What’s Most Important in Choosing Ideal College

With close to 4,000 colleges and universities throughout the United States, students and parents may wonder how to come up with a realistic list of schools to consider.  The key is to think about a student’s priorities. If the plan is to attend a four-year college, the number of options reduces to about 2,300 schools.  If a student wants to attend college within 300 miles of Central Jersey, as most local students do, then the number of options diminishes to 561.  If campus housing must be available for all freshmen, there are some 343 possibilities, while the number whittles down to 171 if campus housing must be available to students for all four years.

At this point, a student should consider which of these colleges offer a strong course of study in the particular major of interest, and which offer the activities and amenities that are a priority.  Of the 171 colleges that meet all of the above criteria, those known for great internship opportunities include Bentley University,  Connecticut College, and Stevens Institute of Technology.  Those known for best career placement include Babson College, Colgate University, and Stevens Institute of Technology.  Those known for offering the best financial aid include Vassar College, Princeton University, Colgate University, Haverford College and Middlebury College. 

If the existence of fraternities and sororities is a must, options (that also meet all of the above criteria) include: Boston, Brown, Bucknell, Colgate, Columbia, Hofstra, LaSalle, Quinnipiac and Susquehanna universities, as well as Dickinson, Gettysburg, Lafayette and Manhattan colleges.  If a student is seeking a high-spirited school with a Division I football team (and the above criteria as well), only 11 exist including four that are Ivy League: Brown, Columbia, Harvard and Princeton.

Obviously, students need to choose a college that offers their major of choice.  Those seeking a degree in Biomedical Engineering (at a four year college within 300 miles of Central NJ that offers on campus housing to all its students) are limited to five schools: Boston University, Brown University, Columbia University, The University of Delaware and SUNY-Buffalo.  Those seeking a degree in Comparative Literature have about 25 options, including College of the Holy Cross, Gettysburg College, NYU, Hofstra University, and Swarthmore College.  

Once students identify exactly what they are seeking in their college experience, they can develop an appropriate college list and head out for those all-important campus visits.

Susan Alaimo is the founder of SAT Smart. For the past 25 years, SAT Smart’s Ivy League educated tutors have prepared students for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, Subject Tests, AP courses, and all high school subjects. Visit www.SATsmart.com or call 908-369-5362.