The Basics of a College Search
For many students beginning a college search is a very complicated and detailed procedure. There are usually several schools or areas that a student all ready has in mind, but a quick analysis of their actual educational, financial and social needs helps to bring a few more candidates into the list of potential choices.
The basics of a college search should be built around five simple criteria:
1. Fundamentals – which include the geographic location of the school, the setting, size, cost and any affiliations
2. On Campus – should address the availability of adequate housing, sports, clubs, and fraternities or sororities
3. Fellow students – looks at the gender ratio, diversity and number of local versus out of state students
4. Degrees and Majors – considers the degrees available, any special services and programs, and the majors that a school provides
5. Admissions – reviews selectivity and a student’s GPA
Fundamentals should be thoroughly reviewed because they address the most important factors of any school, college or university. Any student’s college search should begin with these considerations – international or domestic schools? Will they remain close to home or at a distance? Do they want an urban or rural setting? What can they realistically afford? Are there any special requirements of the school?
“On Campus” takes in the secondary set of criteria after a pool of possible schools has been developed. These issues include the availability of housing, any relevant activities to the student such as sports, clubs or groups and any sorority or fraternity opportunities.
The issue of fellow students is a relevant point because this provides any student with their primary social opportunities and can make a big impact on their performance. There are schools that are gender specific, that promote and encourage ethnic diversity and those that are chosen primarily by in-state or local students. All of these present a different environment and social opportunities.
“Degrees and Majors” are another key factor in a college search. A school should be dismissed or removed outright from a pool of candidates if it doesn’t offer a complete degree or major in a student’s field of choice. It is a good idea to select a school that also has events, activities or clubs dedicated, at least in part, to the field of study or academic major, such as a theater club or a poetry group for a literature or English major.
Finally, “Admissions” involves a review of the selectivity of the school. Most students quickly realize how competitive a college acceptance process can be, especially for prominent, popular or specialized schools. Students should also be aware of the required grade point average, or GPA, that the admissions process demands. It is very frustrating for many students to “set their caps” on a certain school only to find later in the process that the GPA requirement is higher than the level they maintained in high school.