As May 1st approaches, I’m sure you are all agonizing over which college to choose…picking that all important “right school.” Here are some pointers on how to find the best fit for you!
Start with some introspection
What is your end game? Do you want to graduate college with a 4.0? Do you want to be involved in 836 clubs? Do you want to travel abroad four times? Do you want to build a giant snow fort on the oval and live there during the winter of your junior year? How about all of those things? As corny as it may sound, I would make a list entitled, “In the next four years, I want to . . .” If you really think about it, you will compile a list of things that you want out of your college experience.
Check out the classes
First, check the website for a pdf version of the Course Catalog, which lists pretty much every course the college offers and a description of each. This way, you can see what types of courses you will have to choose from, for both your major and general requirements. Before I chose my college, I knew that I would loathe my lab science requirements, so I looked at the Course Catalog and saw that I could take Psychology and Astronomy as lab science requirements. Since those seemed a little quirky and fun, I realized that lab sciences were not such a huge obstacle.
Then if your schools offer class visits, like Wagner does, I would recommend sitting in on one. Clearly, sitting in on a class is the best way to discover if you would enjoy the type of classes each school offers. Before or after class, you can riddle the professor with your questions about additional academic endeavors. Frequently, you will also get a free lunch with a current student so you can find out the dirty truth.
Get Specific Contact Info
Admissions Counselors are like encyclopedias, we know small amount of information about every topic on campus. When you need more than the brief overview from the encyclopedia, you need to ask for permission to use Lexis-Nexis. . . otherwise known as “other departments.” Perhaps you are very interested in the workings of the Student Government? Ask for the contact information for the advisor and shoot him/her an email.
Attend the Accepted Students’ Days
Most colleges have these Accepted Students’ Days in the spring. These are generally more comprehensive than regular open houses. Another bonus, as you children of technology have probably already realized, other accepted students attend these events! You can find those Facebook friends! We definitely encourage meeting other accepted students, you need to be sure that you’ll mesh with your peers.
Finally!!
A wise friend of mine was once terribly torn between two colleges. One of her high school teachers said, “Flip a coin.” She did. The teacher then said, “Are you disappointed with the result?” Realizing that she was not at all disappointed, but actually pretty excited, her choice was made.
Also, just keep in
touch with Admissions. We want to help you make an informed decision.
Until next time, “I believe that vampires are the world's greatest golfers but their curse is they never get a chance to prove it.” – Tracy Jordan
Kelly
