Juniors, it’s that time of the year to start thinking about the college application process. We know it’s a long and difficult process and you don’t even know where to start, so we had some college students all over the country weigh in on where you should begin:
SChai: The college search varies for each individual, so I can really only explain what I did and what worked for me. Location was extremely important to me, so I first picked out the only cities I was willing to go to college in. Then I researched private schools in these cities, because I was sure that I wanted to go to a private school. Next, I looked at the academic rigor of each school. I went to a high school with a very rigorous academic culture, and I wanted to be challenged on the same - or a higher - level at college. Last, I took a look at average class size and financial aid opportunities. I recommend determining what factors are most important to you in a college, and then narrowing down your potential schools to schools that offer those specific factors.
Kevin3651: Take some of those silly tests to figure out what your interests are. I regret skewing the data so even though you have something in mind, don’t answer the questions just so you get the occupation you are thinking about. Answer them truthfully. Research some of the occupations that come up and of the ones that look interesting, look up colleges that strong academic programs in those fields. That’s how I picked Grinnell because I knew it had a very strong science program and I wanted to be a doctor, so Grinnell’s great track record into med schools was very attractive to me.
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