<p>I am a libra- this means I hardly ever make up my mind- or at least a research the heck out of whatever decision is to be made ( usually- I did buy my jeep after repeatly walking off the lot and having the salesman follow me which resulted in an offer I couldn't refuse)
I hope that the list of criteria we used will help others deciding where to apply or where to visit- noone can really decide which criteria are most important for you but you- we used a 10 ranking scale.</p>
<p>For colleges I suggest to my daughter that she choose criteria- weight them and then rank colleges that she was interested in-
we used location- she wanted an urban area- in the northwest or at least west coast although she did consider suburban schools. She did stay in the northwest with very similar recreational opportunities to where we live and similar urban feel _ but far from identical
Size- she had attended a very small private high school and knew that she didn't want to attend a major university- however for someone else- that might be an attraction- she wanted a small teacher student ratio- few TA s
Cost- it had to be within $15K after financial aid or merit aid- So the only private school she applied to met 100% of need.
Student life- she wanted a relatively secular accepting campus- where she could pursue interests outside of her studies and find students that shared them. She also wanted a school that had at least a good percentage of students from outside the state.</p>
<p>Academic strength- she wanted a fairly academic school- where students were enthused about their studies and where she would be challenged by other students.
Learning support services- this was very important- she has learning disabilties and needed a school that would help her find the support so she could do well and have professors that would accomodate her. The schools that are commonly listed in learning disability guides didn't really meet her other criteria- so this was one of the last things we looked at.
Student living/housing- most students living in dorms- not commuting- a good meal plan with vegetarian options not being limited to the salad bar- decent dorms not too depressing- but also opportunities to live off campus if needed. good selection of affordable student entertainment on campus or closeby.</p>
<p>you might have similar or different criteria that is most useful to you- while learning support services was one of the last things we looked at to keep on the list or not- it was weighted the heaviest as we saw it as a necessity- somone who is confident of their ability to get by without even tutoring ( which all schools have) wouldn't weight it as heavy or use it at all.
I hope this might help someone- there are lots of great lists out there- but to have someone else weight the college that you are going to attend ( and pay for)- isn't really going to be that helpful</p>
<p>She ended up applying to 5 schools- one private out of state- one public out of state and 3 public in state- was accepted to all and three were good academic and financial fits. Her reach ended up offering her plenty ( well I use this term loosely) of aid- which was a huge surprise.
It was a relief to only have 5 schools to decide between- it was a hard enough decision as it was :)</p>