<p>I'm starting my college search and I'd love the help of those who have already been through the process. </p>
<p>I haven't yet narrowed down the schools I'm most interested in, but I am interested in making a well informed decision on the best school for me. </p>
<p>Here is a bit about my high school record: </p>
<p>Graduated Top 10% of my class
94% average
2150 SAT
30 ACT</p>
<p>Member of the National Honor Society</p>
<p>For those of you going through the search now, and those who have recently completed the search: </p>
<p>What type of information was most important to making your decision? </p>
<p>What sources did you use to learn about prospective colleges? (Which was the most helpful?)</p>
<p>What was the most frustrating part of the college search? </p>
<p>Did you know what you wanted to study before you began your search?</p>
<p>Before you embark on this process, you need to have THE MONEY TALK with your parents. For many students, the price tag alone is the single deciding factor in choosing the school. If your parents say ‘money’s no object’ (meaning they will pay the $200K+) fabulous. But if money IS even a bit of a concern, you need to be aware of it, and your parents need to explore FA options, loans, etc. You certainly don’t want to fall in love with a school, and get accepted, only to find that it’s not affordable to your family. You read about this happening here on CC, and it’s no fun for anyone to go through.</p>
<p>Thanks Kat, that sounds like great advice. The cost discussion is something I have already handled with my parents. I have the green light to try and find the school that is the absolute best fit for me. Do you have suggestions pertaining to the questions I posed above? Thanks again!</p>
<p>To determine fit, you need to ask yourself these questions and probably others:</p>
<p>Intended or possible majors? If undecided, you may need to favor schools with reasonably good degree programs in all of the areas you may pick a major from.</p>
<p>Academic and professional goals?</p>
<p>School environment you prefer?</p>
<p>Of course, even if your parents can afford full list price anywhere, they would appreciate it if you chose a less expensive school (or if you intend to go to professional school that is typically not funded, they may be willing to help you more there if you choose a lower cost undergraduate school).</p>
<p>KevK11, there are a few places online (in addition to US News & Forbes) that can sort of give you an idea of environment–College Confidential, Princeton Review, College *******–but there is no substitute for visiting a school. When you get the list narrowed down a little, ask your parents if they’ll help you visit some schools (it sounds like your parents are helpful and supportive). It can really help you get an idea of what would suit you the best–big vs. small, urban vs. rural, public vs. private, etc. </p>
<p>Every school has a different feel and the image presented in their marketing materials (or the image presented by a small handful of people who may choose to post online) can be quite different from the vibe you get when you visit.</p>
<p>Thanks Pootie. I’m definitely planning on visiting a few campuses once I narrow down my choices. What type of places would you suggest looking to help gather information before I narrow my choices? Thanks again!</p>
<p>Big school (size of state u) or small/smaller</p>
<p>Urban, suburban or rural</p>
<p>For my kids that was a no-brainer. Both wanted a larger school in an urban area though my son was willing to consider other options if there was really good snowboarding really, really close by So start thinking about what kind of environment you find most interesting and/or conducive to learning. </p>
<p>The size/location factor will eliminate a lot of schools right away.</p>
<p>Kevk11: You can go to the College Board website (the place you registered for the SATs on). You can select many different requirements that you want in a school and the site will come up with a list of colleges with the requirements you are looking for. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want in a college, you can select attributes you think you might want…size, geographic location in the US, urban/rural/suburban, majors taught, price etc. I also believe you can chose how selective you want your college. After coming up with some colleges, then go to their individual websites for more information. A visit is always a great idea when you’ve narrowed the list down.</p>
<p>Your quest is way too open ended and you should be narrowing these choices by now if you are completing junior year. You seem to be very evasive in answering the basic questions and seem to be at a stage of a freshman high schooler in your search. How other people chose their schools is not how you choose them. You need to choose them based on your own interests, financial situation, type of environment you prefer for college etc.</p>
<p>As someone who already has ACT and SAT scores and needs to start applying in two-three months you should know the following:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What are your parents willing to pay? Most private schools cost 55,000 or more per year. </p></li>
<li><p>What type of major are you looking for? It can be as broad as something in humanities or something in STEM.</p></li>
<li><p>Do you think you will like smaller or larger schools?</p></li>
<li><p>Are you a college sports fan? Do you like watching the college sports on TV and so would have some favorite colleges?</p></li>
<li><p>What State are you in and would you be admitted to a state school automatically or easily?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>You need to come up with a list of schools that are considered safeties, matches and reaches once you have figured out the answers. Usually, you should always have a safety where you can get into and can AFFORD. Otherwise, you will be posting here next April complaining about my story and how no one admitted me.</p>
So start thinking about what kind of environment you find most interesting and/or conducive to learning. </p>