First, let’s get this straight, college admissions should not be seen as a talent contest in which the person who gets into the most prestigious schools wins. That is generally the way it is seen, but it distracts from the main purpose. Higher education—education after high school—is meant to train you for a career, so you should go somewhere that can best do that specifically for you: with your specific academic and extracurricular interests, with your personality, and your personal taste. Higher education is also, secondly, a place where you will develop as a person, during some of the most vibrant and creative years of your life. You want to be somewhere you feel comfortable and happy. It’s not that you should not be challenged or pushed a little out of your comfort zone, but you need to be a school where your basic needs at least are being met.
(1) Research departments, and make sure there are strong and developed programs in your areas of interest. Know the course offerings and faculty and their specialties. This should help you decide how much room for growth you have at a school. For example, if you want to study Education and a school only has a minor in it with some very basic courses, then don’t bother applying.
(2) Consider location seriously. If you get depressed during long, cold winters, then don’t choose schools in New England or the northern Midwest. If you want a classic campus experience in a rural setting, then don’t look at ultra urban schools with buildings spread all over the city. This seems like basic logic, but a lot of students don’t bother giving enough importance to location, lured by other factors or pressured by their parents. Location, however, may be one of the most important factors in your future happiness.
(3) Small versus large is a very important decision. The size of a school is not just an abstract idea. Large universities tend to be research schools with a large proportion of their resources devoted faculty research and less emphasis on teaching. This means you will be in large, often oversubscribed classes, and you will not get to know your professors. Most likely your contact will be limited to teaching assistants. If you need and crave more personal attention, then you should look at smaller, liberal arts college. If, however, you are an independent, self-motivated learner and you want access to research opportunities and attend lectures by famous professors, then a large university may be the place for you. There are lots of options in between, and sometimes a mid-size university may combine more intimate contact with professors with other opportunities. You need a wise college counselor who knows many universities intimately to help you decide which school is best for you.
(4) A competitive letter-grade system or other kinds of assessments. Some schools have no grades and written evaluations, others have a strict grading system. Some are more exam-focused and others on research papers and class participation. Which system will work better for you?
(5) Look at their placement rates for graduate or professional school or career placement. There are many excellent colleges that don’t have a lot of name recognition. Rather than choose a school based on its overall ranking or name recognition, check out how well it does in placing students in the specific graduate school program you are interested in. Or see how successful they are in job placement. These statistics are sometimes publically available and are more meaningful than an overall ranking.
