What to look for in a college?

What are the top reasons students choose a specific school?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are roughly 4,000 degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States [1]. That means, there are upwards of 4,000 choices out there for students when deciding on a college in the US (yikes!). Regardless of if you are a senior in high school, or a middle school student reading this article, the same question may be floating through your mind “How on earth do I choose?” If you’re not sure what to look for in a college, you are not alone! Choosing a college can be an overwhelming process with all these choices. So, with so many options, how do you choose? In this article, we will be discussing some of the top reasons why students choose a specific school, so you can use these tips to help you choose. 

First, it’s All About Fit 

When I am working with students, I spend a lot of time talking about College Fit. In simple terms, what college is a good fit for you academically, socially, personally, and professionally? What does a college offer to help you determine whether it’s a good fit? I unofficially like to refer to these as ‘Fit Factors’. A fit factor can be anything from the cost of campus, all the way down to the type of food offered on campus (because who doesn’t like food?). As you can imagine, what is an important Fit Factor for one student may not be the same for another student. While there is variability in importance for many, there are a few clear factors to consider when choosing a specific school.  

With that being said, let’s talk about some of the most common “Fit Factors”, or otherwise known as, the top reasons why students choose a school.  

Cost

For many, cost is one of the most important factors when considering a specific school. Before selecting a school, it is important that you have an idea of affordability, scholarships, and financial aid options available. Some questions to ask about cost:

1. How are you planning to pay for college? 
2. Are you going to be applying for financial aid?
   • If so, what does the school’s financial aid package look like?
3. What is the average cost of attendance? (Tip: the “sticker price” is not always accurate. Try a college’s Net Price Calculator instead)

Unfamiliar with college costs and financial aid? Check out another blog post How does Financial Aid Work? [2] for more context.   

Overall Academic Reputation & Resources 

As a consultant, I oftentimes see Overall Academic Reputation, and the resources a college offers, being among the top reasons why a student is interested in a college. 

Academic reputation can refer to a few things:

• The overall ranking of the institution itself
• The ranking of an individual program (like a college’s Computer Science Major)

A few questions to ask yourself about Academic Reputation:

1. How important is overall Academic Reputation to me?
2. Is a school’s overall ranking or the ranking of an individual program more important to me? 
3. What makes up this school’s academic reputation?
   • While starting with a website like US News is OK, dig deeper into why this school is well-ranked. Is it their availability of research opportunities? Stellar faculty? Career outcomes? Do some research on this, and then ask yourself, are these factors important to me?

What about resources?

Aside from overall academic reputation, the resources a college offers are also an important factor to consider. Some examples of resources can include:

• Research availability 
• Career Services (includes career outcomes)
• Internship-Co/op availability 
• Alumni Ties 
• Access to professors 

Availability of Degree Programs

What do you want to study? And, more importantly, will you be able to study that at the institution you ultimately attend? This may seem obvious, but you want to ensure that the college you choose has the major that you are interested in. What if you don’t know what you want to major in? That’s ok too! In that case, you will want to research the availability of majors at a college (tip: google “insert college name majors” and a list should pop up!) and be sure there are robust options to choose from. Some colleges even have exploratory programs to help students narrow down a major of interest. The University of Colorado-Boulder [3] is an example.   

Location, Location, Location

For some, location is amongst one of the top reasons why they choose a certain school. For others, the location might not matter too much. Here are some questions to consider when determining how important location is to you.

1. How important is being close to home?
2. What type of College Campus are you looking for:
   • Urban
   • Suburban
   • Rural
3. How do you want the location to intersect with your interests and goals?
   • Job/Internship availability 
4. What does the transportation situation look like?
   • Is there public transportation available? Is it walkable? Does that matter to you?
5. Does the size of the student body matter?
   • Small Campus (>5k students)
   • Mid-Size Campus (5k – 15k) 
   • Large Campus (<15k+)
6. What is the weather like? (ex. The difference between a school in Florida versus Michigan)

Other Notable Mentions 

Aside from the reasons above, there are plenty of other factors that oftentimes do play a role in why a student chooses a particular institution. Some other examples could be:

1. Political climate (ex. if the college is politically active)  
2. Social scene (ex. fraternity and sorority life) 
3. The campus itself (ex. beautiful campus) 
4. Campus safety
5. Campus food 
6. Campus life (ex. Intramural sport availability, clubs on campus) 

Lasting Thoughts 

Oftentimes, there is not just one factor that influences a student’s decision – but a combination of factors depending on what is the most important to the student. At the end of the day, your decision should be comprehensive; identifying if a school will meet all your academic, social, personal, and professional needs. 

Do you need help identifying what is important to you in the process? Or do you need help in building a comprehensive college list based on these factors? Contact us today!

Sources:

1. National Center for Education Statistics (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2024, from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=1122 
2. Solomon Admissions Blog. Retrieved May 7, 2024, from https://www.solomonadmissions.com/post/how-does-financial-aid-work/ 
3. University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved May 7, 2024, from https://www.colorado.edu/exploratorystudies/