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What should I look for when deciding where to go to college?
I am 16, a sophomore in high school, and have always been interested in the medical field. I want to go to a good college, but i'm not sure what key components to be looking for.
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7 answers
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Shandy’s Answer
Hello! I echo that advice on making sure the college or university is accredited. Location is important depending on where you want to live, the climate preference, etc. Also be sure they have activities and majors of interest to you as no one will be pursing the degree but YOU. Try to speak with current students if possible on their positive and negative experiences and with technology you may be able to do so virtually. Consider the scholarship and grant opportunities and if interested in work study, try to find out ahead of time what types of opportunities. If you won't have transportation, you may also want to consider a campus that has stores and necessities close by. For medical careers there are lots of great schools out there but you may want to narrow down your preferred career. Do you want to actually practice medicine or are you interested in health care administration or something technical like doing radiology or ultrasounds? Follow what you are patient about and naturally good at and the career will follow. Good luck!
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Harmen’s Answer
Here are some more things to consider when applying to college:
- Weather; do you want to attend classes first thing in the morning in the snow or in the rain?
- If you are taking AP courses, will those be applied to your college course requirements?
- Location; do you want to be close enough to home to go home on the weekends, but far enough to have your independence from home life?
- Class sizes; do you want to be in a class of 45 or 300? Class sizes may decrease as you get closer to your major-specific courses, but general courses tend to have a high number of students.
- How long do you plan to be in college and is that city where you want to be in for that many years?
- Commute; can you manage the commute from your bed to campus? Will you need a car; or need to take public transportation? (If you take a car, consider the fees for the parking pass and the parking availability)
- Health insurance; some insurance companies may not be available out of state, and some colleges may offer their own
- Career services; will the college assist you with finding a job after college? Will the career services be available to you after you graduate?
- Student services; are the groups (social, professional, volunteer) you want to join available on campus, if not, does the campus provide the resource to start your own
- Weather; do you want to attend classes first thing in the morning in the snow or in the rain?
- If you are taking AP courses, will those be applied to your college course requirements?
- Location; do you want to be close enough to home to go home on the weekends, but far enough to have your independence from home life?
- Class sizes; do you want to be in a class of 45 or 300? Class sizes may decrease as you get closer to your major-specific courses, but general courses tend to have a high number of students.
- How long do you plan to be in college and is that city where you want to be in for that many years?
- Commute; can you manage the commute from your bed to campus? Will you need a car; or need to take public transportation? (If you take a car, consider the fees for the parking pass and the parking availability)
- Health insurance; some insurance companies may not be available out of state, and some colleges may offer their own
- Career services; will the college assist you with finding a job after college? Will the career services be available to you after you graduate?
- Student services; are the groups (social, professional, volunteer) you want to join available on campus, if not, does the campus provide the resource to start your own
Updated
Dan’s Answer
This is definitely a very complex question that is difficult to answer comprehensively. However, I did want to at least provide some advice on one particular thing to consider. Many industries have areas where a lot of the work is focused (tech in SF, theater in NYC, or TV in Los Angeles). If your career has a very specific hub it can be very beneficial to choose a school in that location to get better access to networking and internship opportunities.
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Andrijana’s Answer
Your passion, think about what you wanted to be when you were a kid. That is what I did and it worked.
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Selma’s Answer
Make sure the College is accredited! Schools can lose or never get accredited meaning your classes/degree won't count in the real world. My community College is at risk of losing their's as we speak. Career Colleges are notorious for not be accredited or lying about it. Always check for accreditation prior to enrollment! Excellent question 👏
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Mailany Marie’s Answer
When considering what college you want to commit to, it can definitely be challenging with all the options available. When I was deciding on what college was best for me, I considered financial situations, for example, how much is the tuition at the schools I am interested in? Do they offer financial aid or scholarships? Am I living on campus, off campus, or am I close to home?
Another thing to think about is location. Do you want to stay close to home or travel the distance? Do I want to attend a private or public institution? Should I go to a school that is isolated, or one that’s near a big city?
The most important factor to think about, however, is whether the institution offers the desired program for your future career goal. Since you want to work in the medical field, what exactly do you want to do (I.e., nursing, doctoring, office worker, etc.)?
You also want to attend a college that speaks to you. I recommend visiting campuses to get a feel of the environment!
Also, I would love to mention Community Colleges are always an option. If you are still unsure about where you want to start when it comes to the medical field and attending school, you can attend a community college and use that time to figure out where you want to go. After you finish your General Education (GE) requirements, you can transfer!
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Another thing to think about is location. Do you want to stay close to home or travel the distance? Do I want to attend a private or public institution? Should I go to a school that is isolated, or one that’s near a big city?
The most important factor to think about, however, is whether the institution offers the desired program for your future career goal. Since you want to work in the medical field, what exactly do you want to do (I.e., nursing, doctoring, office worker, etc.)?
You also want to attend a college that speaks to you. I recommend visiting campuses to get a feel of the environment!
Also, I would love to mention Community Colleges are always an option. If you are still unsure about where you want to start when it comes to the medical field and attending school, you can attend a community college and use that time to figure out where you want to go. After you finish your General Education (GE) requirements, you can transfer!
Mailany Marie recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Chrè M.’s Answer
There are some great free online tools for exploring colleges!
- The US Dept of Education College Scorecard
- myfuture.com
- collegedata.com
- collegexpress.com (caution: this site collects your data, so be sure you want to share it and that you share only what you want)
Also, check with your high school guidance counselor to see if they use Naviance, which is another tool that the school can register with so students can create free accounts.
Enjoy the process!
- The US Dept of Education College Scorecard
- myfuture.com
- collegedata.com
- collegexpress.com (caution: this site collects your data, so be sure you want to share it and that you share only what you want)
Also, check with your high school guidance counselor to see if they use Naviance, which is another tool that the school can register with so students can create free accounts.
Enjoy the process!