I always try to work on having a clearer idea of what I want my future to be like. Since I’m finishing up at Niagara, I have been starting to look at some graduate schools. Looking back, I did a lot of research when choosing the right college for me. While I am no longer looking at undergraduate programs, I have some tips that could help you making your decision less stressful. Here we go!
Visit
Any college can look beautiful in a brochure if there are a plethora of pictures with students laughing with each other walking to class. But is this the reality? Are students at this college always smiling at each other? Well, there is really one way to find out. By visiting a college or university, you get to see an institution at its real value. These tours give you an insider’s look on how students interact with each other, what the dining halls are actually like, and how it feels to be in a typical dorm room. These experiences are vital in deciding where to go because they cannot be portrayed holistically on a website or brochure.
I have been on plenty of campus tours. I tagged along when my older brother was deciding where to go, and then went to a handful of colleges when it was my turn. I fell in love with a couple of schools online, but once I actually stepped on campus I didn’t get the right vibe.
Make your Own Rankings
While US News & World Report provide helpful rankings for programs and selectivity, they may not give you a sense of how the rankings work for you as an individual. To solve this problem, I created a system for ranking colleges based on mu criteria. For instance, I chose a topic, like dining halls, and gave each college a score from 1-10. I then did this for fourteen other criteria. So in the end, I added all of the points and ranked my schools accordingly. Niagara University was definitely at the top of my list!
Understand the Credibility of Each Review
Lastly, I have a quick note about student reviews. There are sites like College Prowler that lets students evaluate their schools and grade them on specific criteria. My warning is that some of the students commenting may not have made an effort in their schooling. In other words, some of them may say that the classes are super hard because they are getting failing grades. What they don’t say is how much they actually tried. Maybe they never study, you never know. The second bit is that some colleges might get bad reviews from students because they say there’s nothing to do on campus. To them, all they might want to do is party. These people might not want to participate in school run events. But you might.
With these topics in mind, I am certain that you can make a successful decision. Just remember, of you do end up not liking the school you’ve chosen, you could transfer. Trust your gut, and I am sure you will make the decision that is best for you. Good luck!
