I was thinking about the colleges I want to go to and I found that I have different reasons/things I look for in each university I want to go to. I was wondering what are things you guys value while searching for colleges?
For me, the number one thing I look at is the size of the student body. My top choices are all small liberal arts schools (Bowdoin, Middlebury, Amherst, etc). I thrive best in small environments, and I want to have a relationship with my professors.
Some important criteria to consider (in no particular order), are:
1 - programming (does it have the majors, classes, research possibilities, etc. for the subjects that most interest you?), 2 - campus vibe and culture (predominance of Greek life and/or athletics, intellectual versus party atmosphere, residential life setup),
3- size (small LAC versus medium to larger size research university, access to a consortium, etc.)
4 - cost (availability of merit and/or financial aid)
5- location (ease of travel, weather, surrounding area).
From what I’ve seen, it’s quite easy to get smallish classes & get to know professors at medium-sized colleges (roughly 4000-12000 students). And even at larger universities, smallish classes & approachable profs can be found…you just have to look a little harder for them than at smaller schools.
Most people probably spend more time walking outdoors in their college years than at any other time in their lives. So I always look for how conveniently designed the campus is…do you have to take a bus to get from most dorms to most classroom buildings? Also, are there lots of hills and stairways that will be a pain in rain, snow, or hot weather? Are stores & restaurants near campus, or are they a bus ride or long walk away?
Also, how safe is it? Are you going to worry about walking home at midnight?
I look at things that are important to my D and things that I think are important that she doesn’t realize are important yet:)
A good selection of majors including things like business, communications or film studies (along with the usual humanities and social sciences) since she is very undecided at this point
Greek life
Not too big, not too small,
beautiful campus
not urban
smaller class sizes
good gender balance (not mostly female students)
Good quality dining services and dorms
Graduation rate and retention rates
Vibrant social life and lots of opportunities for outdoor recreation
Good job placement and internship support
Good alumni connections
abiltiy to double major
SAFETY (most important)
lots of options for study abroad
Friendly student body with a mix of differnt types(but mostly mainstream and preppyish)
Bright students who can have intellectual conversations and work hard, but are also wanting to have fun at college
I am advising my son when we visit schools to pay attention to if he could see himself there. I think that’s the first thing to consider (after all the important pre-requisites that made you visit that college in the first place). Can you see yourself living, taking classes and being a part of the campus? In short, could it be home where you could be your best you? Sorry if that sounds corny but that’s how I see it!
I have another thing that I think is very important if it were me going to college (which it isn’t…I’m the parent). I think the dining hall(s) is very important! This may sound crazy but I think the dining hall should be a really nice environment. Its a place you will go often and is a huge part of your social experience or at least it should be as eating is a social part of our culture. I think it should be a place you can relax a little and enjoy great food and great friends. IMO, most colleges have great food (or at least try very hard to accommodate everyone) so the quality of food should be the easy part. But then again, I like anything someone else has made! We visited one university where IMO, the dining hall looked cold and like a commuter environment. I didn’t see students laughing and being together. Another school had a beautiful setting for a dining hall but desperately needed new windows to capitalize on the amazing view outside and it needed a general overhaul into modernization. One university we went on an tour of never showed us dining halls/options (wasn’t impressed).
After the dining hall(s), I think a wonderful library is important. I find libraries inspiring and when I was a student (a hundred years ago), the library was a place I spent a lot of time.
So for whatever its worth…those are my thoughts! Relax and enjoy the process…there is a perfect place for YOU!
Other than affordability and good academics, what you look for in a college is a personal thing. Think about what is important to YOU, not to anyone else.
Price.
After that, it is the student’s decision.
^ can’t stress affordability enough. Then desired major, fit (size/diversity/area), etc