How To Choose The Right College for YOU- Youth Initiative/Empowerment

College applications have finally closed. The hours and hours you spent perfecting your essay are over. You might think that now, you get to relax. But the truth is, there is still a long way to go. College decisions are extremely important because it is imperative that you choose to go somewhere that you know you will excel academically and socially. This short guide will help you when making your college decision.

5 Things To Do When Making This Important Decision:

1. Rank your Priorities: Write down a list of all the schools you were accepted to. Once

you have done this, make a Pro and Con list for each school. This will help you narrow

down your school choices. It is crucial that you take into consideration your major of

choice and school ranking when making your list. Some other pro and con lists topics

could be: Location, Weather, Tuition costs, and the Student Body makeup.

2. Visit the Schools Again: Wherever you choose to go is where you will be attending for

four years. This is a major commitment you are making. Because of the pandemic, it

may be much more difficult to visit the schools in-person, so make sure to talk to the

college’s staff about possible virtual visits! Check out the university’s website and search

up “Virtual Visits.” A list of events should come up right after! Make sure to pick a date

and time that best fits with your availability.

3. Go With Your Gut: Although this may seem like very general advice, it is probably the

best advice you could receive. Studies have shown that 85% of the time, our gut choice

is the right choice. If you are leaning towards one specific school and feel that it is the

right decision, go for it!

4. Picture Yourself at the School: College decisions will determine where you will attend

for four years. Can you picture yourself at this school? Sharing a dorm with someone?

Having late night study sessions at the school’s library? These are all important

questions that you must ask yourself before making your choice. Often times, students

may choose to go to a school because it is one of the highest ranked in the country.

Although school ranking is very important, you do not want to be miserable at the

school, either. Choose a university that has a good ranking and is a good fit for you.

5. Do You Really Want to go There for the Right Reasons?:

Often times, we make decisions because our environment around us influenced us to do so. Coming from someone who has a close family, I may have to make a college decision I do not want to make. Although my parents want me to stay in my hometown because they want to be near me, it has always been my dream to attend a college in the Boston or NYC area.

Even though when the time comes, I will have to leave my family for college, I know that

this is the right decision for ME. When choosing your college, take all of these factors

into consideration, but also do what you think is best for yourself and your future

success.

We hope that these 5 simple tips will help make your college decision just a little bit easier!

Remember that this is one of the biggest and most important decisions you will ever make. Take every single factor into consideration before making your choice.