Selecting your college is a major decision in your life and possibly the biggest decision you’ll be making.
You don’t want to make it alone. To help you, bring other people into the process, including parents, other family members, teachers, friends, college officials and college graduates. The more input you have, the more informed your decision will be.
Most of the time, your parents are going to have opinions and priorities of their own. It is vital that you maintain clear and honest communication with your parents throughout the process. Some parents are overbearing and practically make the decision for their child. Others simply have their own concerns, especially when it comes to finances, but have difficulty being a constructive part of the process. Selecting the best college is the student’s decision, and it’s important that he or she sits in the driver’s seat.
Many high school students don’t realize they have so many people to turn to for help. The adults in your life would be a great help, just take a step back and look at their lives. If they are successful and happy, ask them about their college experience. Most will probably tell you that it didn’t matter so much where they went to school, but what they did with the opportunity. Even those who didn’t go to college will have some perspective on why and how that affected their life.