Last year my son and I spent hours upon hours searching for the best college for him to select for his further education and I must be honest, it was far more time consuming and complicated than I first thought. Our final choice was the fantastic Alabama A&M University, chosen because my son wanted to study agriculture and they had a great course which he managed to get in to. The choice of course wasn’t the only deciding factor in terms of which college he went to and there really is much more to consider than just this. If you are heading off to college, or your child is, here are some of the things which you really need to be thinking about.
Location
Some students want to travel away from home to study and others would prefer to stay close to their friends and family back home. This is one of the first things that you should be deciding on so that you can ensure that you select a college which fits in with geographical wishes. The idea of this process is about whittling down your options and working out location is the first step.
Realistic
An Ivy League college may be a dream for you but it is always worth being realistic in terms of the chances of being accepted into such a prestigious college. You only have so many options when it comes to applying for colleges so it makes far more sense to focus your efforts on college choices which you could plausibly be accepted into. Speak with teachers at the high school to see what kind of level university you should be looking at.
Specialization
Whilst in the early years of college you or your child will be studying a wide range of subjects, you will need to select a major to specialize in towards the end. Many students do not know quite yet what they plan to specialize in but if they do, this can greatly help towards the decision making process. Many colleges will specialize in certain topics and this can help you to eliminate options. My son for example, already knew that he wanted to study agriculture and this was why we opted for Alabama A&M University. Research which colleges specialist in which subjects, and use that info to make your choice.
Cost
A university education is not cheap and many students are leaving college with mountains of debt, before they even start working. With this in mind it is important that you focus on how much each college charges for their different subjects, and make your decision based on this factor. This is not to say that you should go to a poor university based on cost alone, but you should most definitely consider how much the whole thing will cost, before electing a college as it could be a critical factor in the decision.