One thing I’ve come to realize over the years is that the road to college has a different starting point for everybody. You might be a traditional student who is gearing up while still in high school, or you might already be through your high school years and have decided to attend college at some other point in your life like I did. Regardless, choosing the right college matters. Here are just three things to think about as you begin your journey.
First: What are the possibilities?
As a first-generation student who hadn’t spent a lot of time during high school preparing for college, my possibilities for college were somewhat limited. My inexperience with the whole concept left things even more limited . . . in fact, I didn’t really know what the possibilities were.
As a future college student, you have to think about your own possibilities. For example, are you able to move across the country and attend some prestigious school somewhere (do you have the grades?). . . or do you plan to stick around your own neck of the woods?
Do you want to start out at the local community college? Or are you headed to your state’s major university?
These are important questions and ones that you have to be realistic about. When you think about choosing a school, you have to examine your own situation in life to determine whether or not you can make things work.
Second: What are your goals?
One question you really have to ask is what do you want to do with your life (I know people have been driving you crazy with that one since your freshman year of high school, but the reality is that this question has a lot of power to guide you in your selection of a school)? Are you looking for the best place to prepare you for law school? Do you want to go into medicine? Or do you want to just learn a trade?
Knowing what you want to do will help you answer a lot of questions. For instance, if you’re hoping to learn a good trade then you probably won’t have to search much farther than your local community college. If you hope to go into medicine, then you might want to look at your state’s major university.
Regardless, knowing what you want to do with your life is important to help you begin to search for a good school.
Third: Online or On-The-Ground?
Over the last ten to fifteen years, online colleges have truly established themselves as viable options for students worldwide. Nowadays you don’t even have to leave your bedroom to attain a degree. Online schools provide many great advantages, including a lot of great degree choices. Going to school on campus somewhere can provide you with connections and experiences you will never forget, but attending an online college may be the best choice based on your life situation.
These are only three basic things to think about as you move forward thinking about your college choice. For more information and ratings on colleges across the nation, check out US News and World Report. In the meantime, take care.