Applying to College: How to Choose the Right College for You

Welcome to your senior year in high school. You've been working over a decade to get to this point in your academic career, and now it has finally arrived. You've got a year full of easy classes, field trips, dances, parties, senior cut days, driving your car to school for the first time, and trying to make sure you don't lose touch with friends when you head off to college.

Uh-oh. The C-word. College.

Should you go? When should you apply? What do you have to do? How many colleges should you apply to? Where should you go? Where are your friends going to go? How can you afford it? How do you apply for financial aid? Who should you go to for your recommendation letter? Argh! So many questions!!

First things first: Relax. Breathe. You've got plenty of time to answer all of those questions, and make sure you get your college applications in on time. Better yet, I'm going to be here to help you every step of the way.

Don't pay attention to tuition.
The biggest problem that high school students seem to have with applying to college is tuition. The cost of the school is too daunting to even apply. The problem isn't with the tuition of the school, my dear readers. It is that you are thinking about it too much. Who knows what scholarships you may receive or what financial aid you may be granted? Where there is a will, there is a way. It's a cliche, but it's true. If you're not applying to a school just because it's too pricey, then you're making a mistake. There are all sorts of financial aid and scholarship opportunities out there, just waiting to be taken advantage of. You never know what is going to happen, and you might just be closing the door on the best school because you're reluctant to apply due to the cost of tuition. Worry about tuition later.

Case in point: My sister, Julie, applied to a bunch of different schools for graduate school. She got into Temple and Northwestern. While Temple cost less, Northwestern offered her a bigger scholarship-- and it's a much better school for what she is studying. You just never know what is going to happen.

Do consider distance from home.
I know it sounds silly, but you really need to consider how far from home you would like to be. Don't let others dictate to you what your comfort level should be. How close is your family? How often do you want to go home? Do you want to live at home? How much are you willing to pay for travel expenses? There are a lot of questions that YOU need to answer.

I completed my undergraduate work in Washington, DC at The George Washington University. It was 5 hours by car from where my family lived in NY. I could go home whenever I wanted, and not pay an arm and a leg for it. In 2000, Dionne and I went to graduate (she did her second undergraduate) school in Anchorage, AK at University of Alaska - Anchorage. I went home for Thanksgiving because I had a free ticket. Unfortunately, tickets were over $500, so Dee stayed behind. (Even though she met her fiancee then, I still feel awful about abandoning her.) Two weeks later, while I was back in AK, my Aunt was in a major car accident, and I had to get home quickly. It took me nearly a day to get back to NY, and I nearly missed her death. These are things that you really need to take into consideration.

Don't apply because of your friends.
As much as you'd like them to, friends don't stay friends forever. Especially friends from high school. If you're applying to college because your friend is, you're making a huge mistake. Think about the school as a whole before you do. And, if you're applying to a college because your boyfriend or girlfriend goes there, you're making an even bigger mistake. You're going to college for an education, not for a relationship. If you have a strong friendship and/or relationship, it will stand through college's test of time-- just like mine and Dionne's did. You'll make new friends at college. Really. Besides, you're supposed to be going to college for your education, not for your social life.

Do apply to as many schools as you want.
I remember being told in high school not to apply to more than 7 colleges because "admissions frown on that." Honestly, that's a bunch of hooey. First of all, colleges don't care where else you apply. Secondly, colleges don't know where else you apply unless you tell them. Third, don't let anyone tell you where to or where not to apply. Make up your own mind and stick with your decision. It's good to have options. There is no such thing as too many options.

Don't ignore admissions requirements.
If you're looking to apply to a school that requires a 1200 SAT score, and you fell short of 1000, don't apply there. If the college requires a 3.5 GPA and you've got a 2.6, don't apply there. Use common sense. If you're close, and can make up one category by excelling in another, give it a shot. You might wind up on the waiting list. Just don't count on getting in... Just in case.

Do select a "safety" school.
A "safety" school is a college or university where you are a shoe-in for admission. This doesn't necessarily mean you should apply to a community college as a safety when you're applying to Yale. Just take a good, hard look at the requirements. If you meet - or, even better, surpass - all of the requirements, there is a pretty good chance that you're going to get in. Use this school as your safety net-- You'll go there if you don't get into anywhere else.

Applying to college is fun and exciting, although tedious and draining. Get those applications in as soon as you possibly can. You'll regret it if you wait too long. Pay attention to your application dates. Colleges are pretty strict about those.

In conclusion, use common sense when applying to college. Really. Make sure you are applying to the colleges because that's where you can see yourself going. You're going to be there for 4 years (usually, anyway). Make sure that you are basing the decision on your own ideas and research.

Choosing the college where you are going to apply is the first step of many. Don't take this step haphazardly, but do make sure you leave yourself with enough options for your future.

Good luck!