Brent
The most important aspect of any college career is friendships. Life is about the relationships that you are able to make with another individual. GPA's, LSAT scores and class rank pale in comparison to a lifelong friendship with a roomate or the comfort of being around old friends. The most important part of selecting a college is learning to balance life goals with experiences and friendship. Extra activities and the ability to stay involved help define every person's college experience.
Andrew
Finding the right college is an intense process, full of trial and error, joy, pain, and stress. All too often we lose focus on what is most important in selecting the right home for our future in higher education. Find a place where you can be yourself. Transitioning to college will be one of the most difficult tasks you undertake, and placing yourself in an environment where you dont feel comfortable will ultimately lead to failure. Don't jump at the first college that makes you an offer, wait till you find the right one. The one that clicks. The college that makes you feel like you. When you find a place like that, it wont just be a school, it will be your home.
Ravjeet
Your college experience is what you want it to be. I feel that the choices one makes during this time is what makes your college experience what it is. You should have fun and be able to enjoy yourself, but at the same time you need to maintain your focus on academics. The college experience is how you grow as a person and how you learn new things about yourself everyday. I would just say that choose a school that will make you happy.
Meg
The college application process is always presented as a stressful, highly important time in any high school student's life, but it doesn't have to be! Apply anywhere you think might be a good fit for you, and try to apply to at least a few schools that you're unsure about. Don't simply choose an environment you think you would like and apply only to school who fill that category. I never thought that a small, liberal-arts school would be the place for me, but I couldn't be happier with Wofford! I'm not the same person that I was Senior year, and I know that if I had stuck with my, "I will only be happy at a big state school" feelings. You will change and grow regardless of the school you choose, so be as open-minded as possible!
Maggie
When I was beginning to look at colleges my junior year of high school our college counselor kept saying, "visit, visit, visit". Visiting a school is the most important thing you can do he said. Of course I thought I knew better and ignored him. I did not visit most of my schools until after I had been accepted. It was then that I realized I might not belong at any of them. I choose my school based on financial aid and scholarships. I wish I had visited more schools before applying and spent a night on campus. In high school I was too worried thinking about how awkward a night with a stranger would be to really get to know a college. I do not regret the school I am attending but I think I could have found a better-fit school for me. So my advice is take the time to get to know a school before you commit, spend the night with someone and see if you like it. You don?t have anything to lose.