With so many colleges to choose from, narrowing down your choices to the best ones for you means thinking through what is important to you in terms of your university education. Here are some initial areas that it might be helpful to think about:
- Location – Where would you like to live in the US? Would you prefer a big city, a town or a rural location?
- Climate – Consider the climate you want to live in. Would you prefer a temperate or colder climate?
- Size – Some universities have fewer than 1000 students on campus, others have more than 30 000 students on campus. What kind of environment would suit you best?
- Cost – What is your budget for your university education versus the total cost of studying at a particular institution? Are you eligible to apply for any financial aid to reduce the total amount you will need to cover?
- Academics – What majors are you interested in and are these offered by the institution you are considering? Is the academic environment likely to be highly competitive (with high entry requirements), supportive, demanding etc.? What is the student–faculty ratio?
- Housing – Would you prefer to be guaranteed accommodation on campus or would you be happy to live off campus? What facilities are available in student dorm rooms? Does the university provide assistance in finding off-campus housing?
- Clubs and organisations – What extra-curricular activities are you interested in and are these offered by the institution?
- Career services – What career advisory/counselling support is on offer? Will the college help you to organise internships/career taster days?