Finding the right college is very time consuming, especially when one does not have a basic direction to narrow the choices. The following article will outline some of those questions. Additionally, an explanation of why the question is important will also be provided.
College Major at College
The most important question to ask when choosing a college is what majors are available. Some students will know the exact major that they would like to study, so knowing if the major is available is key. However, some students do not know which major to study. In this case a college should be chosen that provide a variety of majors and/or a liberal arts education.
A good place to start is to complete some career assessments to find potential majors to study. Visiting a high school counselor or high school career center may also provide fruitful assessments. Especially important are interest assessments, but students need to find valid assessments and not just ones found on the internet.
Cost of College
The cost of college increases every year. Associated with the cost of college is tuition, books, dorm room, supplies, and associated fees. Students rarely can afford the full cost of college without some type of assistance.
In order to reduce the cost to a more affordable rate, colleges will usually provide some type of financial aid. A question to ask a college is what percent of students receive financial aid at the school. Besides federal financial aid colleges have money to distribute to students in need of money for tuition. Asking about the percentage of students will provide an idea of how much financial support the college is willing to provide to students.
Services at College
Every college has a career placement office. The purpose of the office is to provide assistance to future graduates on locating a job. The question to ask is what is the percentage of students that find a job in their major. This question is different from what is the percentage of students that find a job after graduation. This question would only provide a number of students who find any type of job after college Additionally, some placement offices will count marriage or graduate school as career placement, so asking specific questions is necessary.
In addition to career services, students should also check on other college services. One service is counseling. Usually free of cost students can receive mental health services to assist in trouble times at college. Another service is health services. Students should check to see if a clinic is available on campus and if the clinic can obtain needed prescriptions through the clinic.
Clubs and Activities at College
Besides attending class students will need to find other activities to fill their day. College is like a version of home, so finding a college with a variety of activities is helpful. Here are some examples to ask about:
Gym and/or fitness room
Sports, both varsity and intramural
Activities, like peer counseling and dorm council
Clubs associated with majors
Volunteer opportunities
Resident Halls at College
Other questions to ask a college is about dorm life. Some college require all freshman students to reside on campus for a year or two. Some colleges may have very limited housing, so asking about dorm availability is important. Another question to ask is if housing is co-ed. Colleges may have certain dorms for males and females, gender separated by floors, or even males and females on the same floor. Students concerned about these types of situations should inquire about resident housing upfront.
Another element of dorm life to ask is the general housing policy. Some colleges may have a curfew or rules of the opposite sex in the rooms. Some colleges may not permit min-refrigerators or microwaves in individual rooms. Every college will have a resident handbook, usually online, that students must abide by in order to live in the dorms.
Graduation and Return Rates of a College
The days of graduating college within four years is becoming less and less the norm. This could be because classes fill up too quickly or proper advising is not available. These are two great questions to find out from an admissions counselor. The longer a student attends college, the more money colleges can obtain from a student.
A return rate simply means the rate at which students return to the college after their first year. The lower the number, the lower student satisfaction rate is with the college. Percents above 50 are good; however, if the number is below 40 a question to ask is why students are not returning to the college. Common answers may include tuition cost too high, location, or boredom.
While many other questions exist the ones in this article are a great starting point to narrow colleges. Students will be more satisfied with a college if they have both their academic and social needs met. Research is necessary to get these questions answered, so in addition asking college admission counselors, students can also look online or ask current students to help answer the questions.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlecoop.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
