<p>You've got a start on picking college, but you've got quite a ways to go before you can decide. You've already mentioned locations & a prospective major, but there's MUCH more to picking a college than that! Picking a college isn't just a few posts and talks with friends and then choosing from what's come up. Its a process that should take some time, effort, and investigation. You're talking about FOUR years of your life, after all.</p>
<p>What you need a systematic approach to picking colleges. There are about 3,000 4-year colleges in this country. You'll probably get names from only about the most popular 50 or so on this forum, but that doesn't BEGIN to scratch the surface. Really it depends on how important this is to you, and how much effort you're willing to devote to it. Since its only the start of August you have plenty of time to do a thorough search, but its only going to happen if you want it to.</p>
<p>Here's what I recommend:</p>
<p>1) Learn whats out there. Get 2 or 3 books about college admissions since each author has a different point of view. Start with a book by Loren Pope such as "Colleges that Change Lives", and a second book.</p>
<p>2) Set expectations. This means having your parents fill out one of the financial aid estimators to see what they are expected to contribute, and see if they can/will do that. This means evaluating your stats critically and choosing colleges that are realistic and not dreaming of the same set of Ivy's and top LACs everyone else lists.</p>
<p>3) Investigate. Visit nearby of various types; a large U, a smaller U, a LAC, an urban school, a rural school. Talk to people, take the tour. Find out what you prefer.</p>
<p>4) Set criteria. With the info you've gathered in step (1-3) put together a list of what you're looking for. What type school? What type of students does it attract? What activities do you want/dont-want at the school? A big-time sports program, for example? A large studies-abroad program? The chance to take music classes? The better informed you are about what you're looking for, the easier it is to recognize it when you see it.</p>
<p>5) Select. Get one of the books that lists hundreds of colleges. Read thru and find colleges that provide what you want. Pay particular attention to a safety and matches. Then blow one pick on a reach. Most students do just the opposite; they fill out a list of reaches, then try to pick a safety and a match or two. Just look at some threads on this forum to see what I mean.</p>
<p>6) Check it out. Visit the schools if you can when its back in session, preferably overnite. Ask the school to put you in touch with current students home for the summer in your area. Read the school paper online, look for live-journal entries by current students, etc. Try to build a picture in your mind of whether you'd really be happy there. This is also a time to use this forum; asking about schools YOU picked rather than hoping somone will pick them for you.</p>
<p>So there it is. 6 steps you have time to do this summer. Or you can pick more or less by chance from the suggestions you get on this forum. Its really all up to you.</p>