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Five Steps To Choosing A College
By Rich Niccolls
Five Steps To Choosing A College
My name is Debbie Ross. The information I have about my
journey in finding a college can help both parents and
students alike. Going back a few years, I was at the turning
point of my life. Graduation from high school was just around
the corner and I had no clue which college I was going to
attend. My parents had their list of colleges that I could
attend, and most of my friends were already being accepted
to their college or university. With deadlines for applications
approaching, I knew that I had to begin finding a college.
Choosing the right college is such an important decision, and
so I came up with a game plan to find a college. Here are the
steps I took in choosing a college.
1. Choosing my future career
The first step I took was to determine what I liked and what I
did not like. I quickly ruled out being a doctor, a lawyer or a
dentist. In addition, I knew there were career choices that
were out of my league, such as being an architect or
engineer. My high school grades proved this! Therefore after
a lengthy thought process, I narrowed down my choices to
Communications, Journalism, Business Management and
Information Technology.
My school counselor also helped me by giving me a Career
Assessment Test. This revealed many of my strengths and
tendencies. From this, I discovered that I was best suited for
Business Management related studies. I highly recommend
this. Career Assessment Surveys are not very expensive and
can be found through an internet search.
2. Matching courses with colleges
The next thing I did was to list the colleges and universities
that offered Business Management studies and had a good
track record. I used The Fiske Guide to Colleges. Within a
short span of time I came up with a list of 20 colleges that I
could see myself in for the next 4 years. All of these colleges
had multiple specializations within my field of study, were
fully accredited, and had good graduation rates with good
reputations. I further narrowed my list down to 14 by selecting
those universities which were located near a larger city, one
of the criteria that I was looking for in my college.
3. Narrowing it down to my top five
I had above average SAT scores (nothing to take me to
Harvard though) and therefore had a wider selection of
options for myself. Therefore, my final decision would largely
be determined by the funds from my parents, any
scholarships or grants, and the money I could earn through
on-campus work study. I visited the web sites of each college
and took virtual tours of the facilities they offered. Each had
its strengths -huge libraries, modern student housing, student
body size, a variety of extra curricular activities and sports,
and more.
I was able to narrow the list from fourteen to five based on the
following criteria: going to college within 4 hours of home, my
budget for college, and a smaller student body to offer a more
personal approach to my education.
4. Parents and Applications
Next, I got my parents involved in my decision. They had
been helping me all along the way, but I needed their help in
making the final, important decisions. I showed them the list
of 5 colleges that I had, including details, locations, and costs.
Together, we narrowed the list to three possible colleges that I
could attend. They wanted a college or university which
would be easy for them to visit, but would also have excellent
teaching and housing facilities. The following weekend I filled
out all 3 applications and mailed out them to these colleges
and universities. Now it was time to wait for the response.
5. Making the final choice
Within a few weeks, I had received acceptance letters from all
the colleges where I sent my applications. In the end, my
parents and I decided the best way to make the final decision
was to visit the campuses. We took two days to visit all three
campuses. Visiting the actual university was vastly different
from the virtual tours. My final choice was actually rather
easy. I decided on the University of Texas at Austin.
The most important steps along the way for me were to take
the Career Assessment Test, researching my college choices
online through virtual tours, and sitting down with my parents
to discuss which colleges to send applications to. This
helped make my final decision easier. I hope these steps can
help you in finding a college or university as you make career
choices.
About the Author
Rich Niccolls has been a college recruiter and professor for 12 years. Read his 7 key factors for choosing the right college for you. Visit The Right College web site. http://www.The-Right-College.com
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