‘The importance of fit’, when it comes to choosing a college to attend, is an expression that students and parents will be accustom to hearing during the college search process. But what does ‘fit’ really mean and why is it so important when choosing a college? As students in the college search process, you all want to find the right college, but this is often harder than it sounds. There are a multitude of elements and factors that should go into choosing a college, but often students and parents will look over some or all of the factors that need to be addressed. Instead, students may choose a college purely based on ranking, how good their sport teams are, if there significant other attends the school, and many other reasons that should not be a part of a very important decision.
1 in 3 students who enroll into college will transfer at some point during their time at college. This is an alarming statistic and although in some cases this cannot be avoided, many times this does not need to occur and would not occur, if the student spent more time researching colleges. Avoiding a transfer to another college will save a student and family time, money, and energy. Very early on in the college search process, students need to examine within themselves and start discussing with their parents and counselors about their own personal skills, interests, and values. Understanding what they may be can greatly help students connect to certain schools out there, which match who they are as an individual. Remember, it is not about the best college, but the right college for you!
When discovering who you are as an individual, and finding colleges that meet your needs, you most likely will discover that there are multiple colleges that are right for you. This is a good discovery! When finding these colleges that are a right fit for you, not only will students be happier there, but chances are, they will have a better shot of being accepted! If you follow these five considerations while searching for colleges, you will be in great shape when it comes to making the final decision in spring of senior year!!
1) Academic Rigor- When searching for and applying to schools, students need to explore the classroom and academic environment specific to that college. Students must try to find the colleges that provide a style of instruction that is best matched to the way the student learns. If you are an individual who strives in the most competitive of environments, working on your own at most times, and rise to occasion when working with the toughest of teachers/professors, then look for similar collegiate programs. However, you may be someone who needs a little more guidance and support from professors, and do much better with courses that are not so competitive. You know who you are, and this is perfectly OK, but you want you realize this before attending a school in the fall.
2) Geographic Location - Get to know the campus and surrounding area of possible colleges. Realize that for the most part, this is where you will live for the next 4 years of your life! So it would make sense that you should be happy with the location of where you go to school. Are you happier in the city or in a rural environment? Would you prefer going to a college with 45,000 students or one with 1,500 students? Would you like to be less than 2 hours away from home, so you can come home whenever you like, or are you adventurous and would like to live out on the West Coast for awhile? We all have our preferences on where we are happiest and no one is wrong here! You may find a school that meets all of your other needs, but if you absolutely love the city, a school in the middle of Idaho
3) Major/Program Offerings- It is extremely important to apply and eventually attend a school that offers a program that matches a student’s interests. It is perfectly normal not to know what you want to do for a career in high school, but you can surely breakdown your choices to a few that best interest you. Make sure the college offers numerous majors you may see yourself doing, and this will surely help in the process.
4) Cost of Tuition/Financial Aid- Far too often, students will find a college that is really great for them, but find out in March, that they just are not receiving enough financial aid and the college will just cost too much to attend. Taking out loans is definitely an option and may be inevitable, but do yourself a favor, and create a list of schools that have a wide variety of cost of attendance. I think it is best for all students to apply to 6-8 schools, for many reasons, but one reason is that some colleges may help out financially much more than others. So if you research schools diligently and apply to 6-8 colleges that you love, the deciding factor may come down to money. If this is the case, it may make it much easier to choose the school that will not have you in debt until you have grandchildren, because you have done the research and you love the school!
5) Chances of Admission- You must be realistic when it comes to applying to colleges. Students should all be applying to 2-3 safety schools, 2-3 target schools, and 2-3 reach schools. If your list contains all reach schools, you may be in trouble come March. I absolutely think all students should strive for ‘reach’ schools, but there needs to be schools on the list that students are confident they will be accepted into. So you should not only be making sure you apply to the schools that are right for you, but be realistic with your chances of getting in!
So, remember, there are a multitude of factors that need to go into making this life decision. Students and families should not focus solely on any one factor, but the combination of all of them. College is not just about going to the classroom, but is about growing and living in the right environment and community. Please try to remember these basic ideas when searching, applying, and eventually settling on the college that is the right fit for YOU!
-Joseph D. Korfmacher, MASC
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