nastynate0315

Location is what really matters, although most would like to believe that the prestige of a university will somehow give them such an amazing education. Take the Ivy's for example, there are so many universities that appeal to me more than HYP, but people get so caught up in the name. I'm going for Journalism, I don't think that Cambridge Massachusetts is the place for me to break into the field.

lorenzo92

Definetely academic strenght in intended major, since that is the point of college itself. Therefore, I think that even if it is not the best environment or you don't have friends there or even your girlriend, you should still do this because this is something influencing your chances to get a good ob in the future, so definetely yes...academic strenght.

juillet

The point of college is not the intended major, since at the vast majority of colleges you spend only about 25-33% of your classes in your actual major. The majority of the time at liberal arts colleges and universities, you are taking general education courses and divisional requirements if your school has them. Beyond that, most schools get their reputation on their overall academic structure, not one or two departments (at the undergrad level). The exception of course would be art schools and science and engineering-strong schools. In addition that, many college freshman and sophomore change their major more than once. I went to college thinking I was going to major in political science and become a lawyer and came out with a BA in psychology to become a research psychologist.

I think overall academic reputation is at the top of the list (not necessarily prestige, but the solid academic reputation of the school) followed by costs, then location and good vibes.

ClaySoul

^^
i went in as a neuroscience major
i'm now an art major, but the art department doesn't excel in my field...

nbafan135

at ages 17 and 18, who really knows what they want to do with their lives? Thats why more than a specific major being amazing, the whole school should be well rounded in everything or youll find yourself in love with something thats not in the school you picked just cause your initial major was amazing

JCollegeZappps

There is more than one factor when determining which school to go to. If I had to rank the listed factors in order it would be:

Academics: You want to go to that is well-known for their academics and has a superior reputation. A school that will challenge you not just academically, but spiritually and emotionally as well.

Tuition/Scholarships Received: Yes, you want to go to an outstanding school, but do you really want to have $100,000 in loans when you graduate? After finding your top list of schools and gather your acceptance letters, then I would look at price tags of these universities. This is really important especially right now when loans are hard to find due to recent economic pressures.

Location: This is all personal preference, but really think if you are going to homesick or not. If you are close to your family or have friends back home then don't move 10 hours away when you can't drive in on the weekends if you want to.

CCCiter

I chose academic strength in my major. Other than that, I think I'd be happy in a lot of places, as long as it's not too big. If I could pick two more important factors, however, I'd look at cost/financial aid (I don't want to graduate with massive debt, for instance) and prestige (heh...).

jgh3115

I would say that it's where you feel the most comfortable, and at the school that has the biggest reputation. By comfortable I mean when you walk on the campus, it shouldn't feel too different from your home - many people that are like you and you get along with. By reputation I mean generally the Ivies, I'd recommend just lobbing in an app to every Ivy. Hope that helped.

jennilynn87

Hey everyone! I'm a senior at Vandy, and I couldn't be happier here. Since so many people talked about location/campus life as an important factor, I thought you all might be interested in a site that a fellow Vandy student just started. It's an online travel guide focusing on college towns--it discusses where the students go, fun campus events, etc...It's written by college students, unlike most travel guides geared toward middle-aged people and families. It would be really useful for you all during your college visits!

The site just opened to the public last week, and I don't think I'm allowed to actually post the URL because of CC regulations, but message me if you want more info! I can tell you the URL and give you the exclusive code for full access to the site. Best of luck in your college search!

~Jennifer

Tony's Mom

It's really most important to assess what I refer to as your "Rah-Rah Factor". Do you like to be where the action is, in a more subdued atmosphere, or perhaps someplace in-between? Try rating yourself on a scale of 1-10, and then do the same for the colleges you're looking at. Do they have a large Greek presence and a winning football team? That would represent a 9 or 10 on the Rah-Rah Factor scale. If you didn't give yourself a 9 or 10, then this school will probably not feel right to you. On the opposite end of the scale you may find a more studious bunch of students, perhaps more interest in intramural sports and campus lectures and concerts. I don't mean to over-classify here; it's really a subjective call, but a very important one in determining where you'll feel most at home. And remember: a happy student is a more teachable student, and a more teachable student fares better in the long run. One terrific tool I've found for comparing colleges can be found at College planning, college search, college application.

LaptopBudget.com

Tuition, potential scholarships and cost of living.

josh10

Sometimes you just "know." But you should still do plenty of research and this should be really helpful: The findingDulcinea Blog: Web Sites Every College Applicant Should Know About

Poseidenj

What about superfluous things such as how good the dorms are, how nice the campus looks, how good the food is, and the recreational centers?

IceQueen

For me, it was academics and tuition.

cdpluta

wondering if geneseo is fun enough, are binghamtons classes too big, what about the professors, opportunities the same at each, trying to make a decision