Research
your Ideal College & University
Your "Ideal" College and University
When searching for a college or university, think about your abilities,
motivations, interests, needs, and goals. What are the important characteristics
that a college and university should have to be interesting to you? Ask
yourself, “Which college will provide the best educational and
overall college experience?”
Keep this in mind as you evaluate what colleges can offer you and remember,
the best college is the one that “fits you" the best. Don’t
choose a name-brand college or university and expect instant success
based college pedigree. Student success depends on engagement at
a school that is a good fit.
As you research schools, recognize that research by itself will not
be enough to choose the college or university you will attend; chemistry
must play an important role as well.
It is sometimes helpful for students to imagine their “ideal” college
or university. What does your ideal school look like? What do you
see when you walk around campus? When you’re sitting in your favorite
class, what does the classroom look like? What is the professor
doing? On the weekends, what are you and your friends doing? What
activities are you involved with on campus? Are you going to go off campus
to do activities and have fun?
Write down the characteristics of your ideal school as a starting point
in your college and university search. Create a wish list of all the
things you want in an ideal school and them rank them in order of your
preference.
Know that you don’t need to pick a major to pick a college. When
selecting colleges, it is very helpful to know what your major will be,
however, many students apply to college with an undecided (or undeclared)
major. In fact, most college students change their minds two or
three times before settling on a major. If your major is undecided,
look for colleges strong in all courses of study and make sure it is
easy for you to lock-in a major or change majors. |
