myUsearch blog

Maybe you have a dream school. Maybe you have twenty dream schools. Or, maybe you just have no idea. Regardless, when making your college choice, it is important to know what’s out there. There are over four thousand colleges and universities in the United States and over three thousand vocational and technical institutions. Needless to say, there are many different options, but what exactly are they?

1. Liberal Arts Colleges: These are normally private, 4-year colleges and tend to be much smaller than universities.  A liberal arts education includes areas of study such as literature, history, languages, mathematics, humanities, social and natural sciences and gives students the opportunity to explore a broad set of courses in order to discover and develop their passions. A liberal arts education can prepare you for many graduate fields of study, including medicine and law.
2. Universities: These are usually much larger institutions and are typically comprised of multiple smaller colleges (i.e. a school of business, arts, agriculture, etc.) which offer a larger selection of majors and degrees to undergraduate students that will prepare students for many careers and/or graduate school.
3. Community Colleges: These 2-year colleges are an affordable option for high school graduates seeking to prepare themselves to enter the workforce or continue their education at a 4-year school. Community college can provide a comfortable and affordable transition from high school to college for many students continuing to live in their hometown or close by.
4. Vocational/Technical Colleges: These institutions focus on training students for a particular job/career. Students will not take general education courses, but will instead take only courses directly related to their intended career.
5. Other: Apart from the first four types of schools, which make up the vast majority of institutions in United States, there are also single-sex colleges, religiously affiliated schools and colleges of the arts.

Another thing you’ll have to consider when making your college choice is whether you want to attend a public or private school. Both come with their advantages and disadvantages.  In general, private schools have higher tuition rates than public schools as they receive little to no government funding. Other important points to note in the private vs. public comparison are teacher to student ratios and the presence or lack of graduate programs.

Your college choice is an important decision and should be treated as such. Even if you think you are completely sure where you want to go to school and especially if you are not, you should make a point of visiting as many college campuses as is humanly possible and fiscally feasible. Visit different types of schools. Visit schools of different sizes and different locations to try to figure out what feels right. Learn as much as you can about your schools of interest and talk to students. See the dorms. See the library. Think about the surrounding area and what it may have to offer. Also, when making college visits, consider the pros and cons of having a host for your college visit.

Like any personal choice, your college choice is one you need to make for yourself. Of course, there are many limiting factors, but you need to look at what’s best for you. Maybe you should start at a community college in order to transfer to your dream school if you didn’t get accepted the first time around. Maybe you need a year off to travel, work, volunteer etc. Maybe you’re ready to join the workforce. It’s your college choice.