There are a lot of factors that go into deciding which college to attend. The factors that immediately come to mind are: the ratio of colleges applied to those that have accepted you, tuition/room and board costs, amount of financial aid offered, location, size, and specific programs/specializations of that college, and parental influences. In varying degrees, these all influenced my ultimate choice.
One of the bigger factors that affected my decision was the fact that I wasn’t sure what I would pursue in college. I was interested in a lot of things and to pick one out of the many seemed like a difficult choice at the time, so I put myself in the ‘undecided’ major in most of my applications. Obviously, not knowing what exactly you want to study will affect your application process a little bit.
Most of the colleges I applied to accepted me but that’s because I didn’t apply to many overly prestigious schools. I didn’t think they would be a good fit if I did manage to get in and I also didn’t like the idea of paying a fortune to get an education if I was unsure of what I wanted to study.
After seeing the list of colleges that accepted me, it was time to really make the decision. SUNY Albany became one of my preferred choices in part because it was cost effective. They offered me a small scholarship and a spot in the Honors College, which definitely made me happy. Also, it was far from home but not so far, that returning home would be a nuisance. What eventually won me over was the reception I received when visiting the campus. I remember the tour guide was so enthusiastic and I left with a really good feeling – such a good feeling in fact that I was confident I didn’t need to visit other campuses.
I’m glad I made the choice and I consider myself lucky that I unknowingly applied to a school that’s turned out to be a great fit – a liberal arts experience (through the Honors College), with the benefits of grad school and research opportunities, all at a fair price.
One of the bigger factors that affected my decision was the fact that I wasn’t sure what I would pursue in college. I was interested in a lot of things and to pick one out of the many seemed like a difficult choice at the time, so I put myself in the ‘undecided’ major in most of my applications. Obviously, not knowing what exactly you want to study will affect your application process a little bit.
Most of the colleges I applied to accepted me but that’s because I didn’t apply to many overly prestigious schools. I didn’t think they would be a good fit if I did manage to get in and I also didn’t like the idea of paying a fortune to get an education if I was unsure of what I wanted to study.
After seeing the list of colleges that accepted me, it was time to really make the decision. SUNY Albany became one of my preferred choices in part because it was cost effective. They offered me a small scholarship and a spot in the Honors College, which definitely made me happy. Also, it was far from home but not so far, that returning home would be a nuisance. What eventually won me over was the reception I received when visiting the campus. I remember the tour guide was so enthusiastic and I left with a really good feeling – such a good feeling in fact that I was confident I didn’t need to visit other campuses.
I’m glad I made the choice and I consider myself lucky that I unknowingly applied to a school that’s turned out to be a great fit – a liberal arts experience (through the Honors College), with the benefits of grad school and research opportunities, all at a fair price.
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