Lauren
Finding a college can be very time consuming and stressful, but it is all about keeping your priorities in perspective in order make the right decision on where to spend the next four years of your life. At the end of the day, one must ask themselves the question: "Am I where I want to be doing what I want to do at this very moment?". Any negative response should result in self-reflection. My answer is always positive because I am doing exactly what I want to do, going full force towards accomplishing all of my goals. I could not have asked for a better college or people around me to help me with all that I have achieved today. It is all about uncovering your appreciation for your field of study and growing from that enthusiasm to become a successful individual in our world.
Charles
Find a career that you are passonate about, then find a college that feels the same way you do about that career.
Ryan
The most important aspect of college is being able to expand your horizons and to step out of your comfort zone, and to push yourself into unchartered territory. Often, when people stay close to home to go to school, they lose out on the autonomy that comes with growing into a functioning adult. It is important to distance yourself from what you have known, so that you can grow and form new opinions, or just reaffirm what you have already believed. For many people, college is the greatest four years of our lives. Not just because it is the first time away from home, or all of the parties that come with it, but because you will make lifelong connections and friends that will stay with you until the day you die. So when choosing a college or university, be sure to consider your areas of strength as well as your own areas of weakness.
Isaac
Look at many colleges and apply to 4 or 5, so your options stay open. Unless the student is dead-set on a specified carreer, I would avoid colleges with definite areas of focus. You can always transfer or go to graduate school later when you figure out exactly what it is you want to achieve in life. I have had several friends transfer from Savannah College of Art and Design simply because they decided that they were not artists. Liberal arts colleges and state universities offer a wide array of course options for those still searching, although pressure to chose a major early is heavy almost anywhere you go.
If you have an idea of what you would like to do, apply to some colleges that would be more specified to your goals as well as more general schools, so you better know your chances of transfering later, if you so chose.
Dana
Visit the school, talk to the professors, and make sure it fits financially.
Alexandria
Pick a college where you can work to gain the skills to do what you'd like to do for the rest of your life. Doing what makes you happy and gaining a higher education for the goal of becoming better at that is what college is for. Don't pick a college just because your parents went there or because your high school friends are going, pick one that will help you create a happy future for yourself. College is the greatest tool for a successful future.
Jordan
Have the dough, or don't start.
Peter
Apply to A LOT of schools - at least nine. Also, don't assume that your guidance councilor from high school knows what they are talking about. Go out there and look hard for good advice from people who are doing the kind of things you want to do, not from people stuck in the guidance office. Don't be afraid to jump on a good opportunity or make a path that didn't exist before.
Richard
When one is looking for the right school, i think it is most important to find an atmosphere that they will be the most comfofrtable learning in. I have found that when i am comfortable with my surroundings and the people i surround myself with, i am more enthusiastic about the work that i am doing.
Sara
You only get what you put in--work the classes, the curriculum and the programs and you can make just about any college work for you.