<p>I may express an unpopular opinion here, but reputation is probably the most important factor. It is the stamp of approval that a student leaves with. Later in life, it will help greatly in opening doors and just simply getting potential employers interested. </p>
<p>Reputation, unfortunately is generally longer-lasting than GPA or other measures of performance. A few years from graduation, no one - not even employers- will ask for GPA. In addition, in casual conversation, no one talks about major or other details which slowly become more trivial.</p>
<p>I can’t tell you how many times someone immediately saw me differently when I mentioned I went to a marque-branded college. </p>
<p>Tuition, good vibes, and other issues are all relatively transitory.</p>
<p>tuition…because if you can’t afford the college in the first place, you can’t even go there
i’m scared of going to a UC, because prices are being hiked up like crazy and i’m in that awkward financial zone where i don’t qualify for significant financial aid and i’m not rich enough where college tuition doesn’t put a huge stress on our household
oh well i suppose i’ll survive…just felt like ranting haha</p>
<p>Fit is most important to me, although I do want to go to a college with a strong engineering program. Tuition is up there too. I need to be able to go to a school that’s affordable for my family.</p>
<p>I used to think reputation is the most important thing. But since I’ve started taking dual enrollment classes, my view has changed. I have had some really great professors that have honestly changed my life, even though I’ve taken classes at community college and a small state school. Every college student and college graduate I’ve spoken to has credited their education to great professors. And you will find great professors at every college, big or small, prestigious or little-known. The college’s ranking seems to make little difference, and neither does class size. A really great professor can engage even a huge lecture hall.</p>
<p>If you can find outstanding professors, and thus an outstanding education, at every school, it makes sense to go with the college that offers the most opportunities. Evaluate your goals and see which college best fits them, whether it’s academics, extracurriculars, or the college’s location and the opportunities that offers. For some people, this might mean a top LAC to prepare for grad school, for others this means a strong program in a particular area to prepare for a career. The most important factor is which specific college best meets your goals.</p>
<p>It looks like Northwestern cares a lot about fun and not just the top academic students… Check out this YouTube video from the Northwestern tour guides… Very funny! <a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube;
<p>To me, size and the social atmosphere are the two most important factors. I love huge (huge as in 15,000+ students) state schools with D1 FBS/FCS athletics. That’s why I’ve applied to Penn State, University of Maryland-College Park, UGA, etc. That’s why I would choose Penn State or Rutgers over an LAC or a small, prestigious university.</p>
<p>Facebook “Likes This” based on my brief search of the number of people subscribed to the school’s main official facebook page as of today:</p>
<p>Sample Schools</p>
<p>Harvard 2,257,870
Stanford 481,701
Ohio State 472,419
Michigan 470,142
Yale 425,348
Texas 423,776
Penn State 286,271
UCLA 268,565
Michigan State 210,148
Washington 192,776
Wisconsin 169,900
NYU 144,403
UC Berkeley 143,078
Princeton 113,411
Illinois - UC 95,416
USC 78,778
U of Chicago 75,914
Notre Dame 70,017
Nebraska 68,387
Maryland 65,687
Columbia 63,060
Boston College 59,785
Vanderbilt 57,508
Northwestern 57,413
Pennsylvania 48,527
Rutgers 24,092</p>
<p>Note: These are only the number of subscribers on the official school page at the moment, I did not include the followers on its separate athletic/sports page(s) on facebook.</p>
<p>Fit, fit, fit! If at all possible, visit the colleges you are interested in and see if you feel like you would fit in. Campuses have different vibes. What matters to you? Make a list of the first 5 words that come to your mind. Wherever you go, if you are happy, you will be successful! (And if you are not happy, you will not be successful.)<br>
After fit, evaluate what you can afford and compare the reputations of the schools for your area of interest. Remember, some schools may have okay reputations, but the department in your area of interest may be one of the best-respected. = Research it.
Best of luck!</p>
<p>If you’re looking at large out-of-state universities, looking for “fit”, and considering places you know very little about, look at the voting patterns - county especially. A large university in a college town will have substantial influence in the area. It’s a quick way to judge fit, state results not so much.</p>
<p>My most important factor is tuition/financial aid. I’m smart, and so is nearly everyone who decides to go to college. Because of this I’m pretty sure that I can make it anywhere, at least in the schools I applied to. However if I come out with 100,000 dollars in debt, unless they bought me a condo somewhere it really isn’t worth it.</p>
<p>So I guess it’s a two fold decision: fit for applying, tuition/aid for actually going.</p>
<p>Probably the most important factor for me would be academic strength in my intended major. So what if the school has overall academic prestige if they have a weak or mediocre program for the major that I intend to pursue for the rest of my career? Of course your interests/major might change if you do go to a very prestigious school but I think it’d be a lot better to be on the safe side.</p>
<p>To select a college most important factor is we have to check the academic record of the college. And we have to see how long the college was running,and particularly we have to notic whether placement offer is provided by college, and how many students have been placed from their college in how many companies. These are to be noted first.</p>
<p>For me it was also important that they have good academic advising, good transportation / can get everywhere easily (will not have car) and job prospects after college.</p>
<p>one of the most important things is making sure you love what your school stands for and for us at BC that has to do with social justice and love for others, check out what some of the students are up to promoting the Jesuit mission of love and compassion! [One</a> Love: rethink the way you do good. - YouTube](<a href=“One Love: rethink the way you do good. - YouTube”>One Love: rethink the way you do good. - YouTube)</p>
i suppose i’ll survive…just felt like ranting haha</p>