What makes a college perfect for me?

I suggest that you start with some basics questions to make the pool of possible colleges more manageable. Some possible questions:

1) Do you like the vibrancy of cities or do you prefer a quieter pace of the suburbs or rural areas?
2) Would a smaller college or university be too confining or would the fit be better for you?
3) Do you want to go to school close to home or far away?
4) Does the school offer the types of courses and majors which interest me? (This is especially important if you have strong idea of the area in which you want to focus your studies.)
5) Do they offer interesting extracurricular opportunities?
6) If you want to live at school, do they have adequate housing options?
and
7) Is the college affordable?

These types of questions will help you begin to reduce the size of the pool of colleges and universities and may make the task a bit easier for you.

Also, check out college websites to get a feel for what you like and don't like. If there is a college (or colleges) close by, try to check them out in person as this will also help you determine what matters most to you.

Good luck! It is an exciting time and it's great that you're thinking about it now!

Here is some stuff to think about when choosing a college. What academic subjects are you interested in? How much of a budget do you have? What do your grades look like? How far from home do you want to be? Can you get scholarships and financial aid to help pay for college? Do you want to go to a big or small college? These are all important questions to answer before you pick a college. Don't just apply to one college apply to many and put in the hard work and research and you will find your answers! Sometimes you won't get your number one pick and that's perfectly ok. I did not go to the #1 college I wanted to get into, they rejected me. Just know it's not the end of the world, if you get rejected from a college. I learned to adapt and make the best of the opportunities given to me. I am having a great time in college right now. I'm making a lot of friends and I am learning a lot. Honestly that's all that matters! Hope this helps. Feel free to comment if you have more questions!

<span style="background-color: transparent;">Collegeboard.org is a great resource for this! I poured through the pages of universities all over the U.S. when I was a senior in high school. Collegeboard was my go-to site! They put all of the information in one place and it is very easy to use. They even have various filters you can apply to see only colleges that have programs you are interested. To determine academic rigor, look at the admissions requirements, G.P.A. of past admitted applicants, SAT/ACT scores, class rank etc. This will give you an idea of what scores and grades you need to be accepted. However, don't be discouraged your application will be reviewed based on the full picture! College-board will help you get an idea of what is most important to the specific school you are applying to.</span>

This professional recommends the following next steps:

• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Chat with your Guidance Counselor</span>
• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Create a Collegeboard.org account</span>
• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Start using CollegeBoard as a resource to look up schools.</span>