One of my high school teachers was fond of reminding us that choosing a college was one of the two most important decisions most of us would ever make. She said the other decision was whom we would marry, and since statistically half of us would make a mess of that decision, we should endeavor for a better track record on selecting our school!
Today's high school student has it harder than ever. You are bombarded by marketing campaigns designed to influence your decision. On any given day a high school senior might open his or her mailbox and find three or four viewbooks, a couple of videos, and at least one computer disk or CD, all enticing them to come to the "best" institution.
After advising some of the nation's best high school students I have put together the following to help you find your way through the advertising and hype. Let me share a few easy steps for finding a good match for you.
First of all, remember that there are thousands of schools available, so chances are you can find what you want if you look hard enough. The key is not finding the school — it's deciding what you want. The easiest place to start is hearing what some college representatives have to say face-to-face. Attend college fairs, sign up for college visits at your high school, and go visit local colleges even if they're not where you think you will enroll.
If this sounds boring, I have a suggestion to make it fun. Get your friends together and play a game I call, "Stump the Admissions Rep." The challenge is to ask a relevant question that the representative wouldn't usually be asked. One of my favorites is, "What's the worst thing about your school?" The best representatives will give you an honest answer; others will stumble their way through or avoid the question completely. Just keep in mind that the representative you're stumping could be the same person who decides your admission!
During your college visits, your goal should be to listen for features that interest you. These may be obvious, like a specific major or sport. Others may be more obscure, like climate or local ski conditions. Keep a list of the items that interest you, and those you want to avoid.
Warning: Some of the items that schools regularly bring up aren't necessarily good items for your list. For instance, every school will tell you they have excellent academics—what kind of school wouldn't? Every school I've ever heard about has caring faculty, excellent facilities and a wonderful library. They also all quote great placement rates for their graduates. If they start quoting numbers, they're offering you another great chance to stump them. Ask them how they arrived at that number to truly assess its meaning.
Now take your large list and narrow it down to the five to ten features that are most important to you. You can include anything you want, but try to limit "major" to no more than one item on the list. Most students will switch their major at least two or three times, so you should make sure other features are equally important to you.
Now you can start doing a little research. If you've gone to college fairs or gotten tons of mail, you should start by examining the glossy viewbooks from the schools. These publications are each school's attempt to tell you what they consider most important about themselves. You may also check out listings in guidebooks , the internet, and school recommendations from friends, relatives and educators. Make two new lists: schools with most of what you want and schools with some of what you want.
If you have a large number of schools with most of what you want, it's time to take a look at their admission standards. You might want to divide these schools into those that will definitely admit you, those that will probably admit you, and those that will present a challenge for you to be admitted.
Now that you have narrowed down your list, its time to start your serious "shopping". Call the schools and get on their mailing lists and, if possible, set up a campus visit or a local interview. At this point you may want to pull out the list you made of features you wanted to avoid. You should attempt to rule schools out until you have your list down to a reasonable number to which you send applications.
Important: Your final list should include at least one school that will definitely admit you and a limited number of the challenging schools. Application fees can become expensive so choose carefully.
You should come up with a ranking of which schools seem to be the best matches for you. Finally, after you are accepted you can compare the net price after any scholarships or financial aid each school offers. Then you tackle the hardest part — figuring out which school offers the best value for the amount you will have to pay or owe.
Many students (and parents!) feel this is a long and complicated process. However, compare it to buying a new stereo. Before you would make a purchase, you start by deciding what kind of options are most important_do you want a lot of bass, a ton of features, and does it need to be hooked up to your television? You might browse the ads to see the features that are available, narrowing your list down. You will probably go to the electronics store and actually compare stereo system floor models before you decide. Finally, you will compare prices and then make your purchase. If you go to that much trouble for a stereo, how can you justify doing less when you choose your school?
College can cost thousands of dollars and have a profound impact on your life. Take the time to make it the best decision possible, and with thousands of schools to choose from, you have great odds of making a good match.
http://www.thehighschoolgraduate.com/editorial/USwhich.htm
