Seon Mi

Thanks much. Maybe I will choose Hanover.

abacus_cn

which college do i choice?for what reason?i think the most important point is the strength of your expected major,in college,your goal is to be good at your major,in order to find a advanced profession after you graduating.also,if you can enter a famous university it is much better. you possibly can recognize some man who are your schoolmate in the field you may be in future.the two views above, i think,are the first considered for you deciding which college you should choice.at the same time,we also consider other factor,after all,everyone has different situation. finally, good luck to everyone.
especially,i will apply graduate school this year.good luck to me,lol

AlricT

Fit is most important, then academic program...not sure if what I want to major in will be the same after a few years...

Nash911

I beleive in todays day and age one must carefully pick a college with ample campus security wherein students have freedom to roam about without FEAR. In addition i feel that colleges drug scene etc should also be taken into consideration .... to summarize - LOCAL ATMOSPHERE

celebrian25

I think fit is by far the most important. More important than anything else. If you don't feel like it's right, then you'll never be happy there.

asdad

fit with overall student body (more important with a small school)
fit with academics, both courses of study and difficulty
fit with size of schoo
fit with location

ashernm

It's laughable how people on this board criticize how others choose a college. They get on a pedestal and self righteously criticize people for valuing prestige. Some people would sacrifice the best possible atmosphere for going to HYP or whatever. They are not wrong to do so. Anyway, at many colleges you can simply carve out your own niche, regardless of the dominant campus culture. For every campus inundated with alcohol there are likely teetolars. It's like in the book gatekeepers, where one kid criticizes others for going after ivys because he was bitter about his own rejection from them.

Also, with prestige usually comes strong students, a cycle of sorts. Generally, the more prestigious the university, the smarter the students. Some colleges are not famous but are still pretty prestigious among those in the know, like Webb, Cooper Union and Harvey Mudd (3 cool engineering schools).

mrogre

Why say "what is the most important factor" and then let the user select multiple criteria?

Sorry, didn't mean to be anal retentive but just wondered

NintyFresh

For me, I just want to get away from where I am now. Plus, couple that with the fact that I enjoy the climate in South Carolina and my boyfriend living in South Carolina himself...well, you can get what I mean.

sylvesterT21

First of all, there is no ONE factor that's the most important, since each school is different and one person may love a small school and another may love a big school...The other thing is that "intended major" isn't always how it works out and you may go in saying "I'm going to be a doctor" and come out saying "Now I know that I want to be an engineer" and it's very likely (most people actually do change their majors sometime over their university careers)...so yes,

I say find a place where you feel at home, because wherever you go will be your home for probably 4 years (maybe more, maybe less)...and so a place where you'll be comfortable. Maybe that has to do with the vibe and maybe that has to do with the location. Your best bet is to visit the schools, spend a night, do whatever possible to get to know each school beyond the statistics, get to know what it's really like...Then you'll have a better idea of what you're looking for.

ashernm

"First of all, there is no ONE factor that's the most important"
Gosh, might the OP be asking about your opinion?!?


sarcasm.

alisonk123

Good vibes. Feeling at home and meshing into the campus is very important, having somewhere homey and comfortable to study and work is my type of place, hence I'm a UCSC hopeful. Oh yeah, and academics too. =P

bullwinkle

IMO the most important factors you want to look at are (in no particular order):
the size of the school. This is very important as it impacts on class size, class availability, etc. It also impacts on how things function-will you get attention to your needs, problems, etc. do you want the chance to be anonymous if you choose or do you want the intimacy of a small group. The size of the school is a tremendous factor.

What are your social views and concerns. Do you want a school with a high PC quotient. Do you want an active greek system. Are you looking for a big party scene or a little more social conscience and activism. every school has its niches, but they also have overriding general atmospheres that will effect you. A part of this is also to look at the % of people living on campus or is it a big commuter school. what is off campus housing like and that social scene.

Another important factor IMO is the school's location-location as far as distance from home, from friends and also as to weather and proximity to other considerations-do you like the mountains, beaches or could you care less. Big city, country isolation, etc. will definitely effect your college experience.

Obviously the academic rep/quality and the availability of your major is a foremost concern. I think you want to be careful though not to confuse name recognition with quality. Many schools are known because they have "big time" football programs, but if you're not on the team, what's that to you?
Also, prestige, rep etc. are truly in the eye of the beholder, so be careful with that factor. For anyone that loves Stanford, there is someone that prefers Cal. For every fan of any given Ivy, there is someone who will pick Amherst, Williams, Pomona or Swarthmore instead. Don't get hung up on "brand names" they are IMO a minor factor at best.

Also, consider the difference between universities and (liberal arts) colleges. while LAC give you a more general education and many students want a more specific program/degree, don't forget that with LAC there are no grad students and so no pool of TAs and with no pool of grad students, if a prof needs a research aid, etc. they gotta go to you. The LAC is typically about the undergrad, only, so that is an advantage. Of course, many LAC don't have the resources of a university in general, but many do, which brings me to $$$$$$$$.

$$$$$$$$$- does the school have it. This impacts on your ability to get aid, but also impacts on how the school functions. Do they have necessary resources, are things up to date, do things get fixed when they break. Are they keeping up their physical infrastructure, building new classrooms, hiring new profs. etc. Schools w/o the dough end up stagnant, programs are impacted, cut off and cut short.

Bottomline, it is YOUR college experience. Not mom's, not dad's, not your uncle who went to state U and will buy you a car if you'll go there. Set your goals and priorites and you will find a match. In a way, gotta be selfish I guess, this choice is about YOU.

thecmpguru

But if I didn't feel like I fit in at Harvard and wanted something different? Wouldn't that be grounds for choosing a state school?

martel_pride

Rice over anybody else because I thought I felt at home here more than at the other schools I applied to, Duke, JHU, and UVa in particular.