By now you have probably heard from most (if not all) of the colleges you applied to, so it’s time to narrow it down and make a decision. May 1st is known as commitment day and whether we want to believe it or not, it’s right around the corner. Decisions will need to be made, and hopefully you have put some thought into them already. At the age of 17 or 18 this is one of the largest decisions you will have to make.
So, Where do you start? It would help if you knew what you wanted to major in.
Although not everybody is certain what they want to do with the rest of their lives, you should at least try to narrow it down. Do you want to work with kids? Do you want to work in the medical field? Or maybe you just want to go undecided and figure it out as you go. Either way, this will help you narrow it down to the type of school and how many years you would need to attend. Will you continue on at the same school if you need to continue your education, such as your masters? Let’s not forget money also plays a big factor when making these choices.
A community college will cost less, but it’s only a two year college so after you receive your Associate’s degree you will need to transfer to another college, if you choose, to finish out your undergraduate degree. Most community colleges do not offer on campus housing so if you were looking forward to living away from home, community college might not be the right choice for you.
Technical schools usually offer a hands-on training program that can last a few months up to a year or two and are geared toward a specific career. This will cost less than a four year school, but not all technical schools offer dorms, actually the list is very small. So if you were planning on living away you may need to do some research on where they are located and how far you are willing to live away from home.
4 year colleges are a little trickier. You will need to compare prices, are they in state or out of state, how much did the college offer you when they sent the acceptance letter, will you live there or commute and how far you are willing to travel?
To some, living away is important, but they want to stay close enough to home to get back and forth if needed, while others are willing to pack everything up and see where life takes them. Others want the experience of a bigger college, but are willing to save on price by living at home and driving to and from class. Let’s not forget the size of the college, because believe it or not, that matters. You may want a smaller school that has less students and smaller classes while others thrive on a much bigger community.
You narrowed it down, you have a good idea of where you want to go so you apply and hope for the best. Now your acceptance letters have arrived and it’s time to make the final decision. Which college will you choose? Not an easy decision at all, but whatever decision you make, will be the right one for you.