Tips for Choosing a College

Choosing the right college for you is one of the most fun parts of the college admissions process, but it can also be very stressful because there are so many colleges and it's hard to know where to start. There are many things to consider when you are choosing where you want to enjoy your next few years of school. This part of choosing which school you want to go to correlates with the application process and is a very important thing to consider, which takes time. In what follows you will see tips on how to create a list of schools and what questions can facilitate your research of schools that interest you.

01

Start Early

Nosotros recomendamos ir y visitar las universidades que te interesan. Esto te da chance de tal vez conocer los estudiantes, los dormitorios, la comida, y mucho más. Puedes reservar visitas a los campus de las escuelas que elijas por internet o tu escuela u otros programas que facilitan el conocimiento de colegios para estudiantes de la preparatoria. Conectarse con un estudiante o alumno de la escuela te permitirá tener una idea como se siente asistir a la universidad que te interesa sin filtro. Recuérdate que una universidad se debe ajustar a ti, y no de la otra manera.

02

Questions to ask yourself:

Where do you want to live, do you want to be close to home or far away? If you want more distance from home, how far?
Do you want to live in the city or in the country?
How competitive is your school of choice?
- Don't let numbers and percentages discourage you from applying to college!
What is the graduation rate of the college of your choice?
- Although this question doesn't sound, at first glance important, it is something you should consider because if a college has a very low graduation rate it may be because there aren't many resources for students or maybe the college may not be affordable, and those are factors that can influence your decision to go to that college. There are many different factors that can affect the graduation rate of a college.
Does the college offer the majors you are interested in? Does the college offer extracurricular opportunities you are interested in like studying abroad or certain clubs you want to do?

03

Do your research:

When it comes time to apply to the colleges of your choice we recommend doing some research on what college requires what to apply. Some schools require more tests or essays than others, and it is essential to plan when you are going to spend time on different parts of the application. You can find this information on the websites dedicated to their own college application process, of the schools you are interested in.

Taina: For example, in the year I applied to Harvard, Harvard required me to take the SAT/ACT, two SAT Subject Tests, and other short essays, among other requirements.

04

Visit schools:

A school is very different in person compared to what you see online. We recommend going and visiting the colleges you are interested in. This gives you a chance to maybe get to know the students, the dorms, the food, and much more. You can book campus tours of the schools of your choice online or through your school or other programs that allow high school students to visit colleges. Connecting with students or alumni from the school will allow you to get a sense of what it's like to attend the college you're interested in, without a filter. Remember that a college should fit you, and not the other way around.