he key to finding the best college is knowing what you want ... and don't want!

College Selection Criteria

What is important to you?

Many factors will be important to you, and your reasons for choosing a college will differ somewhat from those of your friends or others in your family. The checklists on these pages are designed to help you identify your personal college selection criteria.

Go through each list and check off those criteria that are important to you. Then you may want to put them in some priority order.

When you are reading about a college or visiting a campus, compare it with the criteria on your checklist. Do the college's characteristics match up with your needs and wants? You will probably want to continue investigating those that meet most or all of your needs, especially priority needs.

General College Characteristics

• Degree of selectivity in admission

• Atmosphere: what are the people and general quality of life like?

• Location (distance from home, geographic character, area opportunities, urban vs. rural)

• Size of enrollment

• Undergraduate college vs. undergraduate and graduate university

• Coed or single sex

• Facilities (especially in areas important to you and their condition)

• Appearance of campus: attractive and well-kept

• Availability of scholarships and financial aid

• Student employment opportunities

• Cost/net cost after scholarships and financial aid

• Financial strength/endowment

• Retention rate/graduation rate

• Heritage and special traditions

• Family ties to a particular college

• Church affiliation

Academic Life

• Size (especially the effect on size of classes, student/faculty ratio, etc.)

• Quality and availability of faculty members (full-time teaching faculty vs. teaching assistants)

• Type of curriculum (liberal arts, vocational)

• Academic majors

• Special interest or honors programs

• Flexibility in course selection

• Degree requirements

• Academic calendar (e.g., two semesters? three quarters? 4-1-4?)

• Off-campus programs

• International study opportunities

• Library (quantity, quality, facilities)

• Computer facilities

• Particular academic facilities

Reputation

• General academic reputation

• National rankings

• Alumni accomplishments

• Reputation among graduate schools

• Job placement record

• Career planning workshops and on-campus recruiters

• Internship opportunities

Student Life

• Students (academic motivation, diversity, friendliness)

• Residential campus (as opposed to one with a substantial commuter population, or a "suitcase" college where many students leave on weekends)

• Housing (availability, quality, variety)

• Food (quality, meal plan options)

• Campus activities (variety, quality and availability of those that matter to you)

• Athletics (intercollegiate, intramural or recreational programs)

• Social life

• Fraternities/sororities