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How do we choose the college for us?

I know there is a lot to consider, but when it comes down to our final decision how should we make that decision. What should we narrow it down to? #college #choosingacollege

choosingacollege
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Nicole’s Answer

Hi JaMiyah P. I see that you posted this question a little while ago so I hope my answer to you (or others who may read this response) is still helpful.

First I encourage anyone who is in the process of picking out schools to remain positive in their search. It has been my experience that colleges/universities are eager to get students who are creative thinkers and can contribute in positive ways to the school. In that regard, many colleges/universities are eager to have students apply and bring their uniqueness to the campus at large. I think that sometimes students don't realize how much they have to offer when attending a college/university.

In my case, how I made my choice included many many factors. On this basis, I encourage students to begin their search early enough so that they can do as thorough research as possible. I started my search in early part of my junior year in high school. By that time, I had a pretty clear sense of what I wanted to study. I got the opportunity to read lots of materials that I got in the mail (I guess now online is more efficient :)) about the school. Then I got the chance to visit a few of them. I got a chance to ask and understand a bit more detail regarding financial aid packages. And I got a chance to talk to a few people that I knew and trusted who attended at least one of the schools I was considering. All of these things take time especially as one is still taking high school classes and, hopefully, enjoying their last days in high school.

I hope you find this information helpful. Best of luck to you!
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Ken’s Answer

It really does not matter what school you attend, as the most important factors are how well you do with the school work, which is an indication to an employer about what kind of employee you will be, and the effort that you put forth in your networking to set up networking connections that will help you throughout your education/career journey. Here is an important video for you to watch: ## http://www.ted.com/talks/julie_lythcott_haims_how_to_raise_successful_kids_without_over_parenting?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=education ##


Here are some good tips on reducing costs. Too many people spend way too much money on an education and end up with unnecessarily high debt. ##  http://www.educationplanner.org/students/paying-for-school/ways-to-pay/reduce-college-costs.shtml

Ken recommends the following next steps:

Getting to know yourself better to determine a career focus and then talking face to face in person with people who are doing what you think that you want to do and learning what they do, how they got there, and seeing what suggestions that they have will help you greatly with your education/career journey. Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .
The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
• It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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