With decision day having passed, the college season for the Class of 2022 begins. With over 5,300 choices to choose from, the next four years should surely be perfect. The problem, however, becomes figuring out which of those 5,300 schools will inevitably lead to the perfect end to your teenage years and the beginning of your twenties. Thankfully, it can be easier than you might think to find the school of your dreams.
Considering the type of environment you want will be incredibly necessary. Everyone’s college experience will wind up different, but how different it becomes proves to be entirely in your hands. Do you want a more urban setting, like UNC Charlotte or NYU, or would you be more interested in the idea of a college town, like ECU or Penn State (a school that literally resides in the town “University Park”). Even the type of school has an entirely different culture. If a school focuses more on engineering and technical subjects, you have to think to yourself, how comfortable would you be with having those people as your main peers? Do you have many shared interests? If not, you may want to go to a more generalized school in order to truly find your group. A good site to look for your preferences goes by the name of Niche, as it uses a number of sliders and boxes to find the school that fits your preferences
While navigating the website, check out the extracurriculars at the school. Most schools have a list about a mile long of all the possible clubs you can join, and many of the clubs maintain as school-specific. Once you look at a few schools, the different clubs will jump out at you. The volunteer organizations have an emphasis on the school’s specific community as they tend to cater to the different needs of each community of the school. Take a look at that section and see if anything jumps out at you. After all, volunteering both works as a way to help the community and as a way to network and meet new people.
Obviously, you should also take a look at what majors the school offers. Make a list of majors/fields you would possibly be interested in before applying anywhere. If the school does not have at least two or three of the majors on your list, cross them off your list. According to a study from the Department of Education, one out of every three college students change their majors at least once. If you end up being one of the thirty-three percent that gets in this predicament, you’ll already have a semblance of a backup plan in place.
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