<p>The following is from [The</a> Admission Game - College Planning Blog](<a href=“Errors error404 - Best College Fit”>Errors error404 - Best College Fit)</p>
<p>Great advise from Peter @ the admission game website:
(Bottom line: it is not where you go but what you do at the college of your choice!)</p>
<p>April 19th, 2012</p>
<p>The next two weeks are a point of reckoning for high school seniors. After months, if not years, of searching and sorting through college options, the choice of a college all boils down to the May 1 Candidates’ Reply Date and—what for some students is the $50,000 question—“Where do I send my enrollment deposit?”</p>
<p>Students and parents alike are obsessed with finding the answer as is evidenced by these queries.</p>
<p>From a student, “Is it better to go a school that has given me a $20,000 scholarship, a summer internship opportunity and the promise of a letter of recommendation from the college president at graduation—or should I go to a ‘better’ school that hasn’t given me any of these things?”</p>
<p>And from a parent (unrelated), “Four schools have given our child varying amounts of scholarship assistance. How do we determine which of them represents the best ‘value?’”</p>
<p>In each case, the answer lies within the student. To infer otherwise is to devalue, albeit unintentionally, the young person’s goals, learning style and character. At this point in the decision-making, there are no absolutes that can be applied with certainty.</p>
<p>Each question—and others like them being asked in countless households around the country—seems to imply a natural order among colleges that doesn’t really exist. While it’s true that colleges differ with regard to how they engage young people educationally, the differences are most appropriately defined within the context of what the student brings to the table.</p>
<p>The student who couldn’t decide between an attractive package from one school and the basic offer from another “better” school was allowing the “look of the label” (read: brand name) to influence his assessment. In essence, he was asking, “Which will look better?—rather than, “Which will work better for me?” The truth of the matter is the biggest difference between the two schools is geographic! Given his career goals and hands-on learning preference, the answer should have been clear to him.</p>
<p>Similarly, in asking her question, the parent was comparing brands in an attempt to lend objectivity to the choice of a college without factoring her child into the equation. Rather than asking whether one college versus another was “worth” the difference in out-of-pocket expense to the family, she might have pursued a line of questioning that focused on her child’s comfort level with the various academic cultures and learning environments. In other words, assuming an ability to meet college costs at any of the schools, the questions might have been, “in what type of environment does my child function comfortably and, that said, where is he most likely to be meaningfully engaged such that he can achieve his educational goals?”</p>
<p>In assessing college options, then, it is reasonable to assume that a student really should not be confronted with any that are truly lacking. And, in fairness, the folks raising the questions referenced above were trying to make fine distinctions between good and valid options. They simply needed to recognize that some will fit better than others and, in order to find that fit, they needed to refocus on the students’ core priorities.</p>
<p>As you make your final choice of a college try to ignore the label or brand of an institution. It won’t be easy (and it probably sounds heretical!), but as you are no doubt coming to realize, the labels can be a huge distraction to your decision-making. And, believe it or not, the name of the place you choose now will carry less weight than you imagine after you have graduated from that institution. It is what you do while enrolled that gives greatest definition to your future prospects, both personally and professionally, in life. That’s why finding the best fit is so important!</p>
<p>Instead, focus on your objectives as well as what you have learned about the style and content of a given college’s offerings. As you do, keep the following questions in mind:</p>
<pre><code>Which school gives me the best opportunity to achieve my educational goals by virtue of its curriculum, faculty and facilities?
In which learning environment will I be able to “do my thing” most comfortably?
Which college will challenge me to develop my skills to their fullest?
Where will I find a community of “scholars” that brings out the best in me as a person?
Which college has demonstrated that it is most likely to invest in my success?
</code></pre>
<p>Think for yourself and you can’t go wrong! Happy decision-making!</p>