Financial Feasibility
To put it bluntly, you cannot attend a school that you cannot afford. Many colleges now cost upwards of $40,000 per year, a sizeable amount even for well-off families. Fortunately, there is a myriad of financial aid sources out there that can help you to afford college. Many schools give scholarships to bright students while others give scholarships to students whose families aren’t rich enough to pay the full cost of college.
Financial Aid: (click here)
Choose colleges that you have an idea of how you will afford. This plan can include rich parents, scholarships, attending a school that covers a significant amount of demonstrated financial need, getting a job, taking out loans, etc. Since only some schools give merit-based scholarships and only some schools cover most to all of the cost of college that your family cannot afford, it is important to research and find out which colleges have plans for you.
As a general rule, don’t assume you can’t pay for college. If you are a bright student, chances are you will be able to pay for good colleges no matter your parents financial situation. You will be able to win merit-scholarships at lower-tier schools (and maybe some to schools) or gain admission to top universities which cover any financial need that you have.
Quality Overall
Obviously, a crucial factor in choosing a college is the overall quality of the school, especially academic. While academic quality is a loose term that is hard to quantify, ratings generally do a good job. Schools with high overall ratings tend to have stronger educational environments, including stronger peer groups, better professors, more resources, excellent facilities, etc. In any event, ratings are used by job recruiters and graduate schools to evaluate the quality of your undergraduate education and your ability.
Top Colleges (Non-Liberal Arts Schools): (click here)
Top Liberal Arts Colleges: (click here)
Many people say that the overall quality of colleges means little except name prestige and that the quality of the specific department or program is more important. While the specific program is important, it is generally a good idea to prioritize the overall quality of the school over the quality of the specific program. Unless you are 100% sure of what your major and career path will be, you should go to a college that is strong in a number of fields (i.e. good overall). Many students switch majors over the course of college so it’s a good idea to attend a school that covers all your bases.
Quality of Program
Another critical factor in deciding on a college is the quality of a school’s program. A school that is strong overall is not necessarily strong at biology or political science or business.
Unfortunately, ratings for specific undergraduate programs are rare. Such ratings exist for business, engineering, and a few other programs. Fortunately, PathAspire by way of research and discussion with other top students and graduates, has compiled lists of schools reputed to be strong in each category.
Best Departments: (click here)
Quality of Life
While individually, conditions like weather, social environment, architecture, etc. are trivial concerns, they come together collectively as a fairly important issue. Consider what type of natural and social environment you want to live in. Do you like snow? Do you prefer the city or the countryside? Factor these in when deciding which schools to apply to and which to attend, just don’t let them dictate your choices.
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