Choosing a College

I am wondering what were some factors everyone else thought about when they were looking at what college to go to? I am looking at 2 colleges right now...I am in the process of a Pro-Con list for them.

Thanks for all thoughts!

JDA

Do you have a major picked? If so, which school can give you the best practical experience now in your major? Do you have long-term goals, something that might include graduate school? If so, which school would provide you the stronger bridge to that?

My problem is that your question is so general, I can go anywhere with it ... and that's what I'm doing. More info, please.

Alright!

So I am looking to go into engineering. And I would really love to play softball in college. I have two schools that I am looking at, one is a private D1, the other is a public D3. I can get money from the private D1 to play, but not the public D3...They both what ABET certified engineering programs and both campuses are nice...

I don't really know what to tell you about...?

How about the size of the school? For example, is one a large public university and one a smaller private school? Some people are happier at smaller schools where they get more attention from their professors and more of a family atmosphere.

Have you actually talked to any students from the two schools? I know there are even Internet places where folks can do that.

Location? Does that matter to you? South? North? Big city? Small town?

Quality? Ranking?

Far away from home? Closer to home?

These questions are just general ones that students might want to consider. I don't know the answers to any of these ones in regard to the two schools you have in mind, though. But are these issues that apply to them and matter to you?

Those are some good points, thank you.

Do you mean you think you'll find something in that field that will interest you sufficiently for you to major in it, once you get to school? Engineering is too wide a field for you to study everything.

If you truly have no clue what area of engineering you plan to pursue, I would think the public college might offer you wider exposure to your options. Just a thought.

Both colleges have a ton of engineering programs, and different specific categories that I would go into...

When I applied, a few things I considered were (in no particular order):

1) Location. Could I commute daily or stay on residence?
2) Size.
3) Quality of the campus. You're going to study there for several years so you want to go somewhere that you like, not where the scenery is depressing, smells foul and falling to shambles. The only way to do this is to go to the campus in-person, not to view photos online or read reviews.
4) Ranking. The university need not be among the top 15 in the world but when employers look at your resume, you don't want to explain where the university is; choose somewhere that has a high ranking and well reputable.
5) Areas of study. Choose universities that have a wide variety of subject fields. Even though you're interested in engineering, it's possible that down the road you won't be as interested in it. Should this happen, you don't want a university that has very limited subject areas.
6) Requirements to get a degree. Some universities will grant you a degree if you have 1 major, while others won't regardless of your GPA. The university I went to required at least 2 majors OR 1 specialist OR 1 major with 2 minors. If you didn't complete that, then no degree for you. Keep in mind, such systems generally are harder to go through.
7) Talk to graduates, current students or read magazine reviews comparing various universities. I used Maclean's Magazine, it's specific only to Canada but there are similar magazines for the USA. You could probably find them at Barnes & Noble or other major bookstores.
8) Further education or straight to the work field. If you plan to get a Masters degree or further, check to make sure your degree would allow that. In Canada, you can graduate with a BSc or HBSc (honours bachelor of science), however, some graduate programs only considered HBSc applicants. Alternatively, if you want to go straight to the work field, would you need any certifications, regularly maintain if it was a professional certification/degree, and so forth. If you don't know whether it's a professional certification/degree, then it's something to look into.
9) Funding. Check the total amount to pay each year (can vary according to program area) and whether you'd need financial aid. If your marks are good enough, you may be eligible for scholarships, however, they don't cover all the tuition unless you get the highest one possible.

Well...when I looked for a college I looked at
-Location
-Size
-Financial aid
-Academic programs
-Prestige

I wish I had considered
-Atmosphere
-Community dynamics
-Food
-Cost of living in the area

Because I now go to a really prestigious college with great academics and a grant that pays for half of my tuition, but the people here are shallow, spoiled, rich ******* who basically encompass everything I despise about modern society. And the food messed my stomach up.

Thanks everyone for the posts, it is helping a lot!

Yeah, are you a snooty rich kid? If so, then I can tell you some schools you'd fit right into. However, if not, then be prepared for dealing with such shallow, spoiled, arrogant types....if you do go to a "prestigious" school. My son has had a good time copying the attitudes and snobby way of talking of some of the kids he is in school with--and who are just amazed that some people's parents make less than $150,000 a year.

No, I'm not rich...

I chose my school because family had gone there and I had friends attending from my high school the same time I was and it was "familiar" and a price that could be afforded (state school). In other words, it was convenient and comfortable for me at that stage in my life. I found moving away from home into the more adult world a bit difficult for myself so familiarity and comfort had a lot to do with it. The school felt like an "obvious" next step for me.

When I was a senior in high school and we had the college vists the biggest question I had was What are the class sizes? I think that is a big factor since I have Bipolar Disorder and need some special attetion because of my issues with focusing. I applied to many colleges but because I didn't take the SAT or the ACT I didn't get into my dream college. I ended up having to settle for a community college for now. I deff say check the class sizes. If your going to need extra attetion I say go for a college with small class sizes.