Yesterday, I was shocked to have my distant uncle call me out of the blue. I was scared that something was wrong. To my relief, he called for advice on picking a college for his daughter. 

Thankfully, I loved my choice of college but I remember the turmoil I had in picking. Dramatic as I was at 18, it felt like my whole future was on the line. So here are my top 5 things to consider when picking the right college for you without breaking the bank.

 

1.  In-depth review of the majors

Although prestige and school rankings may seem like the most important aspect of choosing your college, don’t forget to review the majors offered by that school.

But you have to go deeper than just seeing if your college has a major for it. Find out if the school actually has a good program for the major you are interested in and check out if it’s a good fit for you by reviewing the curriculum.

So what do I mean by going deep in your search? For example, if you are interested in a science major, look into whether your school is a research institute. It will allow you ample opportunities to get experience in your department which is actually more important to prospective employers than school name.

As someone who took a while to choose her major and still changed it her junior year of college, I will say don’t put your eggs in one basket. More than half my friends changed their majors before graduation so make sure the school you pick have a couple of majors that you are interested in.

2.  Be open to staying in-state and near (but not at) home

Words cannot explain just how dead set I was on picking a college as far away from home as possible. I was so set on leaving but out-of-state tuition was simply unaffordable.

I ended up choosing a university that was in-state and actually only 20 minutes away from home. It was the best choice I ever made.

Because here is the deal. If you are moving away from home, it doesn’t matter if you are moving 15 minutes or 15 hours away from home. You are going to have equal amounts of freedom from your parents.

I decided to go to a great school that was 20 minutes away from home but chose to move to the dorm which was 100% the right decision. Financially it would have been cheaper to stay at home but I cannot overstate how worth it staying in the dorm was.

I’ve always been and still is an introvert. And I’ll be the first to admit I’ve lived quite the sheltered life. Dorming allowed me to literally see how people outside of my family lived. It broadened my horizon and at times took me outside of my comfort zone. But it was so great!

I got to experience drinking for the first time in the safe environment of my dorm with my suitemates which I would never have been able to do had I stayed home.

I was well prepared by the time I was 21 (yes… I’ll admit it. I drank underage.) and when I was finally able to hit the bar scene, I already knew what my alcohol tolerance level was. This saved me a lot of public embarrassment and potentially unsafe situations.

Being so close to home, I was still able to come home anytime I was craving home-cooked meals or missing my family. And it wasn’t a big deal, long-drive trip, or plane ride that some of my friends had to take. It also saved me the packing hassle every summer when I had to move back home at the end of the school year.

3.  Review financial aid offers

Different schools are going to offer you different financial aid packages. Review them carefully. Some schools can get very generous with their scholarships so take advantage of it!

I know this is a very exciting time for you and all you want to do is begin the next chapter of your life. The last thing you want to do is crunch some numbers.

You may not realize it now, but you will be miles ahead of your peers come graduation day when you find yourself ready for a fresh career start while your friends are already in negative net worth. So do yourself a favor and review those numbers carefully.

4.  Visit each college and surrounding city area

Make sure no matter how certain you think you are of a particular school that you still visit the campus. Don’t forget to visit the city as well!

I visited a high ranking school in my college tour that I considered my number 1 choice and was set on picking if I got accepted. However, when I visited the college, I just couldn’t see myself living there. There was something impersonal about the campus. I also did not like that this college was at the heart of a metropolitan city that required a car to travel where traffic was horrendous.

You’re not going to spend the next 4 years cooped up on campus forever so make sure you look around the city. Is it a nice, safe city that you can see yourself living in? What I did and recommend you do on each college visit is to imagine yourself spending the next 4 years there. If you see your future-self walking through that campus, then you may very well be looking at your home for the next 4 years.

5.  Talk to current students

I highly recommend booking a formal tour during your college visit if possible so you get to learn the histories and quirks of the school. More importantly, this allows you the opportunity to get insights on what the students at that school like and dislike.

Are their likes and dislikes aligned with your values?

I normally tell people to take what these student tour leaders say with a grain of salt because obviously, they have to say good things about their school.

Ironically, when I was doing a campus tour for graduate school, I talked to a student tour leader who basically told me (in nicer terms) that she hated it there. She hated the always gloomy weather, hated the teachers and was basically just counting the days till her graduation.

So you see, you do get a variety of responses. Although you should never take anyone’s opinions too seriously, it is not going to hurt to get students’ perspective of their school. The worst thing that can happen is you waste a couple minutes of your time and choose not to listen to their opinions.

That wraps up my 5 essential tips on how to pick a college that is right for you.

Finally, I just want to say that I truly believe your college experience is what you make of it. If you want your college years to be the best years of your life, you have to put the effort to make sure that comes true. Put yourself out there, make new friends, get out of your comfort zone! The world is waiting for you.