3 answers
Joseph
Student
Kingsford, Michigan
2
Questions
Asked
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How do I choose the right college?
I am trying to decide between colleges with very different pros/cons, and I am having trouble weeding through them and figuring out which one is the best for me.
#college #choose-a-college #choose #future
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3 answers
Matthew L. Tuck, J.D., M.B.A.
CEO/Managing Attorney, Greater Detroit Area
64
Answers
Lansing, Michigan
Updated
Matthew L.’s Answer
Good question, Joseph.
Choosing the right college is an important decision and you need to do your homework. Here are some steps I would suggest.
1. Do Some Deep Thinking About What You Want to Do - It's really hard to know what you want to do with the rest of your life. Luckily, you don't have to decide now. America is a wonderful and amazing place in that you can almost always do something different if what you thought you wanted was not right for you. You can change majors, you can change schools and you can change careers. It's never too late to find what you were born to do.
Start the process by thinking about what you really love to do. Is it writing, is it sports, is it giving speeches, is it sitting in a room reading books? The most important thing in life is to find what you love and do that. Don't pick a career just because it will make you a lot of money or because it will make you famous and don't pick a college just to get one of those careers. You'll be miserable and you'll waste a lot of years figuring that out (I did). Think about what you're good at because you probably also love doing it and figure out how to make a career out of it. Research careers. Talk to people who do those jobs. Volunteer at a hospital or get an internship at an accounting or law firm if that's what interests you. Start a journal or start a simple list to track your results. I love using Trello (www.trello.com) to track things and collect articles I find on-line. I use it like a scrap book.
If you want to be a veterinarian, go to a local vet and ask to follow him around. Or volunteer in the clinic. If you want to find out about what a computer programmer or nurse does, find one and ask to buy him/her coffee and tell you about their work. I bet they will. Whether they love or hate their work, they'll tell you about it.
You may not know what you want to do even after thinking about it. That's okay too. That's what you're supposed to find out in college. Above all, don't panic. There are lots of good tests on line which can help you narrow down your talents and interests. You should have been given some of these tests/tools in school too. Use these tools. Use them as tools but don't look to them for the ultimate answer. They are just one data point in your research.
2. Narrow Down Your Schools to Those That Match Your Interests - Once you've thought about what you love and what you may want to do, research schools that have strong programs in your areas of interest. We're VERY lucky here in Michigan to have a lot of great schools. But other states have good schools too. If you find you're interested in animals and want to be veterinarian, find a school with a great pre-vet program. If you think you want to be an engineer, find a school known for that (University of Michigan is GREAT for engineering--and yes, I went there but not to be an engineer).
3. Be Realistic About Your Expectations - Every school has different admissions criteria. You can maximize your chances of getting into your school of choice but it may not be possible. If your GPA is good but not great, then you have to get a GREAT ACT/SAT score to have a shot at good schools. If your GPA is really good but you didn't do well on the ACT/SAT, it may limit your choices. Ivy League schools require a lot. Great GPA (like valedictorian great) and a great ACT/SAT (like 99th percentile great). And even if you have that you may still not get in. Only the top of the top get in. Many of the Ivy schools brag about how many valedictorians they turn down. If you have great grades and test scores you have about a 6% to 10% chance of getting into these top schools. But don't be discouraged. Shoot for the moon. And if you don't get into your dream school for undergrad, go their for grad school.
So research schools that have strong programs that match your interests. Most schools publish their admission stats. Compare the average GPA and test scores of last year's freshman class to your own grades and scores. And research what those schools look for in their students. If they like volunteer work, do that (all schools do). Identify schools that may be stretch and some safe schools. Many schools also publish the stats relating to how many of their students get into grad school. If you want to be a doctor, pick an undergrad school that has great admission rates to med school programs to improve your chances.
Don't be heart broken if you don't get into your dream school. Go to your second choice, get great grades your first year and you may be able to transfer to your dream school. If not, get great grades at your second choice and go to your dream school for grad school. I did that. Whatever happens, embrace the school you do get into. You will find your community and you will love it.
Look at their graduation stats too. How many students have full-time employment in their fields one year after they graduate is an important stat. Look at how much debt the average student graduates with. See about scholarships and grants. It's best to graduate with as little debt as possible. State schools tend to be cheaper.
Check this site out if you want to see the actual acceptance rates for the Ivy League: http://www.businessinsider.com/ivy-league-harvard-yale-princeton-acceptance-rates-class-of-2021-2017-3 .
4. Visit the Campuses - Visit the schools you're thinking about applying to. They almost all have visitation weeks for prospective students or you can make a special appointment. Take the tour. Take it more than once if you want. If you know a student at that school, see if you can spend a weekend shadowing him/her. Sit in on some classes. Stay in the dorm. Talk to the admissions people. Eat in the cafeteria. This was a huge mistake I made. I didn't visit the schools I was thinking about. If the schools are close, go to a football game. Football games are great places to meet some students and alums. Take pictures during the tour. And take good notes about what you like and don't like.
5. Contact Alumni Associations - Big schools and some small ones have alumni associations. People in these groups are usually rabidly happy about their alma mater and love to recruit great people to go there. They can be a great resource and even help you get in sometimes.
6. Decide whether You Want a Big or Small School - This was another mistake I made. I went to a big university school not really knowing I wouldn't like it. I wound up transferring to a much smaller college (smaller than my high school, actually) and LOVED it. That was what fit me.
7. Read Reviews and Do Research On-Line - The internet is an amazing research tool. Look at the reviews written by actual students at the schools you're thinking about. These are your boots on the ground. They live it and students love to sound off on what they like and what they don't. Use the net to research the companies or types of companies where you want to work. Look at LinkedIn. If you want to work at a Big 4 accounting firm, see where the associates and partners when to school. If you want to work at a big law firm, see where those lawyers went to undergrad. If you go to the same schools,
8. If You Can't Decide - Even after you've done your homework, you still may not be able to decide. That's okay. If so, just get a piece of paper for each college and draw a line down the middle. Put the name of the school on the top. On the left side, write everything you liked about the school. On the right side, write all that you din't like. When you compare the papers, you should have your answer or can at least narrow it down.
9. Talk to Your Guidance Counselor at School - Some guidance counselors are great and some are terrible. Find a good one and ask them to help you figure out what you're good at, what you like and what schools you should look at. They have tests and tools and lots of experience with prior students. They can help you research where people went to school who work at the companies where you want to work. Here too, counselors are a tool. They may not "get you" so don't take their word as the final answer either. It's one data point for you. Some guidance counselors will try to pigeonhole you. They will try to tell you that you should work in a factory or be a teacher or a secretary or whatever. If you have a passion for something, follow that. Ignore these people if what they tell you does not match what you feel in your gut. If you work hard enough, you can be whatever you want in life. You may have to take in indirect path to it, but you can absolutely get their.
With all that said, you will generally get as much or as little out of any college as you put into it. If you study like crazy and get great grades, you can get whatever job you want or get into whatever grad school you want (You should follow the same process outlined above for grad school, by the way). If you spend 4 years partying or staying in your dorm room and only talking to your roommate, you won't get much out of it. Be sure to explore things in college. Join clubs that sound interesting to you or that are totally different than your major. Meet people, especially people who are not like you and not like the people you grew up with. Debate. Go to lectures. Try out for a play. Join the rowing team. Take electives that are totally different form your major. Study abroad. Get a job as a researcher with one of your profs.
Your job above all is to find what you love. I've worked a ton of jobs in fields I didn't like and a few in fields I love. Love is better. Good luck.
Choosing the right college is an important decision and you need to do your homework. Here are some steps I would suggest.
1. Do Some Deep Thinking About What You Want to Do - It's really hard to know what you want to do with the rest of your life. Luckily, you don't have to decide now. America is a wonderful and amazing place in that you can almost always do something different if what you thought you wanted was not right for you. You can change majors, you can change schools and you can change careers. It's never too late to find what you were born to do.
Start the process by thinking about what you really love to do. Is it writing, is it sports, is it giving speeches, is it sitting in a room reading books? The most important thing in life is to find what you love and do that. Don't pick a career just because it will make you a lot of money or because it will make you famous and don't pick a college just to get one of those careers. You'll be miserable and you'll waste a lot of years figuring that out (I did). Think about what you're good at because you probably also love doing it and figure out how to make a career out of it. Research careers. Talk to people who do those jobs. Volunteer at a hospital or get an internship at an accounting or law firm if that's what interests you. Start a journal or start a simple list to track your results. I love using Trello (www.trello.com) to track things and collect articles I find on-line. I use it like a scrap book.
If you want to be a veterinarian, go to a local vet and ask to follow him around. Or volunteer in the clinic. If you want to find out about what a computer programmer or nurse does, find one and ask to buy him/her coffee and tell you about their work. I bet they will. Whether they love or hate their work, they'll tell you about it.
You may not know what you want to do even after thinking about it. That's okay too. That's what you're supposed to find out in college. Above all, don't panic. There are lots of good tests on line which can help you narrow down your talents and interests. You should have been given some of these tests/tools in school too. Use these tools. Use them as tools but don't look to them for the ultimate answer. They are just one data point in your research.
2. Narrow Down Your Schools to Those That Match Your Interests - Once you've thought about what you love and what you may want to do, research schools that have strong programs in your areas of interest. We're VERY lucky here in Michigan to have a lot of great schools. But other states have good schools too. If you find you're interested in animals and want to be veterinarian, find a school with a great pre-vet program. If you think you want to be an engineer, find a school known for that (University of Michigan is GREAT for engineering--and yes, I went there but not to be an engineer).
3. Be Realistic About Your Expectations - Every school has different admissions criteria. You can maximize your chances of getting into your school of choice but it may not be possible. If your GPA is good but not great, then you have to get a GREAT ACT/SAT score to have a shot at good schools. If your GPA is really good but you didn't do well on the ACT/SAT, it may limit your choices. Ivy League schools require a lot. Great GPA (like valedictorian great) and a great ACT/SAT (like 99th percentile great). And even if you have that you may still not get in. Only the top of the top get in. Many of the Ivy schools brag about how many valedictorians they turn down. If you have great grades and test scores you have about a 6% to 10% chance of getting into these top schools. But don't be discouraged. Shoot for the moon. And if you don't get into your dream school for undergrad, go their for grad school.
So research schools that have strong programs that match your interests. Most schools publish their admission stats. Compare the average GPA and test scores of last year's freshman class to your own grades and scores. And research what those schools look for in their students. If they like volunteer work, do that (all schools do). Identify schools that may be stretch and some safe schools. Many schools also publish the stats relating to how many of their students get into grad school. If you want to be a doctor, pick an undergrad school that has great admission rates to med school programs to improve your chances.
Don't be heart broken if you don't get into your dream school. Go to your second choice, get great grades your first year and you may be able to transfer to your dream school. If not, get great grades at your second choice and go to your dream school for grad school. I did that. Whatever happens, embrace the school you do get into. You will find your community and you will love it.
Look at their graduation stats too. How many students have full-time employment in their fields one year after they graduate is an important stat. Look at how much debt the average student graduates with. See about scholarships and grants. It's best to graduate with as little debt as possible. State schools tend to be cheaper.
Check this site out if you want to see the actual acceptance rates for the Ivy League: http://www.businessinsider.com/ivy-league-harvard-yale-princeton-acceptance-rates-class-of-2021-2017-3 .
4. Visit the Campuses - Visit the schools you're thinking about applying to. They almost all have visitation weeks for prospective students or you can make a special appointment. Take the tour. Take it more than once if you want. If you know a student at that school, see if you can spend a weekend shadowing him/her. Sit in on some classes. Stay in the dorm. Talk to the admissions people. Eat in the cafeteria. This was a huge mistake I made. I didn't visit the schools I was thinking about. If the schools are close, go to a football game. Football games are great places to meet some students and alums. Take pictures during the tour. And take good notes about what you like and don't like.
5. Contact Alumni Associations - Big schools and some small ones have alumni associations. People in these groups are usually rabidly happy about their alma mater and love to recruit great people to go there. They can be a great resource and even help you get in sometimes.
6. Decide whether You Want a Big or Small School - This was another mistake I made. I went to a big university school not really knowing I wouldn't like it. I wound up transferring to a much smaller college (smaller than my high school, actually) and LOVED it. That was what fit me.
7. Read Reviews and Do Research On-Line - The internet is an amazing research tool. Look at the reviews written by actual students at the schools you're thinking about. These are your boots on the ground. They live it and students love to sound off on what they like and what they don't. Use the net to research the companies or types of companies where you want to work. Look at LinkedIn. If you want to work at a Big 4 accounting firm, see where the associates and partners when to school. If you want to work at a big law firm, see where those lawyers went to undergrad. If you go to the same schools,
8. If You Can't Decide - Even after you've done your homework, you still may not be able to decide. That's okay. If so, just get a piece of paper for each college and draw a line down the middle. Put the name of the school on the top. On the left side, write everything you liked about the school. On the right side, write all that you din't like. When you compare the papers, you should have your answer or can at least narrow it down.
9. Talk to Your Guidance Counselor at School - Some guidance counselors are great and some are terrible. Find a good one and ask them to help you figure out what you're good at, what you like and what schools you should look at. They have tests and tools and lots of experience with prior students. They can help you research where people went to school who work at the companies where you want to work. Here too, counselors are a tool. They may not "get you" so don't take their word as the final answer either. It's one data point for you. Some guidance counselors will try to pigeonhole you. They will try to tell you that you should work in a factory or be a teacher or a secretary or whatever. If you have a passion for something, follow that. Ignore these people if what they tell you does not match what you feel in your gut. If you work hard enough, you can be whatever you want in life. You may have to take in indirect path to it, but you can absolutely get their.
With all that said, you will generally get as much or as little out of any college as you put into it. If you study like crazy and get great grades, you can get whatever job you want or get into whatever grad school you want (You should follow the same process outlined above for grad school, by the way). If you spend 4 years partying or staying in your dorm room and only talking to your roommate, you won't get much out of it. Be sure to explore things in college. Join clubs that sound interesting to you or that are totally different than your major. Meet people, especially people who are not like you and not like the people you grew up with. Debate. Go to lectures. Try out for a play. Join the rowing team. Take electives that are totally different form your major. Study abroad. Get a job as a researcher with one of your profs.
Your job above all is to find what you love. I've worked a ton of jobs in fields I didn't like and a few in fields I love. Love is better. Good luck.
Veronica Adams
Creative Professional
70
Answers
Updated
Veronica’s Answer
You can research the colleges in your local area. Next, research tuition, available financial aid and other cost. Then, find out about the program you want to study. Finally, apply by the deadline.
Veronica recommends the following next steps:
Melissa O
HR Professional
9
Answers
Updated
Melissa’s Answer
Hi Joseph, there are a number of factors that can be considered when looking at prospective colleges such your major interest, college location, tuition, social organization concerns (ie. Clubs / organizations you are interested in).
Melissa recommends the following next steps: