College choice has many factors
Jeffrey Dransfeldt
Issue date: 5/9/05 Section: Focus
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Having the experience of being accepted is exciting, but also daunting. Students apply and are accepted to multiple schools each year, making it difficult to select the college that is a perfect fit. A student's choice of college is a personal and individual decision.
The process begins with a student choosing a select group of colleges. In this writer's case, it was a group of eight schools - seven out of state and one in-state. Selecting the college varies according to a student's career interest, in this case journalism. To find ideal colleges, students need to research the countless universities and available programs fitting their needs.
Next and most importantly, some other factors: cost, location and comfort level are all crucial factors in making a life-altering decision. To help determine your college choice, follow this writer's path to his college choice, free to glean from it what you will, advice or a simple reminder of what to look for.
Comfort is an important first step. Look at colleges away from home, but also those semi-close to friends and family. It's not necessary to move across the country to gain independence. This writer's final two options came down to the University of Oregon and North Carolina. One university is a state over, the other across the country.
Determining the right comfort and college fit can be accomplished with a campus visit. Try looking at two campuses the opposite ends of the spectrum. This writer visited Oregon and the University of Arizona, two schools contrasting in weather, environment and style of life. College visits allow you to meet department contacts, see the campus, look at housing options (apartments or dorms) and look at area dining. By meeting with an adviser, students can determine scholarship opportunities, how many credits transfer and when to attend orientation. The number of transferable courses is important. In my case; North Carolina transferred only 26 out of 70 from Ventura College, whereas Oregon accepts a majority of the units. The number of credits that transfer helps determine how many years one will be in school and subsequent tuition costs.
At each campus, look at recreational opportunities. School is not just for studying, but growing as an individual, having a good time and meeting new people. The size of the college town factors into fun opportunities. For example, Eugene, Ore., has 130,000-plus people and is an hour away from the larger city of Portland. Colleges offer an assortment of on-campus entertainment from plays and musicals to big-name bands that visit campus or nearby city venues. Student centers or student unions can offer all the benefits of a local city, with a post office, food court, maybe even a small movie theater showing new and classic films.
What matters most, though, is where you feel you belong. When you find that feeling at a university, you will know it is the perfect fit. For this writer, Oregon simply felt like home.