5 Things to Consider When Choosing Your College

Narrowing down your list of colleges that you want to attend can get difficult, especially when the time comes for when you have to choose just one. Other than school reputation and prestige, there’s actually a lot more that goes into a college. You’re going to stay there for at least the next 3 to 4 years, so why not take everything into consideration? Here’s a few things you can think about when you’re choosing which college you want to go to!

Photo by Michael Marsh on Unsplash

Campus Safety

Colleges are a hub for young teenagers, so safety is very important. Especially if the college you’re planning to attend is at a city or even a country you’ve never been in, you definitely want to feel safe there!

Research the college’s safety precautions and measures. Are the buildings, especially dorms, accessible to the public or are they only accessible for students and faculty? Most colleges often have their own police department, take some time to research what they do and what safety resources they offer to students (like late-night rides within campus, emergency calls, etc.)

Location: Urban or Rural?

Do you want to live in a bustling city, or would you rather live somewhere more quiet and scenic? There are colleges scattered all over the world. In fact, going to college is a great way to travel and experience a new place and even culture! Take some time to consider the area where your college is located in. Is it downtown at the heart of a city (which usually means it’s a smaller campus), or is it located in a quiet town filled with students and alumni (which usually means your campus is quite big). You want to make sure you’re comfortable where you are, because the location of your college will also determine your living situation for the next few years. Also keep in mind that cost of living varies in urban and rural areas.

Weather

Do you like the cold, or would you rather have sunny weather year-round? The weather is another factor that you should consider when choosing a college. If you’re not comfortable where you are, it could distract you from studying and learning to the best of your capability! For example, if you want to go to New York University (NYU), but you hate the cold, then you should consider that winters in New York City can be below 0 Celsius.

Student Life

You will most definitely be doing more than just studying at college. You’ll want to be involved in clubs and athletics, or maybe even in greek life (joining a fraternity and/or sorority). Do some research and see if the types of things you want to be involved in are available at your college! Here’s some things you could consider:

• Athletics

• Sorority and fraternity

• Major-related clubs / organizations

• Community clubs (ethnic, religious, etc.)

Diversity

One of the easiest way to help you feel comfortable in a new place is to find people like you, whether that be those who share the same interests, or those who share the same background as you do. You can do some research on your school’s webpage and see the statistics of the students who are there: where do their students come from? If it matters to you, you can even see what the ethnic majority is on campus. You could even research if racism is an issue there.

As an international student attending a college campus, you would probably want to at least find a community of people who share your cultural background. You could find these in cultural organizations on campus, or even look outside of campus. In the United States, for example, Persatuan Mahasiswa Indonesia di Amerika Serikat (PERMIAS) exists in almost every state, so no matter where you go to school, you can join the PERMIAS in your state!