What do you need in a college?
Why are you going to college? Most of you will say to get an education, but ultimately you will need that education to develop a career. Maybe you don’t know why you are going, but you should know that eventually you will choose a major and graduate with a degree.
The first most obvious thing you will need in a college is your chosen degree program. There is nothing more frustrating then enrolling in and starting at a college only to find out halfway through the first semester that your major isn’t offered there. Hopefully you will be smart enough to avoid this and make your major availability one of the first things you look for in a college.
This really is important no matter what your major is. Even if you think your major is so common it’s probably offered at every school. When it comes to college, or anything in life, never assume.
Along with major availability, you need to look into the procedures it entails. For some departments, such as theater or music, you may need an interview and/ or auditions. Also, some majors are formed as programs and you need to be accepted into them in addition to the school.
If you are unsure what you want to do, the best idea is to look for a school that offers a little bit of everything. Try to make it geared towards your interests. For example, if you love math and science, you should look for a school that offers many quality programs in this area. Even if you go to a broad school and when you finally choose your major they don’t have it, it shouldn’t be too big a deal to transfer. Just make sure you focus on general education requirements.
The most important thing to remember when it comes to your school choice and major is to avoid any unnecessary years of college, transfers, and any other burdens the best you can, but it’s still okay if it doesn’t work out the way you planned.
The next point to look for in a college is difficulty level. Quality can also come into play here, but we will talk more about that in chapter 3. The level of difficulty will depend on how well you do in school and what you feel you can and want to handle.
If you struggle for Bs and Cs, you know you won’t be going to Harvard. That’s perfectly okay. Harvard, Yale,
Of course, your grades will have a lot to do with whether or not an Ivy League school will accept you, but there is more to it than that. Every school will look at more than that. They also look at SATs, community involvement, accomplishments, and other activities in and outside of school. If you’re not well prepared in all areas, an “ordinary” school will have to do.
But remember, even if you can get into a school, it still might not be for you. My number one reason, of course, is the price. Ivy League schools are very expensive. On top of that, you probably won’t be working, which will put even more of a financial burden on you.
Besides money, you may find it to be too much to handle. Yes, it’s a lot of hard work, but if you got into the school in the first place, you should be able to handle it. There is also a lot of school involvement.
My point in this whole discussion is that you really need to want an Ivy League education in order to sacrifice the time and money. It’s only four years of your life, but the financial burden can last a lot longer and affect you even more.
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to research you potential colleges. You need to know what you’re getting into before you start.
Is religion an issue? Do you ant to go to a Christian or
Do you want to go to a party school or a dry school?
Will you want to study abroad? Do they offer you that opportunity?
Is it too far away?
Do they let you bring a car on campus?
Once you know what kind of school you want to go to and have several possible universities, it’s time to move on to the next step.
