How to pick a college when you don't know what you want?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm looking through dozens of colleges...and basically I have no idea what i want. I've realized i'm not even sure what would be best for me and i'm basically limiting colleges based on their websites!</p>

<p>My major is undecided, though i've limited it down to Computer Science, as I am good with computers and like them, and Pre-Med because i am interested by the human body and would love to help people with my life (if i was a CS major i'd probably become an activist in greenpeace or something else to help people). </p>

<p>Anyway, i'm here with two completely different major choices and i've found that generally colleges with good cs programs usually aren't great premed schools and vice versa as i've found. </p>

<p>and well i have no idea how to pick a college from here, and when i go through the searches, i am finding that i don't know if I want a small or large college, or if I care about selectivity or such...I know if I decide premed i would like a good college that would help my med school application. And other than that i'm at a loss of what to look for. Any advice? Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>I’m sort of lost here because all my college searches turn up dozens of ‘perfect matches’ and I’m not sure how to limit any of them down any further…</p>

3

<p>You need to come up with some college selection criteria. First, do you have any financial constraints? You need to have the conversation with your parents since that could greatly limit you. This is arguably the most important thing you can do right now. Next, you need to answer some questions about yourself:</p>

<p>1) Geographic issues: How far from home am I willing to go? Is there a part of the country I want to explore? How sensitive am I to weather conditions? Would I be equally happy in a city, small town, suburb? Do I need a defined campus or would an urban school that has no campus be okay? Do I have to have oceans, mountains, etc…</p>

<p>2) What kind of school do I want? What kind of academic environment do I do best in? Do I want a liberal arts college (LAC) with a student body of 2000, small classes, a tight culture and lots of familiar faces - or a big state U with DIII sports, and every sub-culture, EC, and class I can think of - or something in between? </p>

<p>3) What kind of culture do I feel most comfortable with? Liberal/conservative? Single sex? Religious? Artsy, rah-rah, granola, intellectual, quirky, preppy…find some adjectives. Want frats? Hate frats? </p>

<p>Medical schools don’t care where you do your undergrad. They are not as prestige driven as many other professions. Admission is based on your GPA and your MCAT score primarily (and your state of residence), so any place with solid sciences works. There is no ‘pre-med’ major, by the way and only 60% or so of pre-meds major in science, tech, engineering or math (STEM).</p>

<p>If you still can’t figure it out, visit your local state U, the LAC closest to you and a nearby private university to get a feel for each. Sit in on classes you might want to take, eat in the cafeteria, read the student paper, look at the course catalog…you should be able to get a feel for what direction you want to you.</p>

4

<p>I agree with the advice above, try to visit a few different schools and see if that helps you narrow down the “type” of school you want to attend. Be realistic about where you can get in, how far you want to travel etc. Also I would add financial considerations to the list M’s Mom has – particularly if you are considering med school, money could be a factor in choosing an undergrad school.</p>

5

<p>Remember too that you can enter as an undecided major and make your choice in your second year. For most schools, the first year of Computer Science and a pre-med program are nearly the same. Furthermore, you might even be able to put the pre-med prerequisites into a computer science degree by using all of the free electives and judiciously choosing your science requirements. Basically, you need to have a good background in Math, and physical sciences to do well on the MCAT. Organic Chemistry is a must. Finally, you also need to be a pretty good writer to do well in the verbal part of the MCAT.</p>

<p>Good Luck, there are lots of places you can go to which will meet your needs.</p>

6

<p>Thanks all! I know i want my college to be in my home state of Illinois (preferably in the big city chicago). I’m really stuck at judging them on their academic value for each college, and my biggest concern is that I might try for a bio major and not get into med school, and I would need a school which prepares me well enough to take the MCAT and do well to get into med school. How would anyone recommend I judge a school’s academic quality for this? any suggestions…thanks again for your responses.</p>

7

<p>Most schools will have a club for pre-meds. Contact the head of the club and ask about how well they think the school prepares them for MCATs, whether the school has ‘weeder classes,’ whether the advising is helpful, how accessible research and volunteering opportunities are, etc…</p>

8

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<p>Don’t let grad school ideas drive this process. One step at a time! You need to find a college at which you will thrive and grow. During this time you may learn things about yourself and the world that awaken an interest in something other than med school. You’ve gotten great advice above about how you need to clarify the kind of college that will be a good fit for YOU, not some “future” version of you. Reflect and act on this advice - Best wishes!</p>

9

<p>Let’s see…</p>

<p>IL resident</p>

<p>CS major and maybe pre-med</p>

<p>Want to stay instate</p>

<p>What is your GPA?</p>

<p>What are your test scores (include SAT breakdown)?</p>

<p>How much will your parents pay? IL publics are rather expensive and seem to only give some aid to low income students. Many middle class families find IL publics to be unaffordable. </p>

<p>There are tooooo many bio majors…a glut of them. Major in something that will lead to a job when you graduate in case you decide against med school. CS is a good option.</p>