Where will you be happy? On which path are you most likely to find college and career satisfaction?
What are your interests that strongly affect your daily life?
What are your personality traits that affect your daily life?
What do you want to get out of college?
What are your academic interests?
What activities do you plan on continuing in college?
If your academic and/or career interests change, which school will allow you to explore your interests further?
ACADEMICS CONSIDERATIONS
What are your greatest academic strengths?
What are your academic weaknesses?
Do you prefer learning in a small class discussion group or a large lecture hall?
What is your favorite class in high school?
How do you do with academic struggles and pressure?
Do you take Honors and AP classes and exams?
What is you GPA? Does it compare with other students at the school?
Do you have a learning challenges or concerns that might impact your academics?
NON-ACADEMIC CONSIDERATIONS
Are you a hermit? Or do you plan to take advantage of the party scene?
Are you an introvert or an extravert?
Do you like quiet, natural settings or an exciting city life?
Are you ready to be far from home?
What values are most important to you?
What are your political leanings?
Is the cost of your college education a matter of importance?
What are your favorite activities?
Which ones do you want to continue pursuing in college?
Are sports or school spirit important to you?
What are you proud of?
What makes you unique?
Which colleges are you considering?
IMPORTANCE RATING | |||
Not Very Important (1) | Somewhat Important
(3) |
Very Important
(5) |
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Admissions Selectivity / Prestige | |||
Research University | |||
Academic Environment
*Intellectual *Pre-Professional *Entrepreneurial *Rigorous *Moderately Rigorous *Relatively Easy |
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Freshman Retention | |||
Graduation Rate | |||
Graduates get into good graduate schools and professional schools | |||
Graduates get jobs in their chosen fields | |||
Attractiveness of the Campus – Quintessential vs Amorphous | |||
Student Body Characteristics
*Artsy *Intellectual *Pre-Professional *Conservative *Liberal *Chill *Entrepreneurial *Collaborative *Competitive |
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Student Life
*Residential Colleges *Commuter College *School Spirit *Greek Life *GLBTQ *Friendly *Supportive |
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Academic Offerings, availability of majors that interest you, availability of majors that could be of interest to me | |||
Faculty are leaders in their fields | |||
Faculty Accessibility to students | |||
Quality/Availability of on-campus housing | |||
Net Cost
*Tuition + Room & Board minus (scholarships+ grants) |
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Diversity of the Student Body | |||
Off-campus cultural & recreational opportunities | |||
On-campus cultural & Recreational opportunities | |||
Geography
*Northeast *South *Mid-Atlantic *Mid-West *West Coast |
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Climate
*Hot/Humid *Warm *Cold *Snow |
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Distance
*Live at Home *Short Drive *Long Drive *Train or Bus *Plane |
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Urban vs Suburban vs Rural | |||
Size/College vs University (Student Population)
*less than 3000 *3000-10,000 *Above 10,000 |
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Size (campus acreage) | |||
Private vs Public | |||
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Liberal Arts vs Pre-Professional | |||
Advising
*Academic *Career *Pre-Professional *Peer |
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Special Focus | |||
Sports
*Intercollegiate *Club *Intramural |
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Resources / Facilities | |||
Alumni Network | |||
Counseling & Psychological Services | |||
Disability Services | |||
Spiritual Freedom | |||
Ethnicity/Diversity | |||