Searching for Colleges

You may get a flutter in your heart when you think about finding a college to go to. That’s just fine. It’s a huge decision with lots of components. When you consider different colleges, think about the following criteria.

• Type of college: You can choose from many types of institutions—community colleges, trade and tech schools, specialty colleges, state schools, and private colleges. You can also select online or for-profit colleges.
• Degrees offered: Consider the degrees offered by the college. If you want to be a nurse, you need to find a school that offers a nursing degree. If you want to be an engineer or an anthropologist, you need to seek out those programs, and so on.
• Reputation: If you are going into a specialized field, such as marine biology, you’ll want to graduate from an institution that is recognized as a leader in that field. Consider whether the faculty is renowned in your chosen discipline.
• Experience: Some colleges offer huge classes to freshmen and access to professors only at upper levels. Other colleges offer small class sizes taught by professors. Some offer secular campuses, and others offer religious campuses. Some colleges stand in the heart of big cities, and others are surrounded by cornfields. Decide what sort of experience you want.
• Cost: The cost of going to college varies widely. Often community colleges offer the same core classes as four-year schools do, at about half the cost. They usually include agreements that allow students to transfer to universities after their first year or two. State schools in one’s own state (or a state that has reciprocity) can be more affordable, too. Private schools often cost more but offer strong candidates financial aid packages that make up the difference.
• Financial aid: Find out what a college offers in terms of scholarships, student loans, work-study programs, grants, and other types of financial aid. You can also apply for scholarships from philanthropic organizations, churches, charities, and other groups. Some financial aid is based on the student’s performance, and some is based on need.
• Location: You may want to commute to a nearby college to save on the cost of a room and meals. You may want to attend a faraway college or a college that offers many study-abroad options so that you can gain a completely different cultural experience.