Deciding On A College: A Step-By-Step Guide To Pick The Perfect Place For You

Photo Credits: Collegiate Edge

By: Sydney Koetter

In the latter years of high school, deciding on your next life steps is often at the forefront of your thoughts and contemplations. In my personal experience, deciding to go to college was the easy part, but deciding where to go was when it got more complicated. With so many good options out there, it’s overwhelming to make a decision. Even if there's already a college at the top of your list, it’s always a good idea to keep an open mind in terms of your future. 

To make it a little easier, I have created a step-by-step guide to deciding on the perfect college for you. Follow these steps, and you will be sure to find a college that seamlessly fits you and your needs.

Step One: Deciding What Is Important To You

What are you looking for in a college? A smaller school with an emphasis on a liberal arts education? A larger school with a wide array of educational and recreational opportunities? A specific academic program? Considering what you are looking for in a college is a key step towards deciding which college is a good fit for you. Even if you haven’t decided what you want to major in or what you want to do in life, look for a college that will guide you along in discovering what you want your next steps to be. 

As you are thinking through what is important to you, consider thinking about things such as academics, location/proximity to home, school size, sports, and clubs. Writing down a list of what you want in a college will set you well on your way to finding the perfect college. 

Step Two: Discover Your Options

Now that you have decided what aspects of college are important to you and what you are looking for in a college, it’s time to find out what is out there. First, start a list of colleges that you discover and think you may be interested in. A good place to begin your list is with colleges close to home or that are familiar to you or your family. Although these colleges might not be exactly what you're looking for, it's a great way to begin your search for a college. 

To discover even more options, consider attending a college fair. College fairs are a great way to discover many different colleges in a short amount of time. Other ways to find colleges that may be a good fit for you are through websites such as BigFuture by College Board, as well as College Navigator and Niche, by using their college search tools, where you enter in information about yourself, and they assist you in finding colleges that fit your interests. And don’t forget - SchooLinks on ClassLink is also a great resource for discovering colleges that might be a good fit for you!

Step Three: Taking Tours

You can find out a lot about a college by taking a tour of it. You can discover the layout and size of the campus, get a tour of buildings and classrooms you would be taking classes in, learn more about the opportunities that the school provides, get a feel for the community at the school, and overall see if this school is a good fit for you.

Most schools offer in-person campus tours daily and on weekends. Although an in-person tour would be preferred, most schools have an online option for touring. Click here to take a virtual tour of Tulsa University. 

Step Four: Evaluating Your Options

Now that you have created a list of colleges you might be interested in, it’s time to evaluate all of the options. To begin, create a list of criteria you are going to be evaluating each school on. These could be things such as location, academics, housing options, meal plan options, sports, clubs/extracurricular activities, the community, and other unique features. For each college and criterion, write down the information you know about it or how you feel about that part of the college.

Doing this for each college will help you to think through each college's pros and cons and will make it easy for you to compare and contrast each college you have on your list. 

Step Five: Making A Decision

Now the time has come to make a decision. This is not something you need to do immediately, but now, you’ve set yourself up for success and have a lot of good college options. Good luck finding your perfect college!