Deciding what college to spend your next four years at is a daunting and often stressful decision to make. You are presented with so many options and you have so many interests and ideals of what college should be so how on earth do you choose? Figuring out what is important to you is a huge starting point in choosing a college. Step back and evaluate yourself to see what it is that you are interested in and then start looking for schools that meet your requirements and interests. There are going to be many criteria you may have for deciding what school is best for you but make sure you explore your options. Visit your top choices to see if the campus is the right fit for you. Make sure you have enough time to search and narrow down your college choices. You want a school that is going to be compatible with you. It's where you will be spending your next four years after all.

What to study?

You may be one of those people who know exactly what they want to study so part of your job is done. Now you can start looking for schools that have a good reputation in that area of study. However, more and more these days students have very little idea what they want to do. This is okay. Look at the classes you've taken in high school. What did you excel at? What ones were the most interesting? Sometimes the classes you excel at though you didn't actually like. If you can narrow it down by what you liked and what you are good at you can start looking for schools that offer those programs. Remember all you need is a list of potential majors and then you can explore those areas after getting to the school.

Location, Location, Location

Academics are obviously the focus of your future college career however; location of the school is equally as important. Do you need sunshine year round or do you like the change up of snow fall? Do you want to be close to home or try somewhere completely new? In the same respect do you want a school in a large urban setting or something smaller and more rural? You will be living on campus or near campus for the next four years you are going to want to pick a location that will add to your education not hinder it.

Private or Public?

If you are interested in smaller class sizes and student bodies smaller than 6,000 people then you are likely to be more interested in private colleges. Private colleges also allow you to stand out on your own and develop relationships with faculty. If it's anonymity in a crowd, large lecture halls and 10,000 or more people then check out public universities.

Interests

On campus activities add to the "college experience." Some students may decide they want to play for the varsity team. Colleges are classified for sports according to the size of the student body. Divisions I and II often offer scholarship opportunities while Division III usually has room for anyone interested in playing. If it's not sport you are interested in look into the other options available like music, drama, debate, and Greek life.

Cost

Don't let the cost of a school change your mind. If your dream school turns out to be a bit pricey work with the school's financial aid office to see if they can help you get grants. If you have applied for a financial aid package then compare the packages that each school awards you. Sometimes you can negotiate with schools to get better awards.