This might be one of my fave blogs to write. This is where we begin to delve into the daunting topic of COLLEGE. I will break this up into two blogs. The first blog will be full of categories that you should start thinking about. These categories will address what YOU want in a college. The second blog will be the fun part. I have for you lists of colleges under unusual topics, such as "Best Newspaper" and "Happiest Students". While these lists aren't necessarily make it or break it (aka, you shouldn't choose a college SOLELY on the best radio station), they are designed to help you think on what makes you HAPPY. This is key: if you wouldn't be happy at the college, why would you go? You are going to live there for FOUR years. I urge you to begin college searching with THAT in mind.
PART ONE: YOU
Colleges are decided on a number of factors. The ones I am going to address aren't the only ones, but they are some of the most important: location, size, majors, cost (yeah, I know, it sucks), campus life (including sports and activities), and admission criteria.
Location: Where do you want to live? El Collegeboard breaks up the nation into 6 regions (plus Puerto Rico and Outside the US). The regions are west, southwest, midwest, south, new england, and mid-atlantic. Though you should keep your mind open when it comes to where a college is, if you know you would NEVER live in a state such as, oh, Montana, cross it off your list. If you can't stand the midwest, keep your mind open, but look more into other regions.
Size: Colleges come in a number of sizes to fit your needs. The smallest college in America is Alaska Bible College (38 students) and the largest college in America is Ohio State University at Columbus (52,568 students). Most of you will choose a college in between the two extremes. Collegeboard breaks it up into three categories: small (fewer than 2,000), medium (2,000-15,000), large (more than 15,000). We can break up the medium into medium-small (2,000-8,000) and medium-big (8,000-15,000). If Uni feels excessively claustrophobic, or you hate seeing the same people, or hate being super known, small might not be the best fit. Conversely, if you want your professors to know you well, if you are looking for a smaller, more family-like community, or you like people knowing you, big might not be for you. There are pros and cons to both, so start thinking which you prefer.
Majors: This is a big one. Now, I beg you to look at the list of majors for each college you look at. Your major MIGHT not be offered. If you aren't sure about which major you want, that's okay. Colleges offer undeclared options, though you will have to declare most often by the end of your Sophomore year. As you begin college research, you should ask friends, family, and search the internet for the schools with the best programs you are interested in. For example, did you know University of Michigan at Ann Arbor is famous for its Psychology program? For myself, I wasn't looking at UChicago until I talked to the Dean of History here at the U of I and she recommended it! Do your research!
Cost: This is my least favorite because in my perfect world, everyone would get to go to the college of their choice without money being a problem. At a public university the cost changes whether you are in-state or out-of-state. So, U of I is cheaper for us than it is for someone who lives in Ohio. Private universities don't depend on whether you live in-state or out-of-state; the cost is the same, and usually more money than a public university. DON'T cross them off your list though, many of these schools offer amazing financial aid. We will discuss finacial aid soon, but keep it in mind.
Campus Life: This is an umbrella term for such things as activities such as student organizations and school traditions, sports, sororities/fraternities or no, etc. This is the category with the most variables, yet the one that allows you match a college to your wants and wishes. If like playing soccer for example, but you know Division I isn't going to happen, look into the schools Division III/club/intramural sports. Want to write for the newspaper? Look into that. A madrigal? Some schools are FAMOUS for their a cappella groups :] Start thinking about your interests and look into the student life section of the colleges you look at.
Admission Criteria: Colleges look at a number of things in order to make admission decisions. At big schools, they tend to look at numbers because reading 30,000+ applications in detail kinda sounds terrifying. The "numbers" are your test scores and GPA. However, almost every college will want at least one essay, whether that is the personal essay or "Why (insert college name here)?", so start thinking of topics you might want to write. Other criteria include your transcript (you might have all A's, but if they are easy classes for you, that might not look so impressive, so AVOID classes that you would take solely as grade buffers), your personality/character qualities, recommendations, extracurriculars, level of interest, etc.
Anyway, the second blog is coming soon!
-Celinda :]
No comments:
Post a Comment