Choosing a College

Hi, guys! So today, I thought I would talk a little bit about the process of picking a college. It feels like forever since I've been in high school (I graduated in the spring of 2010) and my own college-selection experience was pretty different from most of my peers. Towson was the only school I applied to, because it was the only school I felt (realistically) fit all my expectations. I was ultimately lucky to get in, not because Towson is super-duper selective, but because I didn't really have a back-up plan. Don't gamble like me, kids.

The first thing you need to understand when you're looking at colleges is that no college is perfect. At all. Maybe in the future, there will be a really cheap college the right distance away from home that has all fun and awesome majors and rainbows shoot out of all the windows and you get a free puppy when you register for classes, but so far, that college isn't real. When you understand that you're going to have to deal with shit, you're going to have a much easier time adjusting. Prioritize! Which of the following is the most important to you?

Distance: Do you want to be close to home? How close is close, for you personally? I would say my college is close to home, since it's about an hour and half of driving. Maybe that's too far, though, and you'd prefer to be less than an hour from home. Or maybe it isn't far enough. Also think about whether or not freshmen are allowed to have cars on-campus, and if not, who would be driving you/ how you would get back and forth. A lot of people came here from New York and New Jersey and they take the bus home for breaks--is that something you'd be willing to do? Decisions, decisions.

Cost: Pretty important, when it comes to picking a school. Talk to your parents, about your loan options and about how much money they've put away for you for school. Also, apply for as many scholarships as you qualify for--you'll never get money if you don't at least make the attempt! If you start looking into that stuff ASAP, then you can weigh how much your school will actually cost. See if any schools in other states have reciprocity costs with your state, since it can slash your out of state cost down really nicely.

Size: Do you want a huge school, or are you looking for something slightly larger than a high school? Or maybe something in between? I went with a larger school, since I figured there'd be more going on and more variety in classes/activities, and I'm glad I did. But a big school can be intimidating and lot of ground to cover, literally. This is what tours are for--can you see yourself walking around that campus? Is it too wide, or too stifling?

Majors: Obviously, even if all the other stuff works out great, it won't mean anything if the school doesn't offer the classes and majors you want to get involved in. If you're interested in taking a minor, make sure the school offers it, too. Most colleges will have the courses needed for their majors, as well as a full major and minor list, on their websites, and you can browse those easily. Three cheers for modern life!

There are plenty of other things at stake when you're picking a college--like whether it's urban or rural, or what the faculty-to-student ratio is, or if you can do study abroad programs, things like that. But I figured those were the most basic considerations. What colleges are you looking at, or if you've already chosen, why did you pick it?