<p>I know that no one here thinks they really need advice, and perhaps you don't. Maybe you have the whole college thing sorted out and you know exactly what you are doing with your future and how you want to get there, but if you REALLY know those things all I have to say is good for you and tell me the winning lottery numbers. I thought that way when I was in high school and applying to colleges (back in 2012), and I was completely wrong and should have taken the advice that was given to me.</p>
<p>Important Things to Remember When Selecting Colleges:</p>
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<li><p>Pick a Geographic Region of the Country - You may think that sounds silly right now. What does it matter where it is located?? Well I'll tell you this, whether you want to be 10 minutes from home or 10 hours, decide that before you apply. I didn't think that mattered, but I ended up going down south my first time around and was very confused by the lifestyle once I arrived. Also, consider weather! If you are an avid skier, don't go to college in Texas ... Know what you're getting yourself into.</p></li>
<li><p>Pick a Location - Whether you want to be in an urban center or in the middle of the country DECIDE! You can make this choice for any number of reasons. You want extra night life opportunities. You may be concerned about getting distracted by the city. Maybe the ability to go on outdoor trips is really important to you. I realized that I picked a college in a small suburb and it was too small for me and reminded me of home (I needed a car to get everywhere). I am the kind of person who wants to go off campus to get coffee, or go out with friends, or maybe take the train into a larger urban center and party it up for the weekend.</p></li>
<li><p>Do Not Apply to a College for the Name - I look at so many chance threads and even my own college list and think to myself "why did I apply to these schools?" I know I wanted to go to the best school possible, and that meant an Ivy in my mind. So what did I do? I applied to the Ivy's with my two top choices being Brown and Cornell. Let me tell you what those two schools have in common - they are in the Ivy League. When you look at them in terms of size, location, extracurricular activities, and so on they could not be more different. Something to take into consideration is asking yourself, "Am I applying here because I like the name, or because I like the school?" It will be useful. Applying as a transfer student, I asked myself that question and ended up coming up with a fairly coherent list of liberal-leaning, urban/close to urban areas, mid to small sized school, with a good program in my major. That not only limited my search DRAMATICALLY but it also helped me really focus on what I wanted my college experience to be.</p></li>
<li><p>Never Apply to a College Because of a Boy/Girl - I went to my first college because it was near where my boyfriend was going and it was the best school academically that I got in to. I know this may sound like a silly thing to say, but leave your boyfriend/girlfriend/crush/whatnot out of this decision. Here's a hint: you will probably not leave college with the same person you went in with so it's a terrible idea to pick a school for them. Trust me, my boyfriend and I broke up within the first two months of college.</p></li>
<li><p>This is About You - I know it's easy to give into pressure from your friends and family. Your mom is an alumna at XYZ College and she wants you to apply. Your friend got in ED to ABC University and he thinks you would love it. Something I am very proud of myself for during the process is not letting other people sway me in that way. For example: my mom thought I should apply to her school because she thought it would be great for her. Rather than applying to a school I didn't love, I told her why I didn't want to go to that school and she understood. Just explain to people your reasoning - they will understand that this is a very important and personal choice.</p></li>
<li><p>Pick a Safety You Love - This was my fatal flaw. I did not love any of my safety schools and all I really ended up only being admitted to my backups. Don't be like me. Apply to at least one safety that you see yourself being over the moon about because if you don't get in to your other choices, you may be spending a whole lot of time there. Something I found out is that you can search for schools like other schools. Say Brown is your top choice but you need a safety. First, what do you like about Brown? If it's everything, don't hold your breath because there really is only one Brown. If the open curriculum and social environment are what you want, you can work with that. A safety based on that might be Hampshire. Maybe you can even get a target out of Wesleyan or Vassar (not the curriculum, but the social environment). There are schools that have many of the Ivy characteristics in a much more realistic form. Do not be put off by the lack of name recognition. I go to Wesleyan now - do you know how many times I have to explain what Wesleyan is and where it is??? And it's a top 20 Liberal Arts College! </p></li>
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<p>And finally...</p>
<ol>
<li>Talk Budget - This was only a factor for me once, but it is important in college selection. Have a conversation early on with your parents about how much they can afford and what the family financial situation is. Plug those numbers into a financial aid calculator for the school you are interested in and check it out. You may be surprised by how accurate those things can be and how different financial aid can be between colleges. For instance: with financial aid NYU would have cost me 58,000 a year, William and Mary with financial aid cost (with travel and books) about 40,000 a year, Wesleyan costs me 25,000 a year. I turned down NYU because of the price and was pleased that I did.
However, I will add this: Apply regardless. Does it suck if you get in and you can't afford it? Yup. Would it suck more if you didn't even apply, but financial aid would have made it affordable? Yup!! The price tag is not necessarily what it is on their website, but be aware that unless you personally are willing to take out major loans - don't go to a school you can't afford.</li>
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<p>Good luck to all of you and I wish you the greatest success in searching for and selecting a college!</p>