Some people say that one of the most important decisions that you would make in life for the sake of future, is choosing whether you’d go to college (and if you do), selecting the right one for you. After graduating high school here in Salt Lake City, it’s natural to feel a bit lost and confused about what to do next and what next steps to take in the future.
Choosing to attend a college could significantly impact not only your future career or profession but your personal life as well. Generally, people choose colleges based on emotions (and sometimes on impulse). Though this may not directly affect the course of the future, such an impactful decision would definitely need much more scrutiny.
If you are one of those lost souls that are currently having a hard time in choosing the right college to attend, here are a few factors that you could consider that may help you in finalizing your decision:
Prioritizing in Choosing Your Major
Most students after graduating have no clue with what they really want to be in life. But once you decide that you’d want to attend a college, make sure that you choose a major that you excel at and love, and the major that you could see yourself building a career.
Once you’ve decided, you can research the best universities/colleges that offer the major that you’re passionate about. A piece of advice is to prioritize your major first, before taking other factors into consideration (such as school prestige/popularity, etc.) so that regrets could be avoided in the long run.
What Kind of Education Do You want?
When it comes to choosing the right college, it is important that you also consider the type of education that you want, and what you think is the perfect one for you. Compare and contrast financial packages provided by different public or private schools, then you can start to narrow them down after you’ve chosen a major.
It is important that you also take into consideration the financial assistance offered by different colleges.
Take the College’s Location into Consideration
Some people cannot take being far away from their loved ones or their hometown, but some people are okay with exploring opportunities regardless of the distance. You need to consider the college’s location and if you are willing to live in an entirely different region, or if you choose to want to stay closer to what you’re familiar with.
Both are equally acceptable decisions with their own pros and cons, but what matters is how you truly feel and the practicality of the distance.
The School’s Size
One key factor that you could also take into consideration is the school’s size. Generally, bigger campuses have more resources, thus more extracurricular activities to offer compared to smaller ones. Larger schools also tend to have more students, so consider if you’d want more people to interact with and socialize with on a daily basis.
Think of the environment of where you think you’d most fit in.
There is no standard checklist that you need to follow when choosing the right college – these are simply guidelines. What matters the most is always deciding on what’s best for you regardless of what others may think.
