If you’re approaching your senior year of high school, I bet your parents are hounding you to stop Snapchatting and start thinking about college. I know it’s only July, but the application process is a whirlwind that goes by in the blink of an eye. Before you know it, decision time will be here — and you want to be prepared. Here are some things to consider when choosing your school.
Money. It may seem irrelevant right now, but I graduated college debt-free and every day since has shown how lucky I am to have done so. When you graduate, you’ll be hit with a whole lot of financial responsibility. Consider which schools will give you the most bang for your buck in order to make future financing as painless as possible.
Opportunities. Building a career in your field extends beyond the classroom. Internship opportunities, seminars, workshops, and study abroad programs can all teach you valuable lessons you may not learn at a desk. See if these types of opportunities are available at the schools you’re interested in.
Extracurriculars. College isn’t supposed to be all work and no play. If you love to play sports, research the athletics and intramurals programs at your school of choice. Whether your interest is in theater, robotics, entrepreneurship, or music, make sure you’ll have the opportunity to do what you love at school.
Location. Do you aspire to work on Wall Street? Look at schools close to New York City. Aching to work in tech? A school on the west coast might be the way to go. If you’re close to your family, maybe a school within a reasonable distance of home is preferable. Depending on what’s important to you, take note of a school’s proximity to major cities, companies of note, or family.
I chose my school for all the wrong reasons: it was close to the boy I was dating at the time. Lucky for me, it ended up being the perfect place to spend my four years of college. But don’t leave it up to chance like I did. Consider everything that’s important to you so you can make the most of your college experience.
Written by Nicole Milano. Nicole is a writer and yoga instructor from Rochester, N.Y., as well as a freelance writer for NextStepU. Read more from her at The Everyday Yogi and tweet her @nicolemariemil.
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