One of the most important factors you'll consider when choosing a college is the type of college that best fits your personality and personal interests.However, there are many other factors to consider in selection a college.
Accreditation :
If you want to earn a degree that's going to have value in the job market, it's important to make sure that the college or university you attend is accredited. Accreditation is a rigorous process that higher education institutions must go through in order to certify that their curriculum is up to par with regional and national standards. Never assume that a college is accredited, because not all are - even though they may represent themselves as extremely reputable. You'll also want to find out if a college is regionally or nationally accredited. While both accreditation are valid, you'll probably want to make sure that the college or university you attend is regionally accredited. You can find out if a college is accredited by looking on a college's recruiting website, by reviewing their academic catalogs, or by speaking with an admissions officer.
Individual departments and academic programs may also be accredited. This type of accreditation ensures that a program itself meets additional quality standards and is recognized nationally. If you already know what type of major you want to pursue, then it would be wise to look into the accreditation of the respective department or program offering your major.
Academics
Another factor you'll want to consider when selecting a college is the reputation of it's academic department(s). Ask around, speak with alumni and potential employers in the industries where you'd like to work down the road. Make sure to find out about the curriculum and faculty in your intended major. Find out if the academic program offered by the college provides hands-on experience or internships in your field prior to graduation.
Another thing you may want to consider is college ranking, but keep in mind that criteria used to
generate rankings differs from one reporting organization to another, and more importantly, may differ from your own. Most national college ranking organizations employ factors including endowments, alumni support, and reputation in their computation of rankings whereby favoring large, private colleges and universities. An accredited degree from a state university or smaller private university can be just as valuable as a degree from an Ivy League university or other prestigious college.
Another academic factor worth looking at is a school's student-to-faculty ratio. The more students there are per faculty member the less personalized attention you're likely to receive. Keep in mind that this ratio is going to differ for freshman, junior and senior classes, as freshman classes are typically larger.
Faculty
When you think about a college professor don't think of them as just another teacher - they are much more. In addition to being a teacher, they should counsel with you about your career goals, help you develop your strengths and identify opportunities, act as a mentor, and when merited, provide you a letter of recommendation. So when you're choosing a college, take a good hard look at the quality of the professors it employs. If you already know what you're going to major in then you should scrutinize the the quality of the professors supporting the program and department you'll be involved with. Visit the campus and chat with professors and speak with students currently in your program of interest about their experience. Good professors will not only provide you with a good education, they'll provide you avenues into the real world.
Keep in mind that it is not uncommon for colleges to allow graduate students to teach classes. You should find out how many of your courses are going to be taught by real professors versus graduate students.
Location
One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a college is location. If you don't like where you're living when you go to college, it may end up being a miserable experience - even if it is an Ivy League school you're attending. Remember, you're likely to end up attending college for four or more years before you earn your degree so make sure you're comfortable with the location where you'll be living. If leaving home is not an option, consider attending a state college or community college in your area. If you're comfortable traveling a long way from home to earn your degree, then consider whether you want to live in a big city, metropolitan area, small town, near the beach, where it's warm all year, etc.
Also, take some time to consider how the college's location will affect your education. Colleges in big cities and "party towns" tend to have a lot of distractions that may affect your academic performance. On the other hand, it may be difficult to find extracurricular off-campus activities if you're located in a small rural town. You'll also want to take into account crime rate and living costs when considering where you want to attend college.
Size:
Determining what size of college best fits your needs will help to narrow down your choices. So you may want to know, what does it matter what size a college is? What is the difference between a large or small university? And what constitutes a "large" university versus a "small" university? These are all very good questions. The following are a few major differences between large and small colleges.
- Large colleges and universities typically offer a
larger variety of majors, concentrations, and degree programs than
smaller schools. Smaller schools often focus on liberal arts and a few
other specialities.
- Large universities offer extensive resources
for their students including libraries, computers, on-campus housing,
athletics and extracurricular activities.
- Large universities usually provide a diverse
student body with varied backgrounds, cultures and interests. While a
very attractive characteristic to some students, this can be
overwhelming to others.
- Smaller colleges offer a more intimate
setting than larger colleges. You get to know just about everyone on
campus they all get to know you too.
- Smaller colleges typically offer fewer distractions than larger colleges.
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