With nearly 6,000 colleges in the US knowing you have to choose just the right one can be extremely daunting. So many aspects come into play and it impacts your future. Here are some things I have learned from the early stages of the search process that may help narrow down your list of schools.
The first thing I have learned is that visiting campuses is genuinely so helpful. I thought that Southern Methodist University (SMU) was my top choice for a while until I visited the school. I realized it wasn’t quite the right spot and that led me to tour Texas Christian University (TCU) which turned out to be an amazing fit. If I hadn’t toured SMU, I wouldn’t have found my true top choice and would potentially be stuck somewhere I didn’t love. Going to campuses and exploring the area helps you get a better feel for the university and student life. Even if you can’t visit the actual school itself, touring similar universities nearby can be great examples of the schools you are actually looking at.
Another thing I have learned is that when you really go through and list what’s important to you, your list will shrink. You need to be very specific and acknowledge what you absolutely want in your school. I started with five states I would like to live in, added a big football team, and some smaller components to get a list of three schools that I really liked and wanted to look further into. It also helps to pick a few majors you may go into and find what universities have great programs in those fields. Sion students are super lucky to have college counselors who are knowledgeable in the process and can help you find what you want in a college. Taking meetings with them seriously can really help you narrow down your list and open up to other choices based on your set criteria.
Lastly, don’t follow people, but don’t be afraid to end up at the same school if you love it. As application time comes closer and closer, the reality that we’ll be leaving for college in a year is hitting. My best friend who I have known since before preschool is going to a school that I won’t end up at and vice versa. This is an extremely hard concept for us to grasp, but it has taught me that it is important to find somewhere you uniquely love and put in the effort to keep your long distance friendships or relationships strong. Likewise, some of my closest friends are looking at some of the same colleges as me and that has given me a lot of comfort. Some people say that going to the same school as friends or classmates can hinder the experience of college. I think that knowing I will have familiar faces and friends to go to in an already foreign area is extremely comforting and doesn’t effect my top choices.
