You are about to finish your senior year and are awfully confused as to where your life is headed next: don’t worry, that pretty much sums up the senior year for most students. Whether you have some idea of where you want to be or none at all, you need to decide something eventually, which does put some pressure on you. During your school years you may have developed a passion for something and want to pursue it, but are unsure of whether you will be choosing the right college to develop that passion or not. Read on below for some smart tips that will help you in choosing your future college.
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Write Out Your Goals
Before choosing any university, sit down and write out your goals and interests. What do you envision for your future? What do you aspire to do? One cool trick to find out is to sit down and think about a day in the future; it can be five years from now, 10, whichever it may be, and think about how the day is going. Are you waking up at 6 am, getting dressed in formal attire and heading to your corporate job? Or are you waking up at 10 am and working from home? Answering these questions and knowing where your passions truly lie, will help you get to that day you envision.
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Talk to Family Members and Set Your Budget
Your parents may already have some sort of plan for you. Although you may not like it or are keen on it, do not dismiss it completely. Research and see if it is something you can be remotely interested in so that you do not regret it later on. If they do not have that plan, then pick their brain on what would be your best step and what their budget for college is. They may, to an extent, know you well and understand your capabilities and suggest possible careers. They also know the budget the best as well as their capabilities according to whichever university you want most.
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Talk to Your Counselor
If your school has an academic counselor, then they may be of great help. Counselors are well acquainted with your grades and your academic progress over the years. Your counselor will be your best option in finding the best university to fulfill your aspirations. If you are striving to enter an Ivy League university and your grades or extracurriculars are not up to that university’s standards, your counselor will tell you what you need to do for them to consider you. Your senior year is one of your last options to have a better CV or portfolio to submit, so talk to your counselor about how to make the most out of it.
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Do Your Research
If neither your parents nor your counselor help, then go online and do your research. Depending on where you live or what your capabilities are in terms of traveling, you may have several options already in mind. Research all of the universities and find out what their requirements are. There are usually groups of alumni or people still in the university that you can join and ask about the university itself. Ask around and see what you can still do in your senior year to get accepted into your dream university. It is possible that you like it less after talking to some people as not all universities present the entire process or requirements of a specific major.
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Make a Pros and Cons List
After you understand your goals, the budget, and your options, make a list of possible choices. Choose the best five options and through a pros and cons list, limit them to three, rank them from the one you want the most to the least, and apply to all three. The pros and cons list will help you decide which of the universities has the best options and will push you further towards what you really want.
The college you choose does not have to be your end goal. Many people go to college for four or five years and realize in the end that they want to change careers altogether. It is not the end of the world so you do not have to put so much pressure on yourself in choosing the perfect path for yourself now. College does help you get where you want to be though so ask around and write down why you are choosing this path, it may help motivate you to do the best you can during those years.
