College Admissions - How to Select the Right College

Getting into college, and choosing the right college to apply to, is not a mystery. But it does seem overwhelming unless you have a plan that gives you a road-map and strategy to choose the right colleges to apply to.

But how do you do that? There are almost four thousand colleges to apply to. How do you narrow your college search down to just three or ten colleges? Since you know that you want to go to college, how do you find the right one, the college that is the perfect fit for you?

Every year there are students who do not get accepted into any college. That's because they did not know how to find the right colleges to apply to. They did not have a sound plan or strategy when they made their college application list. One student I know only applied to one college. When that college said no, the student had to scramble to get accepted somewhere. So how do you make your list?

Choosing the right college is a big decision for your entire family. Education is a lifetime investment of time, money and effort. This is a tough and important decision.

First, you must ask yourself some important questions. If you don't ask yourself these questions now, you may be asking yourself the same questions as a freshman looking at finding a college to transfer to. Don't apply to a college simply because your best friend applied there or it's a prestigious school. Choose wisely. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

o Location - Where do I want to go to college? Do I want to go far from home or stay close? Large campus or a small campus, city or small town?

o Type of Institution - What kind of college do I want to attend? Two year community college or four year institution.

o Housing - Where do I want to live? On campus, off campus, at home, single room or double?

o Enrollment - Do I want large classes or small classes? Am I comfortable in a student body of thousands or just hundreds?

o Student Body - Do I want to go to a coed school or a same sex college?

o Academics - Majors or course offerings. Does the college offer my major? Or if I don't know what I want to major in, does the college have a strong liberal arts curriculum that offers me lots of majors to look at?

o Campus Life - Sports, intramural sports, clubs, band, theater. Are athletic and recreational facilities available?

o Costs -Can my family afford the cost of the college? What percentage of students receive financial aid? Does the college offer scholarships? Am I eligible for federal or state based financial aid?

o Criteria - What criteria does the college use in making their admission decisions?

After you have complied your list of schools that meet the criteria you have selected, you can narrow your list even further by ranking your list. Which colleges are your reach colleges-(those that you may have a hard time to get into) reasonably attainable colleges (those that you have a reasonable chance of getting accepted to and (3) sure-shot colleges (those that you know you'll be admitted to). Make sure that your list has all three categories.

You may have more than one favorite college. But if you take the time now to carefully consider your choices, you'll be happy wherever you go. You will be comfortable with your decisions because you asked yourself the right questions when you applied.

Deborah Battle Pointer is co-founder and co-executive producer of the Peabody award winning television show Def Poetry. She is the former Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Cornell University, former Director of Engineering at Columbia University School of Engineering and and former Director of Financial Aid at Columbia College, Columbia University.

Select A College That Will Help You Find A Job

If you are a high school senior or junior making decisions about the college you will attend and your goal is to graduate with a good job, you should think about a few issues that are seldom discussed. Since the cumulative effect of your choices can greatly impact the number of employers that will want to interview you in your senior year of college, wise students carefully think about each decision.

When evaluating colleges, most students and parents consider factors such as:

- Accreditation

- Admission Requirements

- Grant/Scholarship Money

- Tuition, Room & Board

- Size, Location and Environment

- Distance from Home

- Safety and Security

- Class Size

- Dorms

- Medical Facilities

- Campus Activities, Entertainment & Sports

- Gut Feelings

Although those college selection factors are important, there are other considerations that should also be evaluated. Here are a few things that may affect your chances for finding a good job when you graduate.

Reputation Of The College- Students should apply to the best colleges they can afford, colleges with a good reputation in their field of interest. A good college reputation will help when you begin to look for a job. Even if you are still uncertain about your major, keep in mind that nationally known and respected colleges tend to be more attractive to many employers. You will have to decide whether graduating from a college that is highly respected in your field, is worth the financial sacrifice.

Questions: Is there a two-year or lower cost four-year college that you can attend for the first two years and then transfer to a better college? Have you considered working full time and attending college at night or on weekends, as a way to afford a college with a good reputation in your area of interest?

Job Search Preparation and Employment Assistance - There will be great variations in the quality and quantity of people, training and services that colleges provide to students in the critical areas of job search preparation and employment. Some colleges recognize the importance of job search preparation, accomplishments and work experience. Other colleges don't even help very much with the senior year job search.

Since your goal is to graduate from college with a good job, a great deal of weight should be given to colleges that aggressively support and encourage each student's job search preparation efforts through ongoing training, coaching and job identification. A short meeting with someone in Career Services in the senior year of college is totally inadequate for any student who hopes to land a good job.

Questions: How many people work in the Career Services Office, as compared to the total number of students? Does the freshman orientation program emphasize preparation and planning for the end goal? Does the college recognize that preparation for the senior year job search starts in the freshman year and continues throughout the college experience? How much job search training and personal attention will students receive each year? How many employers visited the campus last year to recruit students in your specific field of study? How does the college help seniors find jobs in their own field? Have the college leaders created a campus culture that truly helps students find good jobs? Does the college maintain a close relationship with alumni who can help students find good jobs? Do your professors and instructors serve as consultants to employers or belong to associations in your field? Do they introduce students to their industry contacts?

Active Student Participation - Employers love students who can present them with a list of significant accomplishments. Getting involved with on-campus and off-campus activities is a good way to demonstrate student capabilities and successes.

Questions: Does the college and the local area offer students a wide array of opportunities to participate in campus, community, work and leisure activities where students can accumulate a list of successes and impressive accomplishments? Will the student take advantage of these opportunities to work and participate?

Your College Major - Not all college majors lead to good jobs. However, most students will do better when they select something they do well at and enjoy. Therefore, students should do some research and identify colleges that have a good reputation in their field of interest.

Even though a college has a good overall reputation and offers 60 - 80 different majors, not every major offered is of the same quality or has the same reputation among employers. When a college has a great reputation in a given field, more employers will seek out, interview and hire students from that college. Wise students take the time to find out which colleges have the best reputation in their field of interest before they make their final college selection.

Questions: Does you college major lead to a good job? With the major you've selected, what kind of jobs are you most likely to obtain when you graduate? Which employers offer those jobs? What do those employers want and expect from students interviewing for those jobs? What should you do during the college years to get prepared for those jobs and those interviews?

Your College Minor - Many students don't give much thought to their college minor. However, it is important for students to select a minor that will support or compliment their college major. When a minor is directly aligned with their major, it tends to strengthen a student's expertise, especially in technical areas. Some students choose a business minor, recognizing that there is a business component to every field. All businesses need people who have technical expertise in that field, but can also run the business as managers and hold positions in sales, marketing, customer service and human resources, etc.

Questions: Which college minors will best support and compliment the selected major? Would it make sense to minor in business so as to open a broader array of employment opportunities in the field of interest?

Feeling comfortable with your field of study is extremely important. However, graduating with a good job is also important. That's why savvy students think about each college selection factor and concern from an employment point of view. Why not select a college that will help you find a good job?

Bob Roth, a former campus recruiter, is the author of three books: College Success: Advice for Parents of High School and College Students, The College Student's Guide To Landing A Great Job -and- The 4 Realities Of Success During and After College. Known as The "College & Career Success" Coach, Bob also writes articles for more than 225 College Career Services Offices, Campus Newspapers, Parent Associations and Employment Web Sites. Additionally, Bob has developed S-JIM? The Student Job Identification Machine. He has been interviewed on numerous radio programs across the country and also by many newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal. Lastly, Bob has served as an Adjunct at Marist College, teaching a course in Career Development. http://www.The4Realities.com. Bob's Blog- http://collegesuccess.blog.com