How to Choose a College

Last Updated: February 11, 2023 References

Trying to choose a college can feel daunting, especially with so many major decisions to make. Where you go to college will affect the type of education you get, the people you meet, and the opportunities that you have access to. That seems like a lot, but don't worry! Whether you're trying to figure out where to apply or choosing between colleges you've been accepted to, you can ease this process by doing extensive research on your own and then reaching out to others to figure out if you are making the best decision for you.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making a List of Schools

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Figure out what your priorities are when looking for a school. There are so many different factors to consider when choosing a college. The ones you should focus the most on are the size of the school, the degree programs they offer, cost, distance from home, and the type of area around the school.^{[1]
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- Have an idea of what you want to study, and start out by looking up schools that are strong in that field. This is an easy first step in your search for colleges.
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Use an online college finder to explore potential colleges. There are several online college finders that will allow you to enter your preferences (big school vs. small school, urban vs. rural area, public vs. private) and view profiles of schools that match what you want.
- College Navigator: For U.S. colleges, this college finder is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics. There are a variety of helpful search options, including distance from home and acceptance rates:https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/.
- BigFuture by The College Board: BigFuture is a comprehensive search engine that allows you to run a very personalized search for colleges by adjusting a variety of filters. You can also adjust the importance of each filter, ranging from “Don't care” to “Must have.” International schools can be included in your search results as well: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search.
- Cappex: Cappex is limited to U.S. schools, but it has a matchmaking feature that allows you to fill out a profile and be matched with schools based on your preferences. It also allows you to easily see what application materials are required for each school:https://www.cappex.com/.
- CollegeData: Again, this finder only works for American schools, but it is provides helpful financial breakdowns for each school: https://www.collegedata.com/cs/search/college/college_search_tmpl.jhtml
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Attend a college fair. College fairs are gatherings of college representatives who are looking to attract students to apply to their institutions. They're usually held at schools, conference centers, or community centers. Ask your high school counselor about any upcoming college fairs near you. These events can be great ways to gain a point of contact at a school you're interested in and get more detailed information about a school.
- When attending a college fair, it's good to have a list of the schools that you want to talk to beforehand. However, don't be afraid of going up to schools you haven't heard of and learning about them. You might just stumble upon a school that is a great fit for you!^{[2]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Narrowing Down Your List

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Determine which schools you can afford to attend. Look up the average financial aid package for each school that you are interested in. Then, figure out how much financial assistance your family will be able to give you per year. If your family can't afford to cover the cost of attendance, you may need to work during school, apply for outside scholarships, or take out loans.
- Finances should be a huge part of your college decision. You should do everything you can to avoid ending college with thousands of dollars in debt. The average American college graduate had $37,000 of student loan debt in 2016.^{[3]
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- If you live in the U.S. or Canada, you can find your family's expected family contribution using College Board's EFC Calculator: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/paying-your-share/expected-family-contribution-calculator. This will tell you — on average — how much colleges will expect your family to contribute towards your education.
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Research the reputation of the individual degree programs you are interested in. Look up how long the department has existed and read about the faculty that teach in it to get a good sense of the quality of instruction. Each college has different strengths, and you will want to apply to those that have strong academic departments in your fields of interest.
- For example, you probably will not want to apply to a polytechnic school if you are interested in the humanities.
3
Research the facilities and available resources at each school. Think about which facilities and resources are most important to you, and find out if the schools you are interested in offer those. Some schools are more equipped to provide support for some students than others.
- Look up housing and dining accommodations provided by the school. If you are handicapped or have specific dietary needs, take this into special consideration and reach out to the student services office if you have any questions.
- Search to see if the college has community centers or groups for minority, first generation, low income, or LGBTQ-identifying students. This will help you gauge how much the school welcomes diversity and supports students who are different.
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Read online about other students' experiences at each school. There are many websites and online forums where current students at a university can post about their experiences, and these can provide helpful insights into student life (i.e. comments on the social scene, access to professors, level of competitiveness in classes) that you wouldn't find on an admissions office website. However, bear in mind that everyone's experience at a university will be unique.
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Research the presence of Greek life on campus. Try to find out what percentage of the student body is involved in Greek organizations and what values each organization emphasizes. Greek organizations (fraternities and sororities) often have a big effect on the social life of schools. Schools with big Greek organizations tend to have livelier party scenes, but they can also feel a bit exclusionary to students who don't join a fraternity or sorority.^{[4]
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Tour potential schools, if possible. If you have the financial ability to go visit schools you're interested in, plan a trip to go see the campuses. Sign up to take an official campus tour to see the main points of interest on the campus and learn about how the school presents itself. Don't be shy about asking your tour guide any questions you might have. If you have time, walk around the campus unaccompanied and try to picture yourself as a student there.^{[5]
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- Alternatively, if you're a rising high school senior looking to visit schools, many wealthier schools will offer fully-financed “fly-in” programs where they pay to bring high school students that they're interested in to spend time on campus getting to know the school. Do some online research to see if the school you're interested in offers one of these programs — especially if you cannot afford to finance a campus visit yourself.
- Many college applicants will talk about a “gut feeling” that they feel when they visit the campus of the school that is best for them. Be conscious of this, but still try to keep other factors in mind.
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Choose a school in a location that will be advantageous to your career path. There will be more opportunities to work and have valuable summer experiences in places that have larger populations and are strong in the industries you are interested in. Many degree programs, like business, technology, or medicine, are significantly enriched by real-world job experiences.
- Business majors, for example, will benefit from choosing schools in big cities, where they can easily set up internships or familiarize themselves with environments in which they can get jobs after graduation.
- Medical students will want to be near major hospitals (a variety if possible, to experience different specialties).
- Computer science and engineering students should seek schools that are close to businesses and companies they would like to work at.
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Don't let fears about prestige prevent you from applying to schools. You may be feeling a lot of pressure to apply to pretty competitive schools, and it's completely fine if you plan to do so. The general reputation of a school, however, should not be a reason that you apply or do not apply to a school.
- You are not letting anyone down if you do not attend a top school. Your college experience will be whatever you make it, and you can have fantastic and meaningful experiences at schools that are perceived as “less prestigious” than others.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Reaching Out to Others

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Meet with professors at the colleges you're interested in. Email or call the head of the department that you're interested in. They might connect you with other professors who can tell you more about the program. This will allow you to see if these seem like people you would enjoy learning from and give you insight into the kinds of things you will be studying.
- You can ask for a course catalog or you may even be able to request to sit in on a class, if the school is nearby or you will be visiting during the correct time of year.
2
Talk to current students about their experiences. If you're visiting a campus, approach current students and politely ask them if they would be willing to talk to you about their experience at the school. You can also look into connecting with current students online.
- It's best to reach out to someone who has a similar background as you, meaning that they have similar interests, are coming from the same region, or have a similar socioeconomic background.
- Always be considerate when reaching out to people you don't know. They may not want to talk to you, and that is perfectly okay.
3
Consult with trusted individuals. Talk about your options with friends, family, and high school or college career counselors. Take the word of particular college employees with a grain of salt. The admissions office is their sales office, so do your best to get advice from people in your life who know you well and will be less biased.
- Your parents can be great resources throughout this process, especially if they have attended college. They are likely among the people who know you the best, so they will be able to help you figure out what you'll need from a college.
4
Ask people who are successful in the fields you're interested in. If you've identified a few career interests, ask either the manager at a place you would aspire to work or someone with a great amount of experience in your chosen field about where they went to school. They should be able to tell you about good schools or programs to get the jobs you want, as well as provide you with general advice for preparing yourself for that career path.
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Make a list of 6-10 schools to apply to. If you're going through the application process, after doing a lot of research and talking, pick around 6-10 schools to apply to! You can apply to more or less, but make sure you have enough time to devote to each application and enough money to pay for all the application fees.
- Sometimes, application fee waivers are available for low-income students. Ask your academic counselor if you think you could qualify.
- Pick at least 2 “reach” schools that you are not sure you'll get into and at least 2 “safety” schools that you are fairly certain you'll be accepted into. Have the rest of the schools be ones that you estimate having a 50/50 shot of getting into.
- Again, make sure that all of the schools you choose to apply to are ones that you would be happy to attend if you were accepted!^{[6]
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Accept an offer of admission and be proud of yourself! In contrast, if you have already gone through the application process and are trying to decide between schools you have been accepted to, say yes to the one you feel fits you the most. Then, take some time to be proud of your accomplishments! It takes a lot of hard work to get accepted into college and you did it.
- If you've received multiple acceptances, remember to also respond to offers from schools you are declining as well. This frees up spots for other students who are perhaps on a waitlist.^{[7]
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Resources to Help Pick a College

College Comparison Chart

Things to Keep in Mind when Choosing a College

Expert Q&A
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Question

How do I start to pick a college?

Jennifer Kaifesh
Founder, Great Expectations College Prep
Jennifer Kaifesh is the Founder of Great Expectations College Prep, a tutoring and counseling service based in Southern California. Jennifer has over 15 years of experience managing and facilitating academic tutoring and standardized test prep as it relates to the college application process. She takes a personal approach to her tutoring, and focuses on working with students to find their specific mix of pursuits that they both enjoy and excel at. She is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Jennifer Kaifesh

Founder, Great Expectations College Prep

Expert Answer

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Start by considering schools with more general degree programs. When you're choosing a college, it goes without saying that it should offer programs in the fields that interest you, but don't limit yourself too much. For instance, if you're interested in game design, it's great to find a college that has a game design major. However, plenty of computer science programs offer extensive coursework in game design that will prepare you just as well for a career in that field, and you may be able to customize your degree more than if the scope were more limited.
Question

How do you choose a college that is right for you?

Jennifer Kaifesh
Founder, Great Expectations College Prep
Jennifer Kaifesh is the Founder of Great Expectations College Prep, a tutoring and counseling service based in Southern California. Jennifer has over 15 years of experience managing and facilitating academic tutoring and standardized test prep as it relates to the college application process. She takes a personal approach to her tutoring, and focuses on working with students to find their specific mix of pursuits that they both enjoy and excel at. She is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Jennifer Kaifesh

Founder, Great Expectations College Prep

Expert Answer

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Examine the environment that each school offers. An urban campus may sound exciting with all of the opportunities available in the city, but you may be sacrificing quite a bit of school spirit, such as sporting events, campus activities, Greek life, and so on. On the other hand, a rural campus might be beautiful and nurture a strong sense of community, but it also has fewer outlets available if you're looking for a job or an internship during the school year. Also, consider whether you see yourself making lifelong friends on that campus, surrounded by people who will challenge and support you.
Question

What if I can't afford the college I want to go to?

Jennifer Kaifesh
Founder, Great Expectations College Prep
Jennifer Kaifesh is the Founder of Great Expectations College Prep, a tutoring and counseling service based in Southern California. Jennifer has over 15 years of experience managing and facilitating academic tutoring and standardized test prep as it relates to the college application process. She takes a personal approach to her tutoring, and focuses on working with students to find their specific mix of pursuits that they both enjoy and excel at. She is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Jennifer Kaifesh

Founder, Great Expectations College Prep

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Don't necessarily rule out a school based on the cost. While finances do play a key role in finding which college is the best fit for you, don't let the sticker price of a particular institution discourage you from applying. Many colleges offer a ton of financial aid and scholarships, so you may end up paying a fraction of the advertised cost. Also, if your dream school doesn't offer you enough money to make it a viable option, talk to them. Schools will often match financial aid packages from other institutions to encourage you to enroll.

Warnings

Don't stress too much about the college application process! You will be able to be successful and happy no matter where you go.

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Colleges have “reply deadlines” — dates when they want to hear from you about your decision to attend or not. Double-check the dates for each acceptance you have.^{[8]
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