After High School Graduation: First Steps of Choosing a College

You're big high school graduation is very near and you haven't decided which college to apply to but don't worry here's a handy list of things you can do to help you decide --

First, start off with a self assessment - be honest and list out who you really are --
What are your strengths, weaknesses, skills and talents?
Define your long term, short term and career goals. List your personality traits and attitudes.

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Now that you know yourself, ask what kind of academic and living environment you want. What do you want out of your college community? Now here are a couple of key words to help you with your search for a suitable college -- circle the words that are important to you.

close to home
commuting distance
in-state
public
private
far away
apart but accessible
new region of country
our region of country
in or near a city
pastoral
near sports environment
small school
medium-sized school
large school
small classes
strong liberal arts
special field of study
familiarity of students/teachers
anonymity
high academic standards
pre-graduate study
financial aid
"big game school"
women's college
men's college
many foreign students
students from many states
religious school
intellectual school
fraternities/sororities
teachers who also research

Once you have all that check out College Confidential and Rugg's Recommendations for college rankings and places you can learn more about the colleges you're considering.

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