Some call it college, others call it university. In any case, no matter which term you use, the fact remains that in Fall 2009, more 17 and 18-year-olds will be going off to college than ever before. With the some deadlines past us and others coming up, the questions still remain for some of us. Where? What? Why? When? How? Don’t panic! You still have time, but if you’re still trying to figure out where you want to go, here are some friendly tips.

Columbia University

1. Location, Location, Location
Colleges can be located almost anywhere. In the desert, in a forest, in the middle of a huge metropolis, on the outskirts of a suburb, in a cute college town. The most important thing to consider is what sort of person are you? Do you want to go to a school that has its own ski slopes? Do you need greenery in your life? Do high rise dorms freak you out? For that matter, what do you like to do? Farm? Ride horses? Go shopping? All of these are important things to consider. Do you want to be able to hop on the subway and get away from college if necessary? Or are you the sort who’d be happier in a rural setting, where there’s less smog and more trees? While environment isn’t the biggest factor in being happy at college, it’s certainly important. Don’t go somewhere where you know you’ll be miserable, but don’t be afraid to explore new climates. Live on the West Coast? How about some snow?

2. Size
Consider the issue of size as if you were Goldilocks. She first tries one bed, then another, declaring the first too large and the second too small, but the third thankfully is “just right.” The search for a good-sized college similar.. What is “just right” for you? Unfortunately, unlike Goldilocks, we do not have the same luxury of trying out a big school, then a small school, then a medium school, and so on. Instead we must determine, as if by looking at them in respect to ourselves, if we will fit. First ask yourself what you want out of your school. If you wish to go to a college in which your professors will know your name, you’ll never be taught by a T.A, and might even baby-sit for some of your teachers, then the obvious conclusion is that you might be better off at a smaller school. These generally allow for better student/teacher relationships and encourage class participation, but it does mean that you won’t be able to hide in the back of a classroom. If this doesn’t sound like you at all, then maybe you want something bigger. Maybe you crave a new person to eat dinner with every day, the anonymity associated with a 500 person lecture. In this case, a bigger school might be the way to go.

3. Curriculum
Hate Math? Well, there are some schools in which you will never be required to take another math class. This is what is called an open curriculum and is offered by schools such as Amherst College (Amherst, MA) and Brown University (Providence, RI). But keep in mind that your advisor will highly suggest that you don’t take 32 English courses in your 4 years. This sort of curriculum is meant to allow students to pursue a variety of their interests, or specialize right away. You will still need to declare a major and complete the required courses or units, but outside of this, you’re free to take whatever you’d like. Conversely, other schools have distribution requirements (think Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH) which require a student to take at least “x” number of courses in “y” area. With these, you have some leeway. For example, Economics might be considered a math course.
And, at the far end of the spectrum, there are schools with a core curriculum, like Columbia University (New York, NY). In these, there is a “core,” that is to say a number of central courses which every student must take. This causes a student body to bond together even better, with this bond extending even to alumni.
Curriculum is of huge importance in your decision. Consider the flexibility you would like versus the flexibility allowed. While no school may have the “perfect” curriculum for you, what seems like the best fit?

4. Diversity

The cast of 'Greek' You'll make friends in College that will last for a lifetime. You'll also face new social complications and people with entirey different world views.

Is it important that everyone at your school has the same political beliefs as you? Do you want to be in the minority? Could you tolerate being in the minority? Thinking about diversity, it’s important to realize that there is more than one kind. Though the most visible one is ethnic diversity, there is also religious diversity, with some schools that attract predominantly Jewish, Mormon, or Catholic students, and general diversity. We all have different talents. Some of us are athletes, others artists, others musicians. A lot of us are hybrids in interests and this brings diversity to any campus. Could you handle being the only liberal on a conservative campus? Consider the kinds of conversations you might have. What about your roommate? You could also consider gender under this heading. Do you want a single-sex school like Smith or Wellesley, or would you prefer something Co-ed? I would encourage you to not definitively declare yourself against a single-sex school without taking a closer look. Some schools, like Barnard, are closely affiliated with another, co-ed school and offer great social opportunities. A bonus? At a single-sex school, you can stumble into that 8 AM class in sweats, glasses, and sans make-up, without trying to impress anyone.

5. Expense
So, let’s face it, college is expensive. For some of us this may mean taking out student loans, applying for scholarships, having a work-study program, and eating Ramen twice a day. For others, this may mean sitting down with your parents and discussing cost. Outside of tuitions (some of which are skyrocketing up into the $40,000 range), there is also the cost of room and board. On top of this, there are travel costs. If you live on one coast and go to college on the opposite one, your family may not be able to fly you home for the holidays. Will you be okay with that? What many people don’t consider are the hidden costs; that is to say: textbooks, dorm accessories, off-campus eating, and entertainment. For that matter, some colleges charge you to print and copy papers! So what can you do about the cost? Really? Nothing. Even though you can’t camp out on U of Chicago’s front doorstep and demand they cut their tuition, many schools luckily can do something for you. More and more schools are adopting a need-blind admissions process, meaning that they won’t know how much/if you require financial aid when they look at you application. Additionally, many schools have almost 100% financial aid met, meaning that they determine how much you can afford and cover the rest of the costs (in grants, loans, work-study combinations etc.). Also, consider in-state, public universities. These are less expensive options, and many of them are top rate. If you’re aware that financial aid packages are a big factor in choosing where to go, you might not want to apply early decision. This is because with ED, you must accept whatever financial aid package is offered to you. Ultimately though, don’t let cost get in the way of what you want. Many of the top institutions have the most endowment money, so if you have the grades there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to attend any one of them.

In a lot of ways, picking a college is a lot like falling in love, though the former is far less monumental than the latter. We have our crushes: the schools that we become infatuated with quickly, but ultimately could do without. We have our significant others: the ones that we could be happy with, maybe, possibly, probably. We have our celebrity crushes, the Orlando Blooms, John Mayers, and the Chase Crawfords of the bunch: they’re the schools we’d love to go to based on principle, based on prestige. They might haul around fancy names or maybe it’s the school you’ve dreamed of going to since you were three, or maybe it’s both. In any case, we want them, badly. But do they want us? And then, finally there is The One. It may something we know now. It may be something we know in April. It may be something we only know once we start our freshman year. But somewhere out there, among the other thousands of colleges is The One. So keep an open mind. Make every school on your list somewhere you’d be thrilled to go. Seal up those envelopes, click “Submit”, and have faith that one day we’ll all fall in love.