Choosing a College

Choosing a college can be a highly emotional adventure for high school students.  My own personal belief is that the college experience ought to be approximately 40% academic and 60% social and skill building.  Many will disagree with this, but the college opportunity gives a student the chance to assimilate into a new community, to learn solid academics, and to participate with others in a wide variety of experiences such as intramural activities, sports, and fraternities and sororities.  I am NOT suggesting that an individual should go to a college to have a party;  rather, I am suggesting that there is much more to the experience – such as making life long friends – than just studying all the time.

In choosing a college, my advice is as follows:

• Pay no attention to how high a college or university might be rated by some magazine;
• Have your own set of criteria that you will use to select the college.  Make sure that these criteria are YOUR OWN and not those which someone else has told you to use;
• Make sure you visit the college and see for yourself if you would like to spend four years of your life in that environment;
• When the letters of acceptance come pouring in, evaluate each of the colleges/universities against your pre-prepared criteria, and then PUT THOSE CRITERIA AWAY.  Make your decision FROM THE HEART!  Not from the brain.

The best college for you is the one that feels right for you – not the one that you think you should attend because it is highly rated in some area or simply has good athletic teams.  Trust your heart!  If you attend the college that you love, you will have an excellent experience.

Selecting a Major

Selecting a major in college can be, all too often, a decision that is taken far too seriously.  There really isn’t much of a correlation between what might be your major and what you will eventually do during the rest of your life.  So don’t be afraid to major in a subject that you really love!  You will get better grades and you will have a better experience in college.  Remember that you can, if you want, become a physician if you go to college and major in history.  It might take you longer – but you can do it.  The same is for virtually any other career.  So – again – don’t take it too seriously and trust your heart!  You will be rewarded.

An excellent posting about the correlation of college choice and college major appears on the site for “Groovy Careers.”  You should check it out.

And Good Luck in making your choices!

~ CCJ