When you begin looking into what you might want to do after you finish high school, the options can be overwhelming. There is a good chance that if you are here you have already decided that you would like to pursue some sort of post-secondary education. However, even if you know exactly what you are going to do once you finish college, picking a place to go to school can still be daunting. There are just too many options. I am also struggling with this experience currently. Every time I turn around, my friends and relatives are asking where I am planning on going to college. Many of them are disappointed that I have little to no idea. To figure out my life, I have decided to break down picking the right college into steps. I decided to share my methods to both holds myself accountable and hopefully help others who find they are having similar problems. So far when I have been looking into colleges I have found that it is important to first narrow your scope. It would take far too long to look at every option you have for college. Below you will find some of the ways that I think are the easiest to drastically narrow the number of colleges for you to look into.

When you are first beginning to decide where you want to go to college, one of the most important things to consider is why do you even want to go to college. In some cases, this will significantly narrow your search of colleges and in other cases, it will just give you some ideas into where you need to begin your search for colleges. For example, if you decide you are going to college to learn how to be a marine biologist, that would probably narrow your search down to coastal areas. However, if all you know right now is that you want to go to college to improve your education or to experience new things that won’t help you narrow your search a ton in the beginning, but it will help you when you are further along in your decision. 

Another important thing to decide, when you first begin looking at colleges is what type of college do you want to go to. In my opinion, the most important thing to look into at this point in the process is to decide if you want to get a two-year degree or a four-year degree. However, depending on how decided you already are you may start looking into the different types of colleges out there. According to the national college fair website, there are nine main different types of colleges. These nine types include liberal arts colleges, universities, technical institutes, and professional schools, historically black colleges and universities, tribal colleges, women’s colleges, religiously-affiliated colleges and universities, community and junior colleges, and finally, for-profit colleges (NACA). Each of these colleges will have their idea of what you should get out of college. It is best to find one that has values that align with your own. The school should also a line with what you hope to do. If you are hoping to end up with an associate’s degree do not waste time looking at universities to go to. These are just a few thing to help get you started when you begin thinking about where you want to go after you finish high school.

Works Cited 

Ben. “Colleges and Universities: Choosing the Right Fit.” Peterson’s, Peterson’s, 2 May 2019, www.petersons.com/blog/colleges-and-universities-choosing-the-right-fit/. Accessed 16 November 2019. 

“Creating Pathways.” National Association for College Admission Counseling, www.nacacnet.org/. Accessed 16 November 2019. 

“The Different Types of Colleges.” College Greenlight, 19 Sept. 2013, blog.collegegreenlight.com/blog/the-different-types-of-colleges/.  Accessed 16 November 2019. 

“NACAC National College Fairs- College Types.” National Association for College Admission Counseling, www.nacacfairs.org/learn/search/college-types/. Accessed 16 November 2019.