For families with college-bound students, the final years of high school are a very stressful time.
Parents often worry that they are not doing enough and leaving their children at a disadvantage; students often feel overwhelmed by the challenge of maintaining academic and extracurricular workloads in an increasingly competitive environment.
In fact, students can become so consumed with the details of how to get into a certain college that they forget to ask whether they really want to attend that college!
These students are doing things backwards.
I believe that students should be just as selective about choosing which colleges to apply to as colleges are about choosing which students to accept. After all, given the enormous impact this decision can have on a student’s future—not to mention the large financial costs involved—students and their families should be trying to make as wise and informed decisions as possible throughout the entire admissions process.
This guide is meant to help students and their parents choose the right college.
In the first two sections, I list some general considerations that should be factored into any decision about which colleges to apply to and attend. In subsequent posts, I introduce readers to some different kinds of colleges: liberal arts colleges and community colleges.
Although there is a widespread attraction to apply to large private universities and state schools, these aren’t the only options out there. In fact, some of the best educational opportunities available in the U.S. are some of the lesser known.
Danny is the CEO of FLEX College Prep. Danny’s core focus is on helping young people get the best advice, and be the best students they can be. His team of professionals are also personal coaches, and great people, driven by the same passion for helping people.