like from a different lens.
Another factor when looking at colleges is distance from home. If you are applying to schools close to your home city, you may not have to pay for housing for the 2- 4 years you’ll be attending college. However, if you decide to go somewhere further from home, you may need to factor in the cost of visiting home into your budget. Knowing that there are apartment complexes near the school is important as well because most colleges will not allow upperclassmen to live on campus.
The weather at a certain school is often neglected and ignored until an extreme season occurs. Having to deal with extreme snowstorms when you are from a state that has summer all year round may be a harsh change for you and needs to be remembered when looking for the right school.
College is an important step in your educational career but it usually only lasts 4 years for a bachelor’s degree. Unless you are planning on going back and teaching at your alma mater, it will be something to have pride for and talk about after you graduate. At the same time, however, having the freedom to decide which college you’re attending and which major you will pursue will hopefully make college a bit easier and more centered around you and your interests. Everyone has different priorities for college which may not be completely clear until you take a moment to understand them.
Good luck to everyone applying to college this year!
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