Searching for Right University
Many High School Students Need to be Patient When Selecting School
Oct 23, 2009
It's just the start of the application and admissions process. After getting the results back from the collegiate entrance exams, a list should be compiled of schools by the high schooler. It should involve favorites, along with some schools that are close and ones that are easier to get into.
Go over the list with a parent or guardian. It helps to get input from people that care and have gone through the process of looking for the right college or university. If the test scores are strong, then feel free to early apply to the top two or three choices on the list. This shows great potential and early admission allows for an easier high school experience.
Setting Up Campus Visits
After compiling a list, choose two or three of the schools and see how feasible it would be to visit the campuses. Campus visits are important because it's the best way to evaluate campus life. It also gives the university an opportunity to showcase a lot of what it has to offer to potential students.
Many high schools will set up college visits through the high school and give students the opportunity to visit two types of schools in the area, usually a community college and a four-year institution. This is to show the difference between the two types of higher education. It helps to go on these trips if there's uncertainty in the selection process.
Campus tours also give potential students the opportunity to meet current students and see what kind of experience the potential students will get when they're freshman at the university.
Going through the Application Process
With the advent of technology and the ease of the internet, most universities have an online application process. It's easier for everyone. The more prestigious schools will ask for an address, send a paper application then charge an application fee. Colleges and universities compile a lot of applications, so it's going take 3-4 months before getting acceptance letters.
After getting accepted, the university will send along the financial aide packages. Most schools offer a discount for students. Most universities often require that freshmen and first year students live on campus. This allows the university a chance to integrate students into campus life easier. If the chosen school is close by, the colleges offer commuter financial aide packages as well.
Deciding on Which One to Choose
After receiving the acceptance letters and financial aide packages, it's good to sit down with a parent or some one who's gone through the college selection process. A list of pros and cons determined by the student and the parent is usually a good evaluating process starting point.
After narrowing down the list of accepted schools to two or three, set up a more intimate campus tour for accepted students. This may involve an overnight stay at the university. It also may involve sitting in on a couple of freshman classes and seeing campus life as a student.
After visiting the college campus and getting a sense of the life at the different schools, then it should be easier to determine which school to attend. It's a difficult decision that affects the next two or four years of life. Still, hard work during the first semester of school could lead to a transfer to a different college if the first choice doesn't work out.
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