<p>Personal fit is #1 for me. I want to be able to picture myself happy academically and socially.</p>
<p>The TAG program guarantees you admission to YOUR select UC (excluding UCLA i believe) with a minimal GPA of 3.4. Why don’t people just take the easier route and go to community college rather than try hard in highschool. The requirements in the TAG program are all manageable and could be done in 2 years, and as some of you may know, you’ll also be saving about 30 grand for the 2 years learning the general ed. you’d learn at the UC. In essence, a person that tried very hard and had to beat out competitors with 4.0+ GPA and solid extracurriculars got into UCI. The person using the TAG program not only saved money but attended the same university.</p>
<p>academic atmosphere, social life, distance from home</p>
<p>Of course academic strength, but I actually decide upon the architecture in the campus.</p>
<p>I’ve voted for the first option. But I think this poll is skewed more towards those who are going to college for academic reasons than athletes. But those who are on sports scholarship, they don’t care much about schools academic reputation, do they? They care about its sports programs and stuff, yet only a very few voted for athletics as the most important factor. So yeah the poll is not the true reflection of the reality.</p>
<p>This thread is the bomb</p>
<p>Check this link out. I found it while randomly strolling on the Internet. Although its not that perfect:
<a href=“http://www.writersblues.com/blog/college-log-1-college-search/”>http://www.writersblues.com/blog/college-log-1-college-search/</a></p>
<p>If you’d like to talk about your own college admissions experience and get paid for your time or if you are a prospective student looking for more guidance about the application process, check out admitsee .com!</p>
<p>Well one of the factors sure is the city cause one cannot thrive well in a city where uncomfortable and another is sure how much you love the college cause you can never do well in what you do not love and thats why i really chose u of texas at austin over harvard,yale or princeton cause thats where my heart lies.</p>
<p>The same as in every things: location, location, location. </p>
<p>Well I would say location AND prestige because care about the city that will be living for next four years and plus you won’t enjoy school life if don’t like campus or location. Still within limit there are lots of prestigious schools. For me, big cities i am planning to also learn fashion at some point… And New York is my favourite so My first choice Columbia which now became dream its as well education:P.</p>
<p>I think that students and parents need to consider a range of factors, and whittle down a list accordingly. Very few students are going to “run the table” with Ivy League colleges. The vast majority of students won’t gain admission to any Ivy League school, and should consider all of them super-reaches. Most people who’d be drawn to Columbia probably wouldn’t care for Cornell or Dartmouth, and should leave those colleges for the students who dream of attending them. If a student loves sports, he or she should think about the nature of that love. Most high school athletes will never make the cut for a Division I varsity team: would they prefer to attend a school with powerhouse athletic programs they can root for, or a smaller school where they have a shot at participating in sports. Tickets to games can be expensive and scarce at the most illustrious D1 colleges - if kids just love the idea of tailgating and cheering with their friends, they can do it at any college with a football team. They need to consider travel logistics: a college across the country can be more convenient than one a day’s drive away, if it is easily accessible to transportation hubs. Most teenagers do not know exactly what they want to do, but they do know their strengths and interests. If you want an urban school, consider Harvard, Columbia, Penn, and Georgetown, by all means, but then start adding Pitt, Temple, DePaul, Northeastern, Fordham, and Pace to your list. If you have outside passions, like skiing, for instance, find backup choices that are within two hours of decent slopes - Colorado and Vermont aren’t the only states with good ski areas. Finally, listen respectfully and attentively to your adviser at school, but don’t allow him or her to define you. I have yet to meet anyone whose counselor didn’t suggest a few “howlers.” Parents have to exercise veto power where finances are involved, but the student should have the final choice on list of colleges - nobody wants a lifetime of arguments over being “made to go” to a school he or she disliked.</p>
<p>Academic course offerings and reputation </p>
<p>Food
Getting stomach pain/food poisoning from the school cafeteria shouldn’t have to be a concern</p>
<p>Being able to see yourself on campus, living there.</p>
<p>I think the most important factor for me to choose a college is this college has to fit me, so I will feel comfortable in the college. </p>
<p>THE MONEY/COST IS also be considered as important factor of choosing the college.</p>
<p>Greetings. I am new to the forums/site and wanted to provide any advice/support I can based on my own person experiences (good and bad) and the experiences of the many students I have had the pleasure to teach and mentor. I have quite an extensive background in the college/university process having taught, advised, and mentored thousand of students over the past 15+ years. Not trying to boast but just want everyone to know a little of my background and where my information comes from. </p>
<p>I just want to agree and emphasize on what the other posters have provided- in my opinion, the most important factor is FIT. I often use the example of clothing as most prospective students want the best “brand name” and do not think about fit as much. Thus, you could be walking around in something that just does not “feel comfortable” and you are surrounded with individuals that you do not “connect with” for 4+ years. In addition, it is important to not only think about what you would receive from a college/university but what you can give back. I do not mean giving back monetarily or through some sort of work program, but just what you could add with your personality and your passions/interests that my have an impact on your fellow students, faculty, and staff both in the classroom and outside. Having read thousands of essays from undergrad to grad to medical school please take time on your personal statement/statement of purpose essays (first know the difference between the two). Use the opportunity to not talk about your wonderful accomplishments or your grades (we have your records for that) but to provide an opportunity to share your honest passions and why you want to be a college grad, masters/doctoral/medical student and what you are thinking of doing with the degree and most importantly WHY (using personal examples). For those applying to college- you DO NOT need to know exactly what you are going to do- Ex. I know so many first year students that like to tell other freshmen in the dormitorires that they are planning on being a pediatric cardiovascular surgeon when they really have no idea what this means or what this entails. I have found the most honest statement (and often the most scary admission a student can make in a dorm full of other students)- is not knowing exactly what one wants to do to be the most refreshing. It is more important to understand oneself and having thought about it enough that you can see a few themes that you are passionate about and using one’s college experience to narrow down the exact job/professional title that links to these personal passions and NOT vice versa. I always believe that professional is personal- the work one chooses to pursue has very personal reasons behind it. Apologies for the long response and if there are any grammatical mistakes. </p>
<p>Main Takeaway Message- take the time to try to learn more about the individual institution and spend less time on a website and more time trying to speak to actual STUDENTS (not faculty, staff, or admissions officers) about their experiences both good and bad. Be sure to ask the students their own backgrounds (type of high school they went to, etc.). Basically, trying to get an idea of their backgrounds and importantly, what they are studying as each major has its own culture as well. Do not discount things like weather and how it FEELS when you are on campus (if you have the chance to visit). Avoid the pre-set tours and wander yourself (in and out of classes) and get that feeling on your own. Trust your gut even though your brain may be saying what a great brand name the school may have. Regarding money- All I can say is that your education is an investment. You have the rest of your life to earn money but this is one of the few opportunities where you will be surrounded by individuals from around the world all pursuing their passions. I tell my own students that they will learn 90% of their college education OUTSIDE the classroom. Sorry…got carried away again. IF anyone has any questions please feel free to post on the thread and I will do my best to answer the best I can. Thank you for allowing me to participate on this wonderful board and important discussion (wish I had this when I went to school as I was the first in my family to attend college as well).</p>
<p>Value - essentially the cost (your actual cost) divided by academic rigor. If you want the MOST important, I think that would be it.</p>
<p>To complement UCBProf’s superb post above - I came across this article sent by a friend:- written by a college professor too; since i cannot link to this here goes an excerpt:</p>
<p>Dear Parents and Prospective Students Who Have a Choice of College:</p>
<p>It is high season for campus tours here at the College of Charleston. Because I am situated across from the student union and down the way from the president’s house, the street outside my office is part of the tours’ path and I hear the student guides and parents and prospective students shuffle by my office several times a day.</p>
<p>It makes me smile, thinking about our collective futures.</p>
<p>Our college shows very well. The weather this time of year is perfect. We’re nestled in the midst of one of the top tourist destinations in the world. We have some charming old buildings mixed with some sparkling new ones and the historic Cistern and Randolph Hall frequently show up on television and in movies.</p>
<p>My advice to you, however, is to ignore everything you see, hear, or experience on these college tours or via the schools’ glossy brochures. Do not be swayed by the boasts of leading-edge technology, or state-of-the-art anything.</p>
<p>I say this because there are only two things that you will have ten or twenty years after your graduation, your relationships with your friends, and the experiences and encounters you have with faculty.</p>
<p>In fact, for the purposes of making your decision, you might as well just use the equation of college = faculty.</p>
<p>But what about the dorms and cafeterias and libraries and fitness centers and student services and classrooms and student organizations and sports and fraternities and sororities and bars[1] and restaurants you might be saying?</p>
<p>All of these things may have some importance, but my advice to you is to make sure that each of these elements is “good enough,” but not better than that, because every dollar that is spent on these things may be a dollar that is not spent on something more meaningful to the quality of your education.</p>
<p>Now, classrooms should be nice enough to keep from being an impediment to learning. They should be clean and bright and sufficiently-sized. The cafeteria food should be healthy and appetizing, but need not be gourmet nor promise every flavor of the world on a nightly basis. The dorms should be comfortable for sleep, work, and socializing, but many of you may only live in them for a year.</p>
<p>Those TempurPedic mattresses seem awesome, but you are still young and flexible and will do just fine on springs. If you wonder how a school can have such nice stuff, the answer is probably, “because you’re paying for it.”</p>
<p>The school should provide resources that will allow you to be fit and active, facilities and intramurals and the like, but you should ask yourself what you’re really going to make use of and how you’re going to use it.</p>
<p>For example, on the campus tour you may be shown a state of the art climbing wall, and you may think that if this place has a climbing wall, they must have everything, but it may be that because they have a climbing wall, they may not have something else.</p>
<p>When you are on these tours, the campus guides will tell you about all the amazing things the school has, but if you have a chance, ask the guides about the people. Ask them for a story about an encounter with faculty. Ask them if they’ve had a conversation with a professor not directly related to an assignment or class logistics. Ask them if it seems like the faculty enjoy their work.</p>
<p>There’s a few other things you can do. See if you can discover what percentage of your classes will be taught be adjunct or contingent faculty. Go to the web pages of the departments in your prospective major and count how many assistant, associate or full professors – as opposed to instructors or adjunct professors – are on the roster[2]. Do this not because visitors and adjuncts are inferior teachers (it is often the opposite), but because it is an indicator of the school’s attitude toward the importance of undergraduate education. The more non-permanent faculty you see, the more likely the school is to treat the undergraduate teaching mission as an afterthought, something that must be done, but not necessarily done as well as possible.</p>
<p>If you go to a public institution, look up the salary of the president. If it is more than $500,000 per year, you should be concerned.[3]</p>
<p>My colleagues may be surprised by and disagree with this next recommendation, but you should also go to Ratemyprofessor.com and look at what students say about their faculty. You should ignore the ratings because they are ridiculous, and instead look at the comments for words like the following: challenging, engaging, enthusiastic, friendly, passionate, amazing, honest, love, knowledgeable, discussion, caring, available, helpful.</p>
<p>When you leave your school, all those amazing amenities and facilities will remain exactly where they are. You may visit them for homecoming, but they are of no use to you.</p>
<p>On the other hand, that one professor in that one class may change the trajectory of your entire life.</p>
<p>Ask anyone who has completed college what remains and they will tell you the same.</p>
<p>Choose well, choose wisely, and maybe I’ll see some of you in the Fall.</p>
<p>–</p>