How to choose a college
So you have been accepted to multiple colleges and now you’re wondering which one to choose from. Or maybe you are debating between going to community college first or going to a four-year university straight out of high school. With so many pathways to choose from, we hope this guide gives you some tips and strategies that you can follow to narrow down your choices. There is a wide range of factors to consider when making the important college of which college to attend. Consider these key questions:
How far are you willing to or able to go?
If you are planning on living with family and commuting to college, carefully take into consideration the average length of your commute and availability of parking in the college. In a city like Los Angeles, heavy traffic can exponentially lengthen your commute time, which means you might have to get to campus early to secure parking.
If your commute is long, you might have to stay on or near campus all day if your classes and extracurricular activities are spread out throughout the day.
Does your college offer classes and opportunities in your areas of interest?
Do a deep dive into each university you are considering. Go on their website and look at what programs they offer, what opportunities are available for you to get involved, and services are available for you, such as career counseling, tutoring services, and scholarship offices.
Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to study, look at what majors and minors are offered by the university and figure out if they offer subjects you are interested in.
Message current students at the university and ask them questions. You can either ask the admissions office to connect you with a current student or you can find them online on LinkedIn or the university’s Reddit page. Ask them questions such as:
What resources have you taken advantage of at your university?
What are some disadvantages of attending this university?
What do you like best about attending this university?
What are the housing options?
What the college environment is like
How much financial aid should you expect?
Money is and should be a huge factor in considering which university to attend. By now, you should have applied to FAFSA or the CA Dream Act. You will be receiving a financial award letter from your university which will explain how much FREE money (grants and scholarships) you will be receiving. Whatever remaining costs that are not covered by free money will likely be offered through work-study (you work to pay for college) or loans, which is money that you have to pay back.
Are you happy with your current choices?
College is a huge time, energy and financial investment, and at the end of the day, you should be happy with your choice. Ask yourself if you would be happy spending the next four years at this university. If the answer is no, then this is a good time to think about whether going to community college for two years and transferring to a university of your choice is an option you are willing to pursue.
Through your research, you should try to find the answer to this question: Do you see yourself in X university?
Family concerns
It can be difficult to talk to family members about college. They might want you to stay home and go to a nearby university while you might want to go somewhere that would require you to live away from your family. Sometimes they are concerned about saving money while other times it might be anxiety over having you live away from home for the first time.
Here are some tips that might help while speaking to your family about college:
How much the university you want to attend has to offer -- show them the website, the professors and students, and even videos of what the campus looks like.
Career opportunities: You go to college in large part to prepare for employment after graduation. Have a candid conversation with them that the university of your choice has the resources and opportunities you need to prepare for employment after graduation.
Talk to them about the housing options available at your university. Show your family how many students live in dorms and other campus-affiliated housing. Show them pictures and videos of the dorms (they should be available in the university’s housing page). Being able to visualize where you will be living might dispel some of the anxieties surrounding you living away from home.
Universities usually have student organizations for students who affiliate with certain cultural/ethnic backgrounds (for example, student associations for Black, Latinx, Native American, Asian/Pacific Islander, South Asian students, etc.) It might be helpful to show your family that students from your cultural/ethnic background are attending the university and have created a community for themselves.
Should you consider community college?
In California, community college is now free for first-time, full-time students through the College Promise Act. This is a significant incentive for students who are worried about not being able to afford going to a 4-year university. However, beyond financial considerations, there are other reasons why community college might be the best decision for you.
Attending 4 years of university will be expensive for you and you will have to incur significant debt. Avoiding debt is especially important if you are planning on pursuing post-graduate studies (getting a master's, medical, law, or any other graduate/professional degrees that might require you to take out significant loans).
You are not happy with your current choices and know you can get into better schools through transferring from community college.
You don't feel academically or mentally prepared to go to a 4 year university and need some time to figure out your interests, develop study skills, and take some time to prepare for college.
College is a major milestone in your life and it is important to choose wisely as it can change the course of the rest of your life. With that being said, don’t overwhelm yourself and make the best of your choices. You have the ability to choose. Don’t let anybody else choose for you.
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