Figuring Out What You Want in a College
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Your Ideal College ProfileNow that you've considered the many aspects of college life, you're probably starting to get a clearer idea of what your ideal college could be like. It really helps to create a chart, and we've created an example. You can use this template or create your own--the main idea is to have something that will serve as your guide as you dive into researching schools. Having an idea of what you want will make the search process much easier.
On the left-hand side, list the different aspects of college life--for example, academic offerings or cost. Then, next to each point, write what you would like ideally in that area. Make sure you include all the areas that are important to you. Finally, figure out how important each particular aspect is. We've created columns for you to mark each characteristic as "must have," "nice to have," or "not critical." When you start to look at actual colleges, you'll want to focus on finding those with the most "must have" qualities. Just don't mark them all as "must have."
An ideal college profile can be a helpful guide in your college search, but try not to feel bound by it. Your priorities may and probably will change, and that's okay. Keep an open mind and remember that some college may have this great program about which you didn't even know and with which you might fall in love.
I always thought that I'd major in econ, but then I visited Wesleyan and learned about this combined major called the College of Social Studies. It included some econ, some government and history, and even some philosophy. As I learned more about it, I couldn't think of anything else that appealed to me more.
Wesleyan University