Factors when choosing a collegeAnswered
Hi,
I am currently in the process of deciding my IB choices (I need to finalise my decisions by December I believe). I need to choose the subjects that I genuinely enjoy, but I also need to make my choices based on the universities I want to attend.
I do not know what college I want to attend (yet) and am unsure of the exact factors that go into choosing this. Therefore, I was wondering if anyone could please provide me with some basic guidance into the major factors that should go into choosing a college? What concrete steps can I take to prepare myself for college applications in 2 years? (I am a current sophomore).
Thank you in advance.
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2 answers
Hi!
As a sophomore, don't be too worried about college yet but it's great to see that you've reached for a head start. Here are just some of the factors that I can think of from the top of my head but feel free to comment if you have any more questions. :)
1. Location. How far do you want to be away from home? Do you want to be able to walk, drive, or take a flight home? What type of area would you like to be in? Do you like to be in the city, the suburbs, or a rural area? Also, pay attention to weather patterns (although this might not be the most important). Would you like to stay somewhere that's cold year-round or somewhere that has dry summers?
2. Price. This is definitely a major factor and it's unique to every family. Talk to your family or use the net price calculators (they should have it on CollegeVine or on each school's website) to figure out around how much you will be paying.
3. Community/ Culture. Do you want a large party culture or do you want cut-throat competition (ok this is a bit dramatic but you get the point)? Do you want to be surrounded by a diverse group of students? Do you want co-ed schools (for both men and women) or single-gendered schools?
4. Academic Statistics. It might be a bit too early for you to consider this since you still have 2 years but start looking at their undergraduate pool. What is their average SAT or ACT score? Their average GPA?
5. School Statistics. What about how many of their undergraduates get accepted into med school, law school, etc.? What is their 4-year graduation rate? What is their student-to-faculty ratio? What are your chances of getting in?
6. Size. Do you want to be in a school where you could be there for months and still see a bunch of new faces every day or do you want to befriend everyone? Do you want to take a bus or ride a bike across campus or would you prefer somewhere where you can walk to all of your classes?
7. Opportunities. Do you want a school with a lot of resources to help you with your projects? Do you want a large connection network? Do you want to make your own clubs or join new clubs? Are you there for a certain sport? Do you want to go study abroad?
Hello! So, I don't know much about IB because I am dual-enrollment. Despite not knowing much, I would say take general education classes so when you transfer those credits to a university of your choice, you can use those credits and replace it with the classes you would have taken there (if that makes sense). Or, if you want to take classes towards a major, I recommend research different majors you are interested in and find out what classes you would have take for those. With colleges and universities, look into colleges you are interested in and find out which college would take which because not all colleges would take in all or some of your credits. I hope this helps a little?
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Thank you! This helped me a lot. I had another question: Where can I find which classes I need to take for each major? Where can I find this on the college's website?