Top 8 Tips for Applying to the Right College

The time you spend studying at college has to be productive, and it has to be worthwhile.

After all, who wants to attend college and then leave with nothing useful for their future? There are lots of colleges which you can choose to attend, but it is important to remember that not all of them will be suitable for you, and your learning requirements or your needs. Getting the right college is important both for you and for your future too. Establishing what is important to you will help you to make the right decision. So, just what is important to you, and what should you now be focusing on. If you already know what career path you want to take, then you will be able to find a program or course that suits our needs and requirements. However, if you do not know what you want to do or are still unsure, then here are 8 top tips you must follow to ensure that you are applying to the right college the first time around.

1. Location is Important

Where do you want to study? Do you want to study close to home, or perhaps close to your workplace, or would you like to look at a different state or town? Location is important, because if you choose to attend a physical campus then this is a place that you will be visiting over the next few years. Looking far away for a college may sound tempting but realistically how suitable is it, and what would happen in the case of an emergency? The location you choose will also impact what fees and costs you pay. If you attend a physical campus then you also need to think about where you will live and what your living costs will be. Will you share a room or a condo with another student, or will you live on campus in a dorm? When you start factoring in living costs you will quickly see that the costs start to rise. Also, when you are looking at a location, you need to consider how well located the campus is. For example, does it have good road access, are there multiple ways to get to campus? If you are working alongside studying, and you are traveling to a location these are things you will need to think about, and also take into account.

2. Studying Exclusively Online

If a traditional campus is not for you, or if it is not what you want to do, then how about you focus your efforts on studying exclusively online. There are lots of positives for studying online, including a great deal of flexibility, and also the opportunity to complete your studies in a much shorter period. When you are looking at online programs you need to look at what support is available. All colleges that offer online programs will have some sort of support package in place, but you need to know how good it is. If the support from professors is not there, or, if there is no guidance then you may feel lost when studying, and you could even feel isolated. Support and guidance can come in many forms, for example, online chats may be available to assist you at times when a physical person is not there to help. All of these small things make a difference in your journey and your learning experience. If a college’s online program and support do not fill you with confidence then you need to continue your search.

3. What Program or Course Do You Want to Study

The program that you want to study in will impact which college you choose. If there is a specific program that you want to study? For example, if you want to be a nurse, you would look for an online ABSN as this would fulfil the entry requirements. You will need to be ultra-selective about which colleges you look at to ensure that you study what you want to. Not all colleges will offer the program that you want, and this is when you need to make a decision. If you compromise on what you are studying then you have to ensure that you will be happy with the outcome at the end of everything. If you compromise on the program or course that you study then will you get to follow the career path that you want to? If there are a couple of programs or courses that you are looking at, then you need to weigh up the courses and see just what you will get at the end. When you compare programs side by side you can then truly make an informed decision.

4. Reviews and Reputation

Some colleges have a better reputation than others do, and some have been in existence for longer. Does this have an impact on you, and your views? What does a college's reputation truly mean to you? If a college's reputation is not particularly fantastic, but they offer the program you want to study, then would you be happy to make this sort of compromise? Weighing up the reputation against the program on offer can be tricky, but if you do not take the colleges reputation into account then this could end up affecting you in the long run. For example, a college’s negative reputation can affect your career. When you go for a new position or role after leaving college your time at a certain college may be questioned, especially if the college is well-known (for all the wrong reasons). As well as looking at the importance of reputation, you also have to think about reviews. Of course, not all reviews that you read are honest, but the majority are. Reviews that have been left by previous/former students can be truly eye-opening. Reviews can sometimes leave you with more questions than answers and this is something you have to take into account. Getting a real feel for what a college is like, or what it offers is often easier to do by yourself, but if this is not possible, you must take reviews into serious consideration.

5. What Are Your Priorities

To select the right college you need to get your priorities straight and in order. There are so many things to think about, and there are so many things you have to consider, and this is why it is essential to prioritize what you want, what you would like, and what you need. If you do not prioritize what you are searching for then you could be searching for an infinite amount of time, and then you could end up just settling for the nearest college (which may or may not be right for you). When you are putting together your list of priorities, you need to write them in a list of importance. What is the most important thing to you? For example, is it how the college ranks throughout the state? Or, is it the quality of programs that are on offer? When you know what your priorities are you can then make a checklist to work your way through. When you have a checklist to hand you can be sure that you can directly compare each college you are seriously looking at.

6. The Quality of Education and Learning on Offer

The contents of the program are important and so too is the quality of education and learning. Some courses and programs that are offered can often not be delivered in the right way, and this can have an impact on your learning. To choose the right college you have to look at the standards and quality of teaching and education on offer. If for example, the college has lower level professors - would this be OK with you? Or, would you prefer to pay a bit extra, and go to a college that only employs the best professors? The learning and the education that you get will shape your learning journey, and this will then shape your new career or role. If a program is fantastic but the teaching and learning side of things then let it down, then is it worth pursuing at all? To see how well colleges are performing, and how effective their approach to teaching and learning is then you can use the published rankings. You can also use student reviews and opinions. If the program you want to study features reviews that complain about the professor/s or tutor/s then this is of course something that you will need to take into account.

7. Success Rates

How well a college performs will have a big impact on its reputation, and its student reviews. If success rates are not as good as you thought they would be, or if they are not as high as you would like them to be then you need to carefully weigh up your options. You could find out why success rates were not as good as you thought by investigating if poor teachers were to blame. Or, you could simply move on and start looking at different colleges. You must look at success rates when you are choosing a college because you do not want to go to college to fail. Your success depends on a college's success rate. If large numbers of students are failing then you have to question why? What is missing and what is lacking? When you are weighing up success rates, it is best to compare colleges directly. If you do not compare them directly with each other then you will not get an accurate reflection of what the statistics are telling you.

8. Cost, Fees and Payments

Not all colleges offer competitive fees and costs. Some are a lot more than others, and this is an important factor that you will have to take into account. If you are getting great success rates alongside your tuition then this may well be worth paying more for. However, if you are paying for a college simply because of where it is based then you may need to rethink and reconsider which college you choose. Fees and costs when you are at college can quickly creep up, and before you know it you have amassed a five-figure sum of debt. Investing in your education is one thing, but you have to draw a line somewhere. You have to ensure that you are getting good value for money with the costs and fees that you are paying. If you are not getting good value for money you could find that you are overpaying and underachieving, and this is certainly not what you want, especially if you are entering a competitive industry after leaving college.

Weighing up everything and finding the right college for you can feel overwhelming and at times daunting. Prioritizing your education and ensuring that you get as much out of your time studying as possible is crucial to your success both at college and in the future. Choosing the right college for you can be a process that takes weeks and months and not simply days. It is important to give yourself an ample amount of time to weigh up and compare colleges, because if you end up rushing through the process, you may well regret it when you come to leave and get a job/career. As your career is so important, you also need to think about what career services a college offers. Some colleges are very hands-on and very proactive about future careers while others are not. If you can find a college that proactively pushes your career options then you can be sure that you are on the right track to find the best college. It is positive when a college invests in you both while you are studying, and even after you leave. If a college shuns or just ignores its students after they leave then you have to question their motives and their driving forces.