The Ultimate Checklist to Choose the Right College!

It’s the first day of high school, and while graduation may feel far away, it’s not. As you progress through high school, you begin to hear the word “college” more frequently, and the most important decision of your academic career must be made soon: deciding where to attend college. Among the top colleges in India and the top universities in the world, keep your mind clear regarding your end location for your studies. These decisions will highly influence the rest of the procedure. To ease your journey, we’ve listed a few steps that will help you make the finest college decision. In this blog, we will take you through 15 tips on how to choose the right college and 5 things to avoid while selecting your college.

How To Choose The Right College?

Let’s begin with detailed steps to guide you in your process of how to choose the right college!

Start your Preparation Early

It is important that you begin with your college application checklists as deadlines might fly by and you might have to take a semester or quarter off from college, it’s vital that you start college preparation before your senior year begins. The earlier you begin planning for college during your high school years, the better; nonetheless, it is recommended that you begin planning during your junior year. You will be able to correctly plan your journey to college if you begin planning early.

How to Build Your College List During COVID-19?

Do your Research and Seek Assistance

Start talking to your parents or current/former college students about college locations and majors. It’s critical to have as many ideas as possible in order to effectively complete your homework on which college is the best fit for you. It may seem overwhelming at first, but it is critical to begin planning your college future now rather than waiting until the last minute and others’ experience can help you on how to choose the right college for you.

You can also connect with us at Leverage Edu to assist you to examine your college and major alternatives.

Create a List of Your Own

It’s important to compile a list of universities and majors that you’re considering so that you may conduct research on each. Don’t limit yourself to just a few options; you’ll want to look at as many as possible so you can make the greatest decision possible. 

You can also check our blogs while researching your compiled list of colleges, we have covered all the major factors that may help you in selecting the best college as per your fit.

Keep Your Options Open

There are a lot of majors to choose from, so you’ll want to look into as many as possible before deciding which one is best for you. There are a number of ways to determine which one is best for you, and one of them is to select a major based on your personality.

Also Read about How a Study Abroad Experience Changes You as a Person!

Staying Local or Planning Abroad: Make a Choice

This is likely one of the most important judgments you’ll have to make, as it will have a significant impact on your follow-ups. There are advantages and disadvantages to staying at home for college, as with anything else, but you should weigh them carefully to make the best option possible. 

You can always wait to make a decision so that you may explore possibilities both close to home and study abroad, but it’s always better to have a general sense of which one you’re leaning toward so that you can dig more into those possibilities later.

Read about the Best Countries to Study Abroad Amid Covid-19

Research Research Research!

The next step for how to choose the right college is doing apt research. once you have a list of universities to consider, check more about the colleges/universities. These days, the best place to start is the college website. You’ll want to look at a lot of websites to learn more about them and get a sense of what it’s like to be a student. You should definitely look through their credentials.

Public Colleges + Private Colleges: Aim for Both

To know more, check out the following blogs: Public vs Private Universities: Which one to Choose?, Public vs Private Colleges.

If your list comprises primarily public universities, you should think about private, non-profit universities as well. There are variations between the two types of universities, and you may be missing out on benefits if you don’t examine private colleges as well. Because they have a smaller student body than most public universities, private colleges typically have smaller class sizes.

Consider Tuition Fees

After you’ve examined all of your non-financial options, you should consider the expenses related to various universities. Aside from tuition, you should include other expenses like housing, petrol, food, and even an average of the costs of books on a specific topic.

Aim for Scholarships Too!

Although you can apply as a college student, you will have more options when you are in high school or have recently finished high school. Other places to look for scholarship options include your employer or institutions, which may offer one-of-a-kind scholarships to students applying or presently enrolled.

Find the Top Scholarships for Indian Students To Study Abroad

Take College Tours

College visits are an excellent method to get a sense of a school’s atmosphere by observing other students, visiting the dining hall, or even scheduling a lecture. You should schedule a tour at the top three or four colleges on your list. This will allow you to get a personal impression of the school and consider your visit during the final stages of selecting the college you will attend.

Connect With The Students & Faculty

Nothing beats chatting with current students at the college you want to attend. During your campus tour, ask about students’ experiences as well as basic questions about the college that you may not have thought to ask. If you want to learn more about the whole experience of that particular college from a graduate’s perspective, you can contact their alumni groups and ask them questions.

Start Making a Decision, Start Applying

You’ll have all of the information you need at this point, and you’ll be able to limit down your options to only those universities to which you’re truly considering applying. Because there are usually fees associated with applications, it’s crucial to only apply to universities that you’re serious about attending.

Start Comparing College Offers

After you apply, you may have to wait a few weeks to hear back from the colleges you applied to—but once you do, it’s time to compare the college offers you’ve gotten. In this phase, you’ll analyze all of the information you’ve gathered and make a decision. You’ll have whittled your choice down to only the colleges you can see yourself attending at this stage.

Careful of the Deadlines

One of the important steps for how to choose the right college is keeping the deadlines in mind. Once you’ve determined which offer you’ll take, make sure you do so before the deadline! It’s critical that you don’t miss the deadline, as failing to do so could mean having to wait months to attend. It’s possible that you’ll have to reapply—or, even worse, that they won’t send you another offer.

Start Preparing for Your College

This is the last step for how to choose the right college! You should be proud of yourself for successfully completing all of the preceding steps. It may have taken a lot of effort, but you are attempting to select the best college for your higher education, and this isn’t something that can be accomplished in a day.

 If you intend to attend college far away from home, you should begin arranging your move now. If you want to stay close to home, start thinking about what classes you’ll be taking each semester and make an appointment to meet with a college counselor to begin organizing your classes.

Check out the Study Abroad Checklist, if you plan to study overseas!

5 Things To Avoid While Selecting Your College

Choosing a college can be stressful, and ensuring that you make the best option possible can be difficult. Here are some typical mistakes to avoid during the college search process to assist you:

Rushing Through The Procedure

It takes time and effort to find the proper college, not to mention research and a lengthy application procedure. It is never a good idea to wait until the last minute or to merely “fall into a college.” It eliminates the most crucial component of the equation: you.

Don’t Be A Follower

Following a boyfriend, girlfriend, or best friend to their preferred institution may seem like a good decision at the moment, but this is also a critical period in your life. Keep in mind that you must make the best decisions for yourself. If your bonds are solid, they will persist for long periods of time and distance.

Fee Structure: Think Smartly

Two big mistakes to avoid are failing to evaluate the expense of education or solely considering the cost as a factor. While cost is a significant major obstacle, there are other elements to consider, and students should not be blinded by this one issue.

Make sure to think about the school’s offer in the financial aid packet you receive in the early spring. Remember that you have the right to appeal your financial aid package. Students looking for financial help or whose parents are paying for college should not overlook the cost of attendance, as expenditures can quickly pile up.

Going After Reputation

Just because a school is “highly regarded,” “large school,” “prestigious,” or “designer” doesn’t guarantee it’s the best fit for you. Don’t automatically assume that the difficulty of getting into a school reflects the quality of education you’ll get. To thrive in a learning environment, some students require smaller courses and more one-on-one engagement.

Rigid Decision

Perhaps you’ve wanted to go there since you were a child and have already determined that there is only one school that is perfect for you. However, it would be a tremendous error not to look into all of your possibilities, such as graduation rates and class sizes. You can still go to your first choice; we simply ask that you have a look at the others as well.

Before you choose a college, make sure it can meet your spiritual needs as well as any medical issues or specific learning needs you may have. When starting college, many students have homesickness and other emotional issues, so it’s a good idea to look into counseling services and health and wellness programs ahead of time. We hope this blog helped you with your steps in how to choose the right college! Are you Looking for some counseling? Then, connect with us at Leverage Edu and book your free slot!