Consider the characteristics
When considering a college, look at the different characteristics:
- Type of school (public vs. private, 4-year vs. 2-year, etc.)
- Graduation and retention rates
- School and class size
- Location (urban, suburban, small town, or rural)
- Distance from home
- Religious affiliation
- Ethnic composition
- Single gender or coed
- Majors
- Degrees offered
- Facilities
- Campus environment
- Housing
- Academic rigor (how challenging the classes are)
- Social activities and clubs
- Faculty
- Admission criteria
- Athletics
- Cost
- Financial aid
Decide which characteristics are most important to you. Maybe it's important to stay close to home, which will narrow your search. Maybe you have a very specific area of interest and you only want colleges that specialize in that field. Perhaps you want a large school whose strength lies in its diversity.
The choice is yours. Pick the five to ten characteristics you consider very important in your search for a school, and then start gathering information about your options.