As you go through the college search, you will hear a lot about finding the right “fit” when it comes to schools. Admissions officers talk about wanting students who will fit on campus, and parents and students often think that schools with the right fit will feel a certain way. Clearly, choosing where you want to go to college is an extremely personal and important decision. But all this talk about making sure that a school is the right fit can also cause a lot of stress!
First the good news: there isn’t just ONE school that will be a great fit for you. With nearly 3,000 schools in the US alone, there will be a number of schools that will offer everything you are looking for in a college experience. Second, to help you narrow down your college search list, we recommend that students identify a list of the criteria that matter most when it comes to choosing a college. Creating this list will help you break free from the “best colleges” publications and help create a more personalized “best colleges for me” list of options. When creating a school criteria list, it’s best to choose a narrow set of criteria that are most important. There are no right or wrong answers here—for some of you, an active Greek life is a must; for others, knowing that you won’t be paying back loans for eternity is paramount.
To help you get started, here’s a list of common criteria:
• Degrees offered
• Majors/minors
• Location (rural or urban setting)
• Distance from home
• Size of the student population (from small at 1,000 to large at 35,000+)
• Costs (tuition, room & board, etc.)
• Athletics
• Financial assistance packages/average debt upon graduation
• Campus resources (labs, libraries, computer access, etc.)
• Placement success/internship and co-op programs
• Class size
• Faculty contact/classes taught by full-time, doctorate-level faculty
• Quality/reputation/ranking
• Social life (Greek organizations, sports, school spirit, etc.)
• Religious affiliation
• Realistic entry expectations (based on typical student admitted)
• Retention efforts/student support services
• Graduation employment rates (for students like you)
• Job preparedness