4 Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a College

Choosing a college can be scary, fun, exciting. There’s a lot of pressure to make the right decision. And it’s a big decision! After all, this is where you’ll spend the next few years of your life, becoming who you were meant to be and preparing for your career and your future. You want to find a university that’s in a great location with a lively campus experience and the major you want to study. But finding the best fit isn’t easy, especially when your emotions, desires, and the opinions of others start to weigh into your decision. As you go through the selection process, it can be easy to make some mistakes. Here are the mistakes you’ll want to avoid:

Don’t Schedule a Campus Visit

You can get a sense of a college’s culture through its website from photo galleries and virtual tours of the campus. This is a good first step in the selection process, but it doesn’t replace the experience of an in-person visit. When you step onto campus, you get a better sense of whether it’s the right place for you. You can chat with students about their experiences and meet with an admissions officer who can give you more information on the academic program you’d like to enroll in. If you want to handle this step like a pro, schedule a campus tour a few weeks before you plan to visit. This way, you’ll be guaranteed to meet with a campus representative who can show you around campus. You might also have the opportunity to meet some professors or sit in on a class. But mostly, you’ll just get a feel for the place. Can you picture yourself there?

Base Your Decision on Others

Your parents and other family members may have strong opinions about where they think you should go to school. Their opinions matter and they should mean a lot to you. Take their advice and guidance into consideration, but you don’t let them make the decision for you. Ultimately, you are the one who will attend the school, not them. It’s also easy to follow your friends’ decisions. But what’s right for them may not be right for you. You shouldn’t select a school based on where your friends go. They’re not on the same path as you.

Rely Solely on a College’s Reputation or Rankings

You may have a few colleges on your list that are considered the best of the best in terms of academic reputation and rankings. These are good factors to include in your decision, but they shouldn’t be the only boxes checked in your college search. As you compare academic programs, ask yourself a few important questions:

• What is the student-to-faculty ratio? Will I receive more personalized instruction or will I be lost in the crowd?
• What hands-on experiences does the program offer? Would I get the chance to participate in hands-on assignments, group projects, or internships?
• Who will teach the subjects in my major? Are the majority of the professors adjuncts or full-time professors?

Neglect Your Values

Everyone wants a fun college experience. The chance to go to football games, participate in on-campus activities, enjoy a club or two, and just make new friends are all part of what makes college life exciting. But you’ll also want to find a college where student life aligns with your values. If you want to develop yourself both academically, socially, and spiritually, you’ll need to find a college that supports your faith and values.