undecided and lil lost
for context, if needed, I'm a junior who hasn't taken the SAT or ACT yet but I've scored about average or so on practice tests. I do have a really bad GPA though because sophomore year, aka the covid year, is really dragging it down. I like English and history I guess, and I'm taking AP Psych next year- mostly just to see if I like psychology.
I went to go on multiple campus tours over my spring break and I'm still wondering, how do people decide where to go??? There are so many options that it kinda fries my brain just thinking about it. I suppose building a college list is probably easier when you have a more solid idea of a major..but I don't have that much to go off.
I say this half-kiddingly, but it almost seems like finding the right college is like love at first sight. At least that's what I feel like when the campus tour guides say something like, "When I visited, I knew that [insert] uni/college was like home to me!". I'm pretty sure some, definitely not all, don't mean that. But I don't really have anything else to base liking colleges on?
So, I guess the only factors are:
1) can I afford it
2) is it located in my desired location
3) does it feel like home??
Of all the campuses I've toured, I still don't really like any of them. I toured 8 in NC and 2 in SC. Some of them are kinda cool I guess, like UNC-Charlotte? Unfortunately, most of them are either too expensive or too hard to get into for me. Some of them I didn't really like. But I can't imagine choosing where to spend 4 years of my life at. Is it just like high school, where eventually, you don't care? Maybe I'm buying into the college glamorization too much. Or maybe that's only reserved for the people who are academically stronger than me? I don't really know.
drop any comments, advice, or anything else? I just ask that it's honest...
And maybe good luck wishes?...my ACT is tomorrow :')
I don't know if I'm biased because I'm an Arizona resident, but check out ASU! They have a high acceptance rate (it's almost impossible not to get in maybe even consider applying for the honors college, they have WAY better food and dorms), compared to other colleges they have a bit of a lower cost, and over top schools in the US like Stanford and MIT they have been Number 1 in innovation for the past 9 years in a row.
I know you are also concerned about loving the school and the environment. I feel like the little details that people think are stupid may be important. ASU has multiple locations but the main campus is the one in Tempe. ASU Tempe has the most general majors (probably the one you should apply to) while the other locations have more specific majors for example in downtown there is the Cronkite School of Journalism and in Mesa there is the Polytechnic Campus (Aerospace). Anyways, focusing on the Tempe campus, it's a work hard play hard environment. Anytype of person you want to find, you will find. They have lots of fun events and good quality majors. There are fun shopping malls and restaurants close by. They have a theatre where the put on shows (my family and I went to see the lion king one time it was so good)! If you're an athlete is good to know that ASU is an NCAA D1 School. The school itself is really safe. They have on campus police and what I think is cool is that if you feel you're being followed they have these buttons on the light poles and you can push them as you're walking and they will track you're path and they send help!
Okay I think I'm done. You can look into the school more if you'd like!
ps. I hope your ACT went well :))
if you're currently there, you should be a student tour guide^^ definitely have me interested XD
awe thank you, i'm actually just a freshman in hs lol (trynna be pro-active) :3
I'm just looking at this 4 months later, how's everything going?
So senior year is so chill rn I love it :D I got most of my college list made- just need to write essays and apply. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be going anywhere other than midwest/southeast, because I'd be really far from family. A ton of the people from my year are going there, which I find a bit weird because we're from a small town in IL.
I didn't get to mention it but I'm surprised you're a freshman looking at colleges! when I was a freshman, I didn't even know what AP and honors classes were lol good on you for getting ahead
Hope your sophomore year is going well :D
tyty it's going pretty well so far :)
First of all, good luck on your ACT tomorrow!
Because price is a major factor for you, you should see whether or not you are eligible for scholarships or fee/tuition waivers. Many colleges are very generous when handing these out!
Furthermore, I recommend researching more out-of-state colleges, such as ones in Virginia, Kentucky, or Georgia. This will give you a greater variety of schools to choose from; each campus is unique and has a different environment.
Keep in mind that your college decisions are IN NO WAY final. If you don't like the school you choose to attend, you can always transfer to another 4-year after a year or two :)
Yep I guess I'll keep looking for both colleges and anything to shave off the tuition fees
more college tourssss yay :D
and I wish my decision wouldn't be final, but my parents are paying off the majority of my college tuition and they are against me transferring..it kinda is final for me :,)
Well, I can't really say anything because I'm a sophomore, but I will say this. Good Luck!
thank you :) and advanced good luck when you take it!
I am a senior who just committed to college and I honestly still feel the same way. I think it was glamorizing the process too much. All the tours I went on/people I interviewed were like "I fell in LOVE with this school when I first stepped on campus!" but I have not had that experience anywhere.
The cost was a big factor for me so I applied to lots of schools that claim to give "100% need based aid" but these were more competitive and I got waitlisted/rejected at all of them plus my friends that did get into them said they were still expensive, however, some do give 100% need-based aid (smith, colby, the ivys, etc. the very competitive schools) Public state schools are usually cheaper though, and I was originally planning on going to my state school until I got a full-tuition scholarship from my work to a private school that was a safety school for me. Honestly, I made cost my number one goal in college admissions since no college stood out to me.
I think the best advice I have received is that college is what you make of it, so no matter where you go, study for your classes, join extracurriculars, meet new people, etc. This way you will have the best experience.
I would also look into what majors/programs you want to study and if these schools have strong programs for that. Or if you're undecided, do they have all the majors you are potentially interested in. I hope this helped you a bit and if you have any more questions please let me know! This process can be so complicated and overwhelming, but I know you got this! Best of luck on your ACT, I'm sure it went great!!
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