Of course you know that the best schools enroll students with the best grades and the highest test scores. You also know that there are some college names that impress more on a sweatshirt. But how can you figure out which school is right for you? There are some important things to consider when you decide where to apply for and enroll in college. Many people don't spend much time thinking about them, though, and sometimes end up unhappy as a result, even at so-called "great" schools. By taking the time to think about these things now, you'll be able to home on in what really matters to you and find the fit that's right.

Size

Colleges come in all sizes, from a small school in California that enrolls only 26 students to large schools like Pennsylvania State, which can enroll 30,000 or more. When choosing a college, it is helpful to narrow your choices by deciding what college size best fits your needs. It depends on you and what you're comfortable with.

Large universities often give you the opportunity to meet people with varied backgrounds, cultures and interests. In general, large universities offer extensive resources, a number of residence halls, and many activities and student organizations. However, some students may feel overwhelmed by the number of students.

Small colleges offer an intimate setting where you get to know just about everyone on campus and they all get to know you. Some students find this comforting, while others find it restrictive.

Type

There are several different types of colleges. Some have large graduate programs and devote much of their time and resources to research. Others enroll only undergraduates and focus their attention on teaching and learning. Some schools have a specialty in one specific area, like engineering or writing, while others are best known for giving their students a broad education. Other differences include whether schools are single sex or coed, if they have a religious affiliation, and whether they are public or private.

There are also historically black colleges, tribal colleges, fine arts schools, Christian colleges, Catholic colleges, schools with co-op programs where you earn money while going to school, and schools with large evening and part-time programs. The options really are almost limitless. 

Location

There are colleges in every living environment you can imagine, from tiny towns in Minnesota to the middle of New York City. If you have always lived in the suburbs, choosing an urban campus can be an adventure. But after a week of urban noise, dirt, and rude people, will you long for a grassy campus and open space? On the other hand, if you are used to the suburbs and mall life and choose a college in a rural area, will you run screaming into the Student Center some night looking for noise, lights, and people? Think about where you grew up and how much of a change you want from that when you go to college.

Location also dictates what level of civilization you will have at your disposal. If you're at a small liberal arts college in the middle of a sparsely populated region of the country, you will come to miss having access to many of the amenities you enjoy now. Don't forget the weather factor. Rain, heat, and cold are all factors that will affect your college life.

Choosing the right college for you means choosing a place to live for four years or more. For some, leaving home is not an option. For others, going hundreds or thousands of miles away is too difficult. Still others relish the idea of going far away from their family and putting physical distance between themselves and their high school.

If you feel that the whole country is open to you, geography and climate should also play a role in your decision. Think about whether you’d like to live in another state while attending college or whether you have a strong desire to live in the mountains, the desert or a climate like the one in Texas.

In addition to distance from your home, consider how the college’s location will affect your education. Colleges in rural towns offer few distractions when you’re studying, but you may have a hard time finding extracurricular off-campus activities on the weekends. Attending a college in a large city offers more entertainment and internship or job opportunities, but it may have drawbacks such as more expensive housing and higher crime rates.

For some, college is an opportunity to experience life in a new and distant place. Others prefer to stay close to their home and community. Decide where you think you’ll be most comfortable. Also consider whether you prefer an urban, suburban or more rural location.

Distance from Home

Closely tied to location is the issue of how far from home you want to be. For some people, going to college is a chance to explore a totally different part of the country. For others, they want to make sure they can have dinner with their family once a week, or go home to do their laundry. When you decide how far you want to be from home, think about how likely you are to get homesick, and how much money you can afford to spend in travel. The farther you are from home, the less often you'll be able to visit. On the other hand, with email and cell phones, you can still feel close to home even if you're in California and your sister is in New Jersey.

Distance from home can make a big difference in a college student's budget. If you have to spend a couple hundred dollars every time you want to come home, don't forget to include that expense in your budget plans.
Think about how close you want to be to your home — do you want to make it home for Sunday dinners with your family and have someone there to do laundry for you — or do you want to be further away, with fewer trips home?

Accreditation and Academics

If you want your degree to be valuable in the job market, you should attend an accredited college or university. Accreditation is a long, complicated process for an institution, but all you really need to know is if the colleges you’re considering are in good standing with the regional accrediting agencies (for example, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools). Don’t assume a college is accredited — find out. Colleges usually print this information in their academic catalogs and recruiting publications, or you can ask the admissions staff.

In addition to institutional accreditation, academic departments or programs may be further accredited. This tells you that the program meets additional standards of quality and is recognized nationally for doing so. If you know what you want to major in, it is wise to ask about the program’s accreditation so that you can know how it stacks up to national standards for excellence.

Many colleges may have national reputations for excellence in the academic department, program or faculty. Find out about the curriculum and faculty in your proposed major. Ask about internships or other hands-on experience in the field before graduation.

You can look at college rankings, but keep in mind that the criteria used may be different from your own. Most national rankings factor in national reputation, endowments and alumni support, and thus may favor large, private colleges and universities. A degree from a state university can be just as valuable as a degree from an Ivy League university or a prestigious private university.

You should ask about a college’s student-faculty ratio. A higher number is less preferable than a lower number. Keep in mind that the ratio is not the same as the class size, and that freshman classes are typically larger than junior or senior classes.

Cost/Scholarships & Financial Aid

Cost is one thing that most parents think about when the topic of college comes up, but did you know that not all colleges cost the same amount? Or that there are different types of financial aid at different schools? Or that if your grades - or musical talent or athletic ability - are good enough you could earn a scholarship?

Public universities often offer much lower tuition rates to in-state students, but their fees to out-of-state residents are usually pretty similar to private schools. Private institutions charge everyone the same high tuition, but they often have privately-funded scholarship monies available, so it's worth applying to them even if the price tag seems too high.

Don't rule out a college based on the cost alone -- Most colleges have an extensive financial assistance programs and can help make your education fit your budget. Contact the financial advisers to talk about scholarships and grants you might be eligible for.  Ask these questions early on so that you can meet priority deadlines and be eligible for the best possible financial awards.

You probably know that the price tag for a college education varies widely, even among private colleges. Be sure to consider that college costs include more than just tuition: there are fees, textbooks, housing, food and other expenses such as parking and travel (if the college is a considerable distance from your home).

College fees may include additional costs for nonresident or out-of-state students, computers, health services and student activities. A number of courses (such as science and computer classes) require a lab fee for materials and equipment, which adds to your total cost for the semester.

Some colleges lump housing and food costs together, commonly called room and board. If you prefer to cook your own food, ask if the college has apartment-style housing that includes a kitchen.

When choosing a college, select a few schools within your price range and some above your price range. See the chart on page 20 to help you compute and compare costs.

All the costs may seem overwhelming, but most schools offer many types of financial aid. It is possible to get both federal financial aid and scholarships.

Although cost should never be the only factor in deciding which college to attend, it is important to realistically evaluate your current financial situation, your future goals, and the options available to you. Apply for financial aid as early as possible so that you can accurately assess what you’ll have to pay or borrow. Investigate the less obvious factors that impact college costs, such as: Are you required to live in the dorms? What types of meal plans are available? How long does it take the average student to complete a degree? Are required courses offered in the summer? The answers to these questions, and information about job-placement statistics for your major, average starting salaries, and career services offered through the college, provide a bigger picture than the cost of tuition alone.

Student Population

All college students are not the same. Some schools, particularly large schools and those in big cities, tend to have students from a wide range of ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. Other schools, especially small schools and those in very rural locations, tend to have a fairly homogeneous student body. Other things to think about in student population is whether most students live at the school or commute, how old the average student is, and how many students are in the Greek system, if there is one.

Majors and Requirements

If you know what field you want to go into after college, it's important to make sure you go to college somewhere that will prepare you for your chosen profession. Some schools are particularly well-known for a specific major, like pre-med or architecture. Going to one of these schools will put you in a great position to get a job in that area when you graduate. If, however, like many entering freshman, you're not so sure what you want to do, you should choose a school that will give you plenty of options.

Some schools require students to take classes in a wide range of areas during their first year or two. These schools are great for students who either want a well-rounded education or are trying to figure out what area to focus on. Other schools let students just dive in to their chosen majors without a lot of other requirements. These schools are great for focused students who know what they want to do and don't want to spend their time in classes that won't help them in their major.

You do not need to know exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life right now. However, you may want to give some consideration to the types of classes you enjoy. Do you have more interest in math and science, English and history, or the arts? This can help to determine what type of school might be best for you (e.g. liberal arts and sciences, engineering, technical, conservatory, etc.). When looking at colleges, you may want to look for programs not only in your specific area of interest, but in areas that complement that interest. The breadth of programs offered, and the ease of changing majors may be things to consider.

You will choose your primary course of study, known as your major, from the college’s academic programs. For most degree programs, students are required to take basic courses, including English, history, math and political science, which, along with introductory courses in their major, fill much of their first few semesters. During their junior and senior years, students take advanced courses concentrating primarily on the major of their choice.

Some students already have their lives planned. They have chosen a profession and know the major and degree(s) it will take to reach their goals. Others don’t know the exact career they want to enter, but they know they’re interested in a general field. Some, however, have no clue about the future. These students should enlist career counselors and aptitude tests to help focus their interests and abilities.

Don’t worry. There are colleges for all types of students, and the average student changes his or her major three times while in school. Colleges offer a variety of majors, and some also may have counselors specially trained to work with undecided majors.

Athletics and Events

Are you a sports nut, or does the sound of a marching band and the sight of a football uniform make you cringe? At some schools, sports are the order of the day, the main social activity on most students' calendars. Other schools may not have a football team at all, or may not pay much attention to it if they do.

Maybe you're really into going to live concerts, or you love nothing better than to go hiking in the woods. If you like to spend your free time going to shows at clubs, you probably won't be happy at a small school in the countryside where few musical acts stop on tour. However, if you love to be outdoors, a campus in a natural setting can give you just the kind of balance you need to feel your best.

Campus Life

The main idea is to get a high-quality education while you’re at college, but you can’t study all the time. You need extracurricular activities to make friends, relieve stress and have fun. Most schools offer a variety of student organizations. See what kind of clubs the college offers that match your interests. Inquire about the organization’s activities, members and qualifications.

College is a great place to start taking a leadership role. It’s great experience for you and looks wonderful on your resume when you graduate. Look into leadership training or opportunities to be an officer or leader in the organizations that interest you. Positions also are available in student government, activities planning councils, residence halls, honor societies and other groups. Don’t be shy - you’ll have a richer college experience if you get involved.

Campus life also means football games and other athletic events, concerts, plays, dances, movies, intramurals (informal team sports) and dozens of other activities. Check out what’s available at the college you’re interested in. Most institutions have a central calendar or an office that schedules all the various student events.

Whether you’ll be living in the dorms, in an apartment, or commuting from home, the campus you choose will be an integral part of your life. There's more to college than just classes. Don’t underestimate the role that your personality and values will play in your overall college experience. You may want to decide which, if any, of the following are most important to you: social and ethnic diversity, religious affiliation, political climate, athletic participation and/or social life.

Activities and Special Programs

Have you always wanted to try living in another country? Some colleges have special programs to help you do just that, for a semester or even a whole school year. You'll usually get full credit for your work overseas, plus have the chance to learn a new language, make some new friends, and try some new food.

Or maybe you're a dancer or a journalist. You'll want to make sure you go to a school that not only fulfills your academic goals, but your personal ones, too. Some schools have great arts and theater programs, or excellent newspapers, giving students a chance to be involved in extra-curricular activities outside their majors. Other schools focus all their attention on great classes, but not much else.

Your Gut Feeling

Trust your instincts. If a place feels right, that's important. Similarly, if it just feels wrong, no matter who wants you to go there or how good it looks on paper, it probably is. College is a very personal choice, and after considering all the other objective factors, the fact of the matter is that it comes down to you. Visit colleges you're interested in, and see how you feel walking around their campuses. Could you imagine yourself going to school there? Once you find a few places that you like, you'll be well on your way to finding the college that's right for you.

Housing

The freshman experience is one of the great aspects of a college education. That experience can be made memorable (or forgettable) by where and how you live. The campus visit becomes crucial in determining just what the living arrangements are at any college or university. The larger the school, the more housing tends to vary. Go there. Check it out. You may decide that you and the dorm situation are incompatible. Also find out how students live. Are off- campus apartments affordable and available? The school you select will be your home for four years. Think about it.

Where your boyfriend or girlfriend goes

Every year some high school sweethearts pick the same college so that they can be together during their college studies. What's wrong with this picture? Obviously, if one of the sweethearts decides to break off the relationship (for any of a host of possible reasons), the other will be in Misery City, trapped on the same campus with their "ex" and tortured with every chance encounter. If there are solid, logical reasons for both of you to go to the same campus, that's great. Don't let the relationship be the deciding factor. Going where your buddies go is also another bad way to pick a college.