Choosing A College
Here is some advice I've compiled regarding selecting and attending a
university in the US.
Though imperfect, the [US News
and World Report] provides a fairly accurate guideline to the best
colleges in the US. Take the rankings with a grain of salt, but remember that
the ranking of the university has some significance:
Rankings should by no means help you make your final decision, but
looking into the top colleges overall and in your field of interest will help
give you a better idea of what makes these schools appealing, and perhaps what
type of environment you would like out of those top choices.
If so, look at the faculty at each university who could be relevant to
your interests and more strongly consider colleges at which there is a
concentrated interest in a specific topic. Even if you do not have a specific
interest in a field, a department with a depth of knowledge in a particular area
is likely to enhance the potential for learning 'depth' throughout your
undergraduate cirriculum.
[CS Rankings], for
example, is a website dedicated to tracking research output and weighting
institutions based on their graduate research strengths. Other disciplines have
similar rankings systems that can be looked at for guidance.
The location of the university is one of the most important aspects of
the decision. It'll determine what you have access to in your free time, the
kind of people you'll connect with, the place you'll have the most
connections in and eventually could play a hand in the location of your
employment. Read a bit about the 'personality' of the city or town that
each college resides in, watch some videos, and visit if you can. The
environment is the part of the college selection process that is most difficult
to quantify, and takes knowing a bit more about what you want to determine.
If you're looking into a smaller school or a school in a small town,
make sure that the school or locale offers the resources to do things you enjoy.
You might be hard-pressed to find a golf course in Oberlin, Ohio, for example.
If you don't have a strong urge to live in a given place, that's
fine -- you'll be able to better optimize for academic interests, and
you're likely to meet plenty of friends at any college you choose to attend.
Now that you have a variety of colleges you're interested in,
it's time to get a bit more realistic.
Applying to top schools with acceptance rates in the single digits is
more or less a lottery. Admissions staff spend as little as five minutes looking
at each application and colleges often select for a particular student profile
-- newsworthy accomplishments nonwithstanding, even the best candidates can lose
the college lottery.
As such, it's best to develop a 'portfolio' of colleges with
a variety of different risk factors. Critically examine yourself, your scores,
and your extracirriculars and identify what colleges expect.
Colleges are required to report their 25th percentile and 75th percentile
SAT and ACT test scores for admissions, and often describe what type of students
they're looking for on their websites. You can use this information in
conjunction with other resources (described below) to determine if a school is
right for you.
These factors depend on the individual and their circumstances, but you
likely want a spread similar to the following, assuming applications to about
ten different schools:
[Here]
is a good place to start for finding such schools.
Unless you have a strong idea of what you want from your college
experience, it's a good idea to apply to a diverse group of colleges (in
terms of location, campus values and prestige) rather than focusing on a
particular type of school. After all, your perspective on what you want from
college will change during the application process and as acceptances (and
reality) start to kick in as decision day approaches.
There are lots of good resources to look into regarding college
applications in the US. [The Applying to College subreddit]
and [College
Confidential] are both forums on which students, admissions
counselors, and parents seek and provide advice for students looking to find the
right college. These forums are the best place to seek answers regarding college
admissions.
It's easy to become caught up in their obsession over ranking and
prestige. Your personal interests will always matter more
than a perceived ranking or reputation that a certain college holds.
Specific admissions blogs can help you learn more about the individual
experiences of many college students, their individual college experiences and
their perspectives on the universities they attend. One of my favorites is the
[MIT admissions blog]
-- it has consistently great writing and genuine insight from MIT students
with a variety of backgrounds.
The subreddits and Facebook groups for individual colleges (for example,
[https://reddit.com/r/neu)]
provide insight into the day to day lives of students on campus and can
help you feel out the campus culture. These are relatively easy to find -- just
look up the college's name on the appropriate platform.
Do keep in mind that the students typically posting the most are
typically those with the most to complain about, though; read about complaints
students have, but don't take them for granted as attributes of the school.
College 'vlogs' or 'tours' on YouTube are, in my opinion,
the best way to get a 'feel' for the university; there tend to be a few
students at most schools passionate about making such videos and showcasing
their experiences. For example, [here's one such video
made by a friend at Northeastern].
Though this decision is an incredibly important one, don't spend too
much time worrying about it. Wherever you go, you'll be able to find a
community of those who with the same interests and professors who share your
academic passions. You'll warm up to the location too.
College is just four years of your life; make the most of it, but
don't spend too much time worried. You'll have a good experience
regardless of where you end up.
it's hard to know who should take nontraditional paths, and many
people are looking for validation not to do so. realistically, this is the best
option for most people, both socially and academically.
Harder to make friends without university. Cultivating the ability to
focus independently for an extended period of time before heading to college is
ideal for many people to develop.
Finding Colleges
Do you have a particular interest in the field you would like to pursue?
What do you want to do outside of college?
Assembling a List
The Portfolio
Resources
Your Choice Doesn't Matter
Do I need to go to university?