As a junior or maybe senior in high school, you're probably wondering how you're going to decide on the right school for you. There's so many out there. Big campuses. Small campuses. City areas. Rural areas. Colleges and universities close to home. Ones far away from home (maybe even a different state). I had the same problem as a senior in high school and it took some time to decide where I wanted to go, but these topics helped me to decide.
1. Big or Small Campus?
Size is something you should consider. Do you want a big campus that has thousands of people? One where you won't get the chance to know everyone? One where the class sizes are over 100 students and you can't connect with your professors? A campus where you have to catch a bus or walk several blocks to get to your classroom? Or would you rather have a small campus with fewer students where you can get the chance to know everyone during your 4 years? A small campus would consist of small class sizes of 20 to 30 students so you can get a chance to know your professors well and vice versa. A small campus would also allow a short 5-10 minute walk to class. That's one of the decisions you have to make during your decision-making process.
2. City or Rural Area?
A city area will have a ton of buildings and a bunch of traffic. Such as Pitt Main Campus. That's a city-based campus. I don't know about you, but I get anxiety when there's a lot of cars and traffic. You can choose an area like that or you can have a rural area, like UPJ, where there's beautiful scenery and nature and animals everywhere you walk. What kind of area you choose will help you narrow down your options.
3. How close do you want to be to home?
Do you want your campus to be a short drive from home? Home is 30 minutes from UPJ and I love the convenient distance, that way I can travel home whenever needed. Or would you rather move hours away to a different area? Or even a different state? That's also something else you need to take into consideration.
4. Money
I know money was my biggest issue. College is expensive, no matter what. You can't exactly avoid the expenses. But, you can make it cheaper. Community colleges are a lot cheaper to attend than bigger schools or universities. So, if money is a big problem for you, don't stress about it. Look into a community college and you can pay half the price going to a community college in comparison to a bigger school. Plus, you get the same education. So, it's a win/win situation!
As you can see, there are multiple things you need to think about before making the best decision on the right college for you. These four things are just the beginning choices, there are several more to think about..trust me!
