<p>I'm really stressing out about college. I don't know what I want to major in or what colleges I want to apply to. I'm obsessed with researching colleges and trying to pick the right ones to apply to. I have so many different options to choose from and I don't know which one is the right choice. Should I go to a community college for the first year and then transfer to a university? Should I go 8 hours away to college? Should I just go an hour away? I just don't know what to do and I feel like I'm driving myself crazy researching colleges so much. Can someone please help me?</p>
<p>In the same boat! Start off by determining what your interests are. You don’t have to know what you want to major in, but think about what you would enjoy doing in the future. Then realistically evaluate where you stand GPA and test scores wise, and then factor in ECs. Then financial stuff. Are you a senior? (I am)
I don’t know, but community college is definitely not where I want to go. I would suggest applying to a state school that you are pretty sure you will get into and like, it definitely made feel better when i received that acceptance letter last week! Then start your more intensive applications. After you get accepted into a couple weigh the pros and cns. And definitely talk to your family! Their opinions matter too (it’s easy to forget that)</p>
<p>That does sound stressful. One thought that it’s not uncommon to get overwhelmed by options. Sometimes finding is a supportive person you can talk this through with in person can help; having someone to listen to you and who’s willing to brainstorm with you face to face can make a difference. Also actually visiting a college campus (you may already have done this) and taking a tour can help you start picturing possibilities and realities of college life, even if you start with something nearby/not necessarily of great interest, just because it’s easy and a starting point.</p>
<p>Another idea: Some people start with a list of things they know and that they at least think they want or don’t want, and they find some colleges with those traits as a starting place. Researching those can help clarify other thoughts on what they want and don’t want till they get to a less alarming set of colleges to look into further. Starting a spreadsheet to track info about each of these colleges during the early sorting process can help make it feel more manageable as they narrow it down. </p>
<p>If you took that approach, for example [random facts–everyone’s list would be different]:
a. Suppose you know that price is no barrier, so you can probably afford any college you wanted to attend…
b. And you know your GPA and your ACT/SAT scores…
c. And you think you’d at least like the option of studying abroad one year…
d. And you want smaller, more personal classes…
e. And you think you wouldn’t like attending a school with strong Greek presence…
f. And you love attending sporting events and get into school colors and school spirit day and such…
g. But you don’t know what you wanted to major in or where in the country you wanted to live
h. And you really love big cities and think you might get tired of attending school in a small town or isolated area, and you won’t have a car to take</p>
<p>You could tackle it like this:</p>
<p>a. No need to restrict yourself to colleges that give excellent financial or merit aid [or if you know price is a big issue, you could look for schools that do offer these things and identify some where you’d be a good fit for receiving that aid based on family finances or your academic, activities, volunteer etc. profile]
b. Identify schools where your GPA and scores put you in the top quartile of accepted applicants
c. Identify schools with strong study abroad programs in a range of subject areas
d. Find schools with small average size classes-- a lot of liberal arts colleges for example
e. Look for schools that don’t have a Greek presence on campus [vice versa if you think you want this, look for those that have a vibrant Greek presence…and if you don’t care either way this factor doesn’t go on your list]
f. Look for schools with a broad range of majors including multiple areas you would like to have the option of beingble to pursue…No need to restrict yourself to any certain area of the country
g. Look for schools with strong sports teams and strong school spirit
h. Rule out schools that are in small towns or isolated away from a city [vice versa if you think you’d prefer a smaller, quieter area, look for some like that]</p>
<p>Reading more about the schools in the list you come up with in the ‘stretch’ through ‘safety’ range might make you think of other things that matter to you: For example maybe you love community and close friends so you decide to rule out commuter colleges where people really don’t live on campus and it can be harder to get to know people, so you take those off your spreadsheet. And so on. </p>
<p>Chances are after some sorting through you can get down to a list of a manageable size and then start looking for people who go there whom you could ‘interview’, go to your school’s sessions where reps from those colleges come to visit, ask questions on forum threads here about those schools and read comments on forums by current students to get an idea of the culture. If you are able from there you could plan a few campus visits to really get a feel for the places you’re most interested in. </p>
<p>One final thought: There can be lots of good possible choices, not just one–many different choices could lead down paths you may love…so when you get to the point where you choose one, have peace with it and jump in and enjoy.</p>
<p>I hope others in the CC community will have more ideas for you. Take good care of yourself, and good luck with your investigation. </p>