Discover your ideal college: to find the right college out of some 4,000 choices, you need to look far and wide at all your options—and inside yourself

Careers and Colleges, Sept-Oct, 2004 by Nancy Fitzgerald

1. WHAT AM I REALLY INTERESTED IN?

Favorite Courses: --

Favorite Activities: --

Hobbies: --

Majors that Interest Me: --

Athletics: --

Would I be satisfied playing on an intramural or club team? -

2. HOW SMART AM I REALLY?

My GPA: -- My class rank: --

My SAT/PSAT/ACT scores: --

My SAT-II scores: --

AP or honors courses I've taken: --

3. HOW INDEPENDENT AM I?

How close am I to my family and friends?

--

Do I work better on my own or with guidance?

--

What's the longest I've ever been away from home? --

Did I enjoy it? --

How often would I like to see my family during the school year? --

4. WHAT IS MY LEARNING STYLE?

Do I often participate in class? --

Am I most productive with lots of students around or in smaller groups? --

Do I feel more comfortable in the city, in the country, or somewhere in between? --

5. WHAT ARE MY EXPECTATIONS?

What part of high school might I like to see repeated at college? --

How do I hope college is different? --

Nancy Fitzgerald is the contributing editor at CAREERS & COLLEGES magazine.

COLLEGE COMPARISON CHART

Compare your college choices by writing the names of the schools at the
top, and filling in the chart with detailed information that you gather
from catalogs, visits, and interviews. It's up to you to decide which
of these criteria are most important to you.

                                    COLLEGE A   COLLEGE B   COLLEGE C

Admission
% accepted
Required tests/average scores
Average GPA/class rank

Academics
Rigorous coursework
Offers majors that interest me
Programs (study abroad, ROTC)
Well-known faculty
Accessible profs/advisers
Average class size

Students
Total enrollment/undergrad
  enrollment
Diverse population
Male-female ratio
% commuters/residential
% students who graduate

Campus
Distance from home
Location (rural, suburban, urban)
Athletics
Extracurricular activities
Dorms and facilities
Guaranteed housing

Costs
Application fee
Tuition/room and board
Travel costs
Typical aid package
% students receiving aid
Work-study program aid