You’ll find the right school faster if you’ve thought carefully about what's most important to you. This checklist can help. Start by underlining the phrases below that appeal to you. Then number the list in your preferred order. You can always change your mind as you learn more, but starting here will put you on the path to discovering your dream school.
____ School quality. Look not only at the school’s overall rank but the quality of the specific programs you’re interested in and what educators and employers think about the school.
____ School size. Big schools offer a broader range of academic programs and extracurricular activities. Small schools offer more intimate environments where you are more likely to receive personal attention from professors.
____ Program size. School size doesn’t equal program size. Some large schools offer smaller residential colleges and learning communities. Some smaller schools focus on majors that may have large class sizes.
____ Distance from home. Do you want to get as far away from your family as possible? Would you prefer instead to be close enough to sneak back for your favorite lasagna? Or do you like your room at home just fine?
____ Urban or not. A large city will mean a melting pot of cultures. A small town may feel more intimate and comfortable. Larger cities offer more cultural life; smaller towns offer the great outdoors.
____ In-state or not. Remote destinations offer a change. But consider that you may save thousands of dollars on tuition and travel by staying in your home state. Plus many scholarships only work at in-state schools. A cheaper way to see the world may be a study abroad program at an in-state college.
____ Recreation. You won’t be studying all the time, and it’s important to have nonacademic ways to plug into campus life. Consider clubs and sports you might join and the quality of the recreation center.
____ Facilities. What are the classrooms like? And where do students hang out after class? Consider libraries, computer labs, on-campus dining, and study lounges.
____ Private or public. Private institutions have higher price tags than public ones do, but some private schools offer more financial aid.
____ The ratio. Schools track the male to female student ratio, so which sex would you prefer to be surrounded by?
Jason Hagerman is a recent journalism grad.