Your decision on which college to attend can shape your future.
It is the moment you've been dreaming of since you entered high school: the letters have come back from the school that have accepted you as an undergraduate. Your application process is at an end, and now you have only to chose which of the colleges that have accepted you to attend. While there is no single best way to decide which one you should attend, you will be best served by taking a few important factors into consideration.
Prestige
The prestige of your college degree isn't everything, but it will be a factor when future employers or admissions officers for graduate programs look at your application. Schools with good reputation and name-brand recognition can impress a potential employer. When you are applying to graduate schools, the reputation your school carries for academic rigor can supplement the actual grades you receive in presenting your preparation and qualifications for further academic studies. While the name that will be on your eventual degree is an important consideration, you shouldn't automatically pick the most prestigious school you get into without considering other factors.
Tuition
Consider seriously how much you will end up paying for your degree. For some people, there is a cap on how much money they can gather through parental contributions, scholarships, financial aid and student loans that determines how much they can afford to pay in tuition. Even students who can raise as much money as necessary through student loans must remember they will have to pay back every penny they borrow. While a college degree is a worthwhile investment, the level of debt you are willing to incur will determine if you choose to go to a slightly less prestigious school that offers lower tuition or more money in scholarships.
Extracurricular Activities
While academics should be your primary concern at college, it is not the only dimension to campus life. You should be aware of what the campus has to offer outside of the classroom. Do you want to join a sorority or fraternity? A political advocacy organization? Before you make a final decision on which college to attend, you should research what extracurricular organizations each college that accepted you has to offer. In addition to making your life more enjoyable while you pursue a degree, participation in extracurricular activities can supplement both professional and graduate school applications. Consequently, you should make sure that a college has the types of activities you would want to pursue before you accept its offer of admission.
Location
One final consideration in selecting a college is its location. Is it too far from your home for you to comfortably see your family as often as you would like? Is it close enough to locations where you can pursue internships in your field of interest? If you choose to attend a distant school only to discover you can't function that far away from your family and need to drop out, you will end up wasting time and money. An honest assessment of your ability to function and pursue your goals at a particular school's location will help ensure a more successful college experience.
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