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Tips for finding the right college
The US offers a huge number of available colleges. But how do you find a place where it ‘feels like home’ and where you can succeed? Below you find some tips and questions to help you with your choice.
Why are you going?
Before you start with all the research about the universities, you firstly need to have a clear picture of yourself. Why do you want to go? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Ask those questions also to your family and friends, the people who know you the best.
Size of the college
The size of the college affects the range of academic majors, the amount of personal attention you will receive, the number of books in the library and the amount of recreational opportunities. Try to consider what you prefer.
Location
Important things about the location to think about are: weather, distance to the UK (your home), size of the city, the landscape (mountains, ocean), the amount of cultural and amusement things around, the public transport possibilities from the campus.
Campus Life
Think about the next things considering you home stay: size of the campus, condition of the campus, age of the other students and if it is co-mingled.
Cost
Today's college fee makes cost an important consideration for most students. More information about University Costs is under Finance section of the site.
Persuasions
Think about the diversity of the students. If there is a religious foundation it could be that this affect your academic and campus life.
Activities after class
Be aware about the activities the university offers. Things like sports, parties, cultural activities, students’ organizations, musical groups and tv stations.
Reputation
To do research about the reputation of the university you can start with looking on their websites. Sometimes it is possible to contact students from the university to ask them for their opinion. An other thing to measure the satisfaction is finding out which amount of students return after the first year and the percent of entering students who remain to graduate.
Note: Be not too concerned with the school's national ranking or reputation. Just because a school is rated number one doesn't mean that it will be the right match for you. Find out if the university is right for you by visiting their websites and look to things like: events, guest speakers and facilities.
