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College Information
How do you choose a college/university?
In choosing a college or university, consider the following factors:
- Does the college you are considering offer the college major you are interested in?
- How much will it cost to attend the college? Knowing your education budget is important.
- Is the college located in a place that you will enjoy (climate, number of students, size of city, etc.)?
- Will the college provide the level of support you desire—large universities are less likely to provide personalized attention?
- What is the average GPA (Grade Point Average) of entering freshmen and how do you compare to that GPA?
- What is the average SAT/ACT scores of entering freshmen and how do you compare in those scores?
- What other factors does the college consider when reviewing applications (found on the College Board website)?
- What is the social life like at the college you are considering?
- Visit the college. Does the campus feel comfortable to you?
- Are there extracurricular or sports activities that you want to participate in while there?
It is highly recommended that you apply to more than one college or university. I recommend applying to one school to which you know that you will be accepted (from researching the average GPA, SAT scores and other acceptance criteria of the school). Then apply to one school that may be a “reach” college for you. A “reach” school is a college/university in which the average GPA, SAT scores and acceptance criteria of the school are just a little bit higher than your scores, but one that you would like to attend. You may also want to apply to one college in which your scores are higher than the average applicant. You may be eligible for scholarship at a school in which you have better scores.
College Board
A great site in researching colleges is the “Big Future” portion of the College Board website:
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search?navid=gh-cs
On this site you can search for colleges, determine their admissions requirements, and build a custom list of colleges.
CFNC www.cfnc.org
College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) is an excellent site for college research. This site also allows you to request to send a copy of your high school transcript to the North Carolina college(s) you have applied to for admission.
Please stop by to see your counselor (Bundy—9th & 10th / Matthews—11th & 12th) or Mrs. Leary in the Career Center (T6) for more information about colleges, universities and finding one that fits your needs!