I applied to a fair number of colleges; nine, I think.  I was fortunate enough to get into all of them which was gratifying, but left me with some tough decisions.

First, I weeded-out the colleges I knew I didn’t really want to attend; I had considered them “safety” schools from the get-go.  Then there was the school that my boyfriend was going to, but my parents put the kibosh on that one.  A couple of my other choices offered me small academic scholarships, which put them in the forefront.

Ultimately I got into my original first-choice school. But, since I had submitted my application for that school, another college rose to the top of my list.  I had to decide if I would go to my original choice or to the other school. I opted for the other. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: choosing a college, college decisions, how to decide on a college
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Planning for college can definitely be intimidating. After all, there are THOUSANDS of colleges out there, each with beautiful web sites and brochures of students studying on the “quad” or bicycling through the fall leaves. It’s enough to make you think that no matter where you go, you will have a wonderful college experience.  You just need to focus on your SAT, GPA, and essays to submit strong college applications. Right?

But don’t be fooled, because reality can strike hard. That college that you never visited but really meant to—can quickly turn into a big regret.  Perhaps you thrive in a competitive academic environment and find the students in your classes to be apathetic.  Or maybe the campus doesn’t offer the activities you love to do in your free time. College acceptance doesn’t necessarily mean college satisfaction. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: college search tools, college selection, how to decide on a college
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