Post Graduate Center

Choosing a College: Doing the Research

You are now thinking about creating a list of colleges that are possibilities for you. You have probably already visited the pages with the high school timeline, and the information about identifying your talents and interests.  Perhaps you have already browsed the pages concerning college majors.  To create a list of possibilities, there are many college attributes to keep in mind, many books to help you learn about different colleges, and other steps you can take to evaluate your choices, such as attending college rep visits and visiting campuses.

1. Questions to keep in mind

• Does the college offer courses in your chosen areas of interest and excel in those areas? 
• Review the document: Going Beyond the Most Famous 50: How to Compare Colleges by Quality of Academic Majors.
• Compare programs and class offerings, professor credentials and achievements, department websites, research grants and programs, and any publicity or reports about that department.  
• What is the cost?
• College costs can range from $1,800 - $50,000 per year.
• Consider factors like living at home, in-state vs. out-of-state tuition, and private college costs.  Some out-of-state exchange programs are available for close to in-state costs.
• Visit this financial aid site, which has a helpful calculator to estimate costs.
• Also see "Where is the money?" 
• Where is it located?  What is the climate and setting?
• College settings vary:  rural, suburban, or urban. 
• Consider cost of travel, proximity to airports, campus safety, and availability of cultural events.
• What is the enrollment size of the campus/program?
•  Sizes range from 24 to 60,000 students! 
• Small campuses can be more cohesive and personal. 
• Large campuses can have more choices and diversity. 
• Honors programs and theme dorms provide small learning communities on large campuses.
• What other features are important to you personally?
• Clubs, sports, fine arts, jobs, types of dorms, religious affiliations, study-abroad programs, dietary requirements, facilities for special needs, local transportations, sororities and fraternities, foreign language immersion programs, internships, job placement programs, are just some features to consider.

2.  Resources to help with your research

• All colleges and universities have websites with information on course offerings, professor credentials and achievements, research grants and programs. A useful website for looking up summary information on colleges is www.collegeboard.com. College.Edu is a useful guide to online college research, available at the Post-Grad Center.
• The Post-Grad Center and bookstores have many college guides available.  Each guide has a different perspective.  Read about which college review publications are credible. As a start, consider the College Handbook published by CollegeBoard every year, Fiske Guide to Colleges, or Students' Guide to Colleges. Multiple copies of these books and many others are available at the Post-Grad Center.
• Over 250 college representatives visit Fairview every year.  Be sure to check the college rep visit schedule. 

3.  Special considerations

• Honors Programs - Colleges with honors programs can be a financial bargain because they often combine a relatively low-cost college with an excellent high-value program.  Think of it as a competitive college within a college.  See the article on honors programs, which includes a list of colleges and universities offering these programs.
• Colleges that do not require SATs - see www.fairtest.org and usatoday.com.

4. Composing a list of colleges

• Your goal is to compose a list that is likely to lead to a satisfying result.
•  Review the document: Composing a List. 
• A list leading to a satisfying result will include:
• One to two safe schools that are affordable and you are highly likely to be accepted.
• Two to four comfortable schools where you have areasonable chance of being accepted and a fair chance of receiving some merit scholarship money.
• A small number of reach schools where the chances of acceptance are 10% to 30% and there is little likelihood of receiving merit aid.

5. Campus Visits

•  Review the document: The College Campus Visit.
• The best time to visit is during the academic year when classes are in session, the dorms are open, and students are available.
• Many colleges have a special 3-day weekend set aside for high school students to visit classes, stay in dorms, talk to admissions counselors. See the website for the college you are interested in.
• However, any visit is better than no visit, so summer is also an option.