I’m a senior this year, so I’ve been searching for colleges a lot recently. Everywhere I look, the advice is something along the lines of “think about what you want. big or small? location? rural or urban?” etc etc. But how do you know what a good fit is? I mean, I’ve been thinking about all these factors and what I would like a lot, but I really have no experience to know whether I would like a big school or a small school, whether I would like living in a city or not, whether a liberal arts school or big research university is better for me etc. I’ve visited some colleges, but I don’t have the money or time to go farther to other colleges just to see them. My question is, how did you know what kind of college you would fit into the best? How do you know what kind of campus vibe is right or what the campus vibe even is if you can’t visit lots of colleges? How do you figure out your preferred location if you know you want to leave home but have never lived anywhere else or visited places much so you have no idea if you could stand living in a rural town of would like living in a city? Sorry this is so long, but I’d appreciate any advice! I’m lost!
Start out by looking at what you do know. Do you live in a big city? Do you like it? What size is your High school? Does it feel too small or too big? Do you want a very different experience or one that is familiar?