Tips For Choosing A School - Part III

Lifestyle Attributes To Consider
Colleges can be found in the middle of nowhere or in the middle of a huge city.
They can be in suburbia or in rural counties. This is a time for you to think about
what resources you actually need and would use during your college days. Think
about the activities you have enjoyed in high school and decide whether you’ll want
to continue some or all of those; this might help you focus on the lifestyle you’re
looking for. Consider the following aspects:

Cultural Offerings – What do students do off-campus? What kinds of concert
venues, museums, theater, restaurants, etc. are nearby? Colleges are usually very
good at providing plenty of social and enrichment activities for students, so look at
a student newspaper and look for upcoming events. Stop by the student activities
center and read posters on bulletin boards. Ask current students what activities they
do on and off campus.

Student Body – Consider geographic, ethnic, racial, religious and academic diversity.
Do many or most of the students go home on weekends? If so, you’ll find the campus
to have a different feel at various times. Are most of the students from your region of
the country? If not, decide if you’re comfortable being the sole Hawaiian adjusting
to your first Boston winter.

Student Support – If you get into trouble while you’re in school (physical, emotional,
academic, legal), what kind of support system is available to help you out?
Housing – On-campus, off-campus, antiquated, brand-new. What will your housing
options be during your freshman year and beyond? If you seek a residential
community, evaluate the quality of the residence halls, but don’t dwell on them too
much. They probably won’t be as nice as your home bedroom, but you can decorate
and personalize your room, and you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can feel good
about where you’re living.

• Past Freshman Year – When all ages of students live on campus, a good sense
of community occurs. Find out if you could continue to live on campus in later
years if you wished to do so. Also, many colleges offer wonderful older student
apartment-style housing, which might be something to look forward to.
• How Are Roommates Paired Up? – It is seldom a good idea to room with a
high school friend. While it would be comfortable to have someone to hang
out with the first few days, college is a time for you to make and enjoy new
relationships, and that can be difficult if your high school friend is also your
roommate. Besides, best roommates are seldom best friends. If the college
invites you to complete a survey about yourself for the purposes of assigning
a roommate, you’ll want to be honest with yourself and about yourself, or you
could end up with a roommate who is totally incompatible with your lifestyle.


Organizations – Can you get involved in many types of activities? What
extracurricular activities do students do? If fraternities and sororities exist on
campus, are they a big part of campus life? Do you want adventures? What activities,
organizations, and opportunities will be available to you? Will there be sufficient
chances for you to try new things? Will you be able to practice your leadership skills
in extracurricular activities?

Safety – Your safety on campus is always important. Get the real story from current
students. Published campus crime statistics can be helpful, but it’s best to learn how
safe students, themselves, feel on a daily basis.

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