liz117

I would love to say that my decision was based on my school's overall vibe and quality of majors, etc., but money was the deciding factor. In fact, it was the only factor. My mom and I had pretty much decided that I would go to whichever school offered me the most financial aid (luckily it was one of my favorites) I filled out my reply card as soon as I read my financial aid award. Yale is amazing and I'm so thankful I have the opportunity to be here, but it would have been nice to be in the position to consider my options a bit more. If you have that opportunity, then I think the overall fit should definitely be your deciding factor.

MorbidDork

If they have the majors I want and the acceptance of the GLBT community.

All the schools I'm looking at have that. =]

freddy89

You poor soul...how could your mom put you through having to attend Yale? You are so courageous to be carrying on with such strength.

lostincode

yep. gotta give her props for that.

bartleby

"I guess the notion of a classical liberal arts education is fading, what with so many people choosing strength in academic area."

The world, and specifically the job market, is a cutthroat place today. When America's economic hegemony is being threatened by nation's like China and India, you really don't have the option to spend four years studying philosophy, history, classic literature, mathematics, and the sciences without picking a specific field to excel in as a basis for a career in that sector. (That was a gross overgeneralization, I realise, but it's 3 in the morning and you can see what I mean, I hope.)

Porsche 06

The school's reputation in academic and business circles!

brown96

My son is a senior and is wanting to play sports in college to help pay for his education. We don't want to overlook an offer or other choices just because of the cost but it does play a big role in where he goes. Do we need to bug the coaches that have called him or do we sit around and wait for the best offer. Sometimes I feel like we should be sales people and bug them but he also runs track and might get offers from that. Help!!!

sarebeth

I think the school's social scene should also be added to the list. For me at least, I know this is the most important. At nearly any college these days you're going to leave with a decent education, so the next most important thing for me to consider is how much fun I'm actually going to have there. Or for other people it may be the opposite, they may want to look for a college where they can stay up all night and study and won't be bothered by the party scene..I can't imagine why though..

It's weird how nobody on here mentions the party scene since it's so much more of the highacheiving group of students and parents on this site, but for many highschoolers(including myself) what they are interested in most is the social/party scene at the school

mommusic

sarebeth--not to put you down, but what you are considering is a pretty expensive 4-year party!

I agree you should consider the social scene and if you will like it--is it mostly frats/sororities, are football games a huge deal, are kids mostly preppies or is there a variety of "types," and are there groups for what you like to do, whether it's play ultimate frisbee, watch foreign films, or political action.

Dorothy_ParkerX

Answer: personal identity and academic fashion sense.

apathy

well, I kind of like California much more than everywhere else, so it'd be geography for me. but then within California it'd be feeling at home...

Charabi490

I get what sarabeth is saying, I think the social nature of the students at a school is important when making your decision. I go to an all-girls' religious school right now and I know for sure that I will NOT be looking for the same in my post HS education. I think the Princeton Review lists give some idea of the kinds of socializing students at different schools do. And Facebook, if you're willing to lurk around.

juillet

People are totally stuck on this prestige/appearance factor, but let me tell you it shouldn't be the most important thing in your list...I mean, most people want to go somewhere with a good reputation, but prestige is kind of an opinion/by region thing. For example, my college isn't very 'prestigious' by popular culture, but it is well-known in my region and in the top 100 colleges. Also, prestige isn't always the most important way to get good job connections/opportunities like people think. Really, a lot of people have told me I wouldn't be able to get a job out of my college, but we get important recruiters here ALL THE TIME who practically beg for our students -- not just from top national corporations (Pfizer, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Lockheed-Martin, the government -- we even have an ambassador in residence -- and we usually have 2 or 3 Fulbright scholars every year) but grad/law/med schools (Duke, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Vanderbilt, and some other top glm schools are here quite often for recruitment fairs.)

There's more than meets the eye for school prestige, so check it out before you go.

don'tgiveup

I think the most impostant factor is the college having what you want to study there and the vibe and cool people.

alabhya2000

Can anyone suggest me which is the best college for BBA?