This is a supplemental post to give context to the categories included in my College Tracker Spreadsheet.
Size.
When my students were sophomores in high school, our school took them on a tour of a large state university and a small private college to get them thinking about which one appeals to them more.
A smaller college is going to have smaller class sizes right off the bat in your freshman year, while a larger college will probably have some large lecture hall sized classes in their freshman year of college. If you test out of some preliminary classes because of your AP and/or IB scores, you may enroll in some upper level classes more probably populated with upperclassmen; those classes will be smaller. If you enroll in the honors college on your large campus, those classes will be smaller, too.
In a smaller school, the adults on campus will give you more personal attention during your undergraduate career.
I attended Indiana University and sometimes envied my friends at Notre Dame who had easier access to their professors and their advisors than I initially did.
In time, I thrived on my larger campus and leaned into the opportunities that were offered to me. But that initial transition from high school to college was hard for me—I felt anonymous in that first semester at IU.
For me, going Greek and pledging my sorority helped me make my large and imposing campus seem small.
If you DO go to a larger university, go with an intention to make it small by coming up with a game plan of rushing, getting involved in student government, joining an intramural team, something.
Academic Environment.
Academic offerings.
Cost/Availability of Financial Aid.
Religion.
Ethnicity.
Co-Education or Single Sex Colleges.
Student Body.
Student Life.
Activities.
Location.
🗝️ Related Tools & Resources Check out my separate post about College Visits and How to Make the Most of Them. For my spreadsheet people, I've created a template to help you organize your thoughts on the colleges you visit and compare them across various aspects. |
Opmerkingen