Guest Contributors
You are fast approaching an exciting start to the next phase of your life. Your college experience is about to begin! Narrowing down the “best-fit” college for you can be a challenging yet rewarding task. As you make this important decision, keep the following three considerations in mind.
Campus Life
The college or university you end up choosing will be your home and ‘work place’ for the next handful of years. You want to make sure you’re settling on a school that feels right for you. Consider touring the campus if you haven’t already and get to know more about the campus while asking yourself the following questions. Do I prefer to be in a big city or a small town? What can I learn about their campus safety? What are the curriculum strengths and weaknesses of the school as per my own study interests? What are their campus eateries like? Remember that this will be your new home for the next few years and you want to be comfortable and feel ready to maximize your academic and non-academic experiences.
Mother Nature
If you’re not a person who enjoys being in the cold, perhaps you might want to stay away from some of the schools in the Northeast that typically get blasted by frigid winters. I attended a university in southern Virginia and although the winters weren't terribly harsh, we did experience quite a bit of snow from time to time. I realize that any place much colder than that would have been a major distraction for me. You don’t want to find yourself skipping lectures because you’re reluctant to get out of bed to face the cold walks to your lecture hall. Treat this seriously and try to choose a school that is located someplace where you know you’ll enjoy the weather or at least be able to tolerate it.
Financial Aid Offerings
Before you settle on a school, it’s a good idea to look beyond the “retail cost” of the schools you've applied to and rather consider what the cost will be to you after all the financial aid kicks in. In other words, try to find out what your actual out-of-pocket expense would be each year. You may be inclined to reject a school on your list with a high sticker price before finding out how much merit aid you might be eligible for. Don’t settle on a school without doing some calculations on what it would actually cost you to attend. You will be surprised that some schools on your list will be more generous than you think.
About the Author:
Sylvia Baffour is one of the most sought-after speakers and trainers in the fields of college planning, professional and self-development and leadership. She is co-author of How to Be a Super Achiever a book that provides readers with useful strategies for unleashing their own success. She is also the creator of the Leaping Beyond BarriersTM Training System which focuses on helping people and organizations to move out of their own way and in the direction of improving their outlooks, performance, innovation, and results.
Click the following link to learn more about: Sylvia Baffour
Decision Time! Three Important Considerations When Accepting a College
As you make this important decision, keep the following three considerations in mind.
1. Campus Life - The college that you will select will be your new home for the next few years
and you want to be comfortable and feel ready to maximize your academic and non-academic experiences.
2. Mother Nature - If you’re not a person who enjoys being in the cold, perhaps you might want to stay away from some of the schools in the Northeast that typically get blasted by frigid winters.
3) Financial Aid Offerings - Before you settle on a school, it’s a good idea to look beyond the “retail cost” of the schools you've applied to and rather consider what the cost will be to you after all the financial aid kicks in.
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