Having met all the college admission requirements, finished your applications, waited several months, and finally received your acceptance letters, how do you finally make that fateful decision where to spend the next two, three, four years, or more years of your life? How do you answer the question, What college is right for me? Here is some advice from a college junior that teenagers should consider when they decide where to go to college.
- Academics: If you know that you want to study history, look at the history department of various colleges—the professors, the internship and study abroad opportunities, and the monthly newsletter, for example. While you should not choose a school solely based on your intended major—after all, this may change—it is important to be aware of the varying strengths of the departments at your chosen school.
- Size: Do you want to go to a small liberal arts college where you'll know everyone by the end of your fourth year? Or do you enjoy the anonymity of a large university where you may never encounter a familiar face when you walk across the campus?
- Campus life: Do you want to live in a big city where you can go to museums and plays and participate in varied cultural activities? On the contrary, do you want to go to school in a small town where campus life is central to students' experience?
- Best fit: When you visit the campus, can you see yourself there? Can you imagine walking down the corridors, studying in the library, or sitting down with friends at the local coffee shop? Even if you get into a prestigious school, if you do not feel that you belong there, that school probably isn’t the best fit for you.
Katherine Chasmar is a third-year student at Queen's University. She spent a semester studying at Sciences-Po Paris.