Where Will YOU Go to College? Choosing the University That's Right For you

You know you want to go to college, but where? In-state or out-of-state? Public or private? Liberal arts or technical/specialty? Use this guide to start thinking about the big questions that will help you decide where to continue your studies after high school.

Created by Author

Sundar Kadayam

Subject: Higher Education

Tags:Choosing a College, Choosing a Specialty

Where Will YOU Go to College? Choosing the University That's Right For you

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Inside the Guide

Thinking About College: Big Decisions First
What College Students (not the experts) Say

College Rankings: How Do Your Prospective Colleges Fare?
Books, DVDs and Other Resources

Public or Private: What's the Difference?

In-State or Out-of-State: The WHERE factor

Thinking About College: Big Decisions First

Use these broadly focused resources to think about your overall college decisions and plans. Once you've narrowed down your options and thoughts, use the remaining sections for more specific information and advice.

Quintessential Careers.com: Choosing a College That's Right For You

http://www.quintcareers.com/choosing_a_college.html

Princeton Review: Specifics to Consider When Choosing a College

http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/articles/find/specifics.asp

Click through the various links for deeper information!

Yahoo! Education: 10 Things to Consider When Choosing a College

http://education.yahoo.com/college/essentials/articles/college/collegeselectionlist.html

College Prowler: Choosing the Right College

http://campuslife.collegeprowler.com/our_story.asp

NPR: How to Choose a College That's Right For You

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7506102

National Center for Education Statistics: College Navigator

http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

Use this handy guide to narrow down choices or find college types that you already have in mind.

SparkNotes.com: The Basics of Choosing a College

http://www.sparknotes.com/college/admissions/page1.html

College-Scholarships.com: Top Ten Rules for Selecting a College or University

http://www.college-scholarships.com/ten_rules_for_selecting_a_college_or_universities.htm

LD Online: Choosing a College (for students with Learning Disabilities)

http://www.ldonline.org/article/6137

If you know your learning style is unique, what kind of college will work best for you? L. Scott Listner offers some guidance for LD/ADHD students.

First Northern Credit Union: Choosing Your College

http://googolplex.cuna.org/15378/cnote/story.html?doc_id=194

USA Today: Beyond Rankings, a new way to look for a college

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-11-04-nsse-cover_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

See what the National Survey on Student Engagement is up to.

BrokeScholar.com: Choosing the Right College for You

http://www.brokescholar.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/article.choosingrightcollege/ChoosingtheRightCollege.html

College Rankings: How Do Your Prospective Colleges Fare?

Various publications and web sites use different metrics to measure colleges, based on academics, student-teacher ratios, diversity, campus life, etc. Scroll through to see how your list of possible campuses stacks up.

U.S. News & World Report: best college rankings

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges

Each year, U.S. News & World Report ranks the best colleges...overall and by specialty or field of study. Here's the latest...

Princeton Review: College Rankings

http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/rankings/rankings.asp

Prowler.com's Ranking by Academics

http://www.collegeprowler.com/find/guides-by-ranking.aspx?section=Academics

Bowdoin, Caltech and Dartmouth rank 1-2-3. Where does your college land?

Prowler.com's Ranking by Diversity

http://www.collegeprowler.com/find/guides-by-ranking.aspx?section=Diversity

If it's diversity you want, Prowler.com recommends Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Northridge (both in California) and Hunter College (NYC) as among the U.S.' most diverse. So head to a coast...

Prowler.com's Ranking by Athletics

http://www.collegeprowler.com/find/guides-by-ranking.aspx?section=Athletics

If it's sports you want, it's sports you'll get at LSU, OSU and University of Florida.

Kiplinger's Best Value in Public Colleges Database

http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/colleges/

If you can't afford private, what about the best public colleges?

Online Education Database: College Rankings

http://oedb.org/rankings

You've seen the ads and promotions for colleges that offer online education. Here's how they rank.

Lasseiz-Faire College Rankings

http://collegeadmissions.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/laissez-faire-1999-2000.txt

This ranking links quality with selectivity.

Public or Private: What's the Difference?

Should you focus on a private college or a publicly supported state school? Here's the lowdown.

College Confidential: Private vs. Public Colleges

http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000294.htm

Public or private? There are benefits and drawbacks to each.

Talk.CollegeConfidential.com: "Public vs. Private"

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1698-public-vs-private.html

Follow this online forum, where college students discuss their experiences at public and private colleges.

NextStep Magazine.com: Public vs. Private Colleges

http://www.nextstepmagazine.com/nextstep/articlePage1.aspx?timeline=1&artId=1611

AssociatedContent.com: Public Colleges vs. Private Colleges...What's Really Affordable?

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/36506/public_colleges_vs_private_colleges.html

USCampus.com: Public vs. Private

http://www.uscampus.com/research_options/build_understand/build_article5.htm

CollegeData.com: Should you go Public or Private?

https://www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_choosearticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10008

Petersons.com: Geographic Diversity (Public vs. Private)

http://www.petersons.com/common/article.asp?id=2455&path=ug.gs.advice&sponsor=1

In-State or Out-of-State: The WHERE factor

Maybe you want to stay close to home, friends and family. Maybe you've waited all your life to move far, far away. Think about the options and ramifications first.

CollegeToolKit.com: In-state vs. Out-of-state forum

http://www.collegetoolkit.com/Community/forums/thread/14.aspx

See what actual college students have experienced, based on their choice of a college location.

College Board: Guide to State Residency

http://www.collegeboard.com/about/association/international/residency.html

What College Students (not the experts) Say

Listen to experts all you want, but college students (which you'll soon be) can tell you more than just about anyone.

U.S. News & World Report: The (College News)paper Trail

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/

Learn about college life through the life of college newspapers.

YouTube.com: College Prowler

http://youtube.com/watch?v=d2RhOlZoZEA

An interview with the CEO of College Prowler.com, which looks at college from the students' point of view.

YouTube.com: College Prowler

Click to Close Video Player

http://youtube.com/watch?v=d2R hOlZoZEA

An interview with the CEO of College Prowler.com, which looks at college from the students' point of view.

YouTube.com: What Is College Life Really Like?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Z0zTS1KlIF8

A video by Daniel Hall, who asks college students, "What's college life really like?"

YouTube.com: What Is College Life Really Like?

Click to Close Video Player

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Z0z TS1KlIF8

A video by Daniel Hall, who asks college students, "What's college life really like?"

Books, DVDs and Other Resources

Still need more information? Help yourself!

Intercollegiate Studies Institute: "Choosing the Right College"

http://www.isi.org/books/bookdetail.aspx?id=29fddb24-7b3a-42f7-9a87-19188b445c98

Wikipedia: College and University Rankings

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_and_university_rankings

Wikipedia explains how various publications and organizations rank colleges, nationally and internationally.

Petersons.com College Planner: Student Edition

http://www.petersons.com/college_home.asp?path=ug.home

Lots of information here. Wallow in it!

Choosing the Right College

http://www.amazon.com/Choosing-Right-College-Americas-Schools/dp/0802845371

Amazon Review: "If you're a parent looking for an in-depth guide to America's top colleges and universities, buy this guide. Hands down, the most in-depth guide available. Having worked at two top 20 universities in the past 15 years, I've talked to hundreds of parents and am increasingly amazed at how ill-informed they are about the higher education market."