Narrowing Your Search

So often I am asked by parents and students,  “How do I know if this is the right college for me?”

Here are some things to consider when making your final decision:

1.     Make a list of your non-negotiables.  These are things that the school MUST have in order for you to attend.  These are things you believe that you cannot live without.  This list should not be taken lightly.  This should be the key filter in which every college is initially judged.

2.     Make a list of your “nice to haves.”  Once you have this list created, you should rank this list.  This will help you later when you are making your final college choice.

3.     Visit the campus more than once.  The summer visit is nice, but you are seeing the campus at its cleanest and without its main student population.  You want to see the campus when it is in full swing.  This will give you the true sense of what this college is really like.  When you see a residence hall in July it is clean and looking nice.  When you see it in October when student have settled in and are living there, it will have a completely different feel.

4.     Talk with someone who can give you unbiased feedback.   You need to be able to explore this college from all angles.   Getting this kind of feedback will be beneficial in making your choice.

5.     In the end, which of these schools on your final list are you the most excited about?   Ultimately it is your choice and you need to be the one who it truly excited to attend there.   Selecting the college you are going to attend should be a huge and exciting moment in your life!