Attending college is a major step for young people and choosing the right college is important. Unfortunately, far too many people pick a college based on its name value, because their friends are going to a particular school or some other superficial reason. The wise course is to decide based on which college or university is right for you. If you are planning to choose a college in Washington, look at your individual needs and pick the college that is the best match.
Instructions
1. Assess your individual circumstances. You need to ask yourself three questions. First, what colleges will accept your grades, SAT scores and other accomplishments? Second, what are your interests? If you want to study science or engineering, a liberal arts school is the wrong place. On the other hand, if you want to become a teacher, the teacher preparation programs at liberal arts schools often have highly regarded teaching programs. Finally, look at your family’s financial situation. How much can you afford, what kind of financial assistance can you get and how much in student loans are you willing to saddle yourself with?
2. Investigate several schools before you choose a college in Washington. There are over 80 institutions of higher education in Washington State, not counting vocational schools. Your high school counselor can get you a list and help you narrow the list down to a few based on your self-assessment (see Step 1). Take the time to visit as many as you can—-especially the two or three at the top of your list.
3. Consider attending a local community college if your high school grades are not what they should be. One of the discouraging things for many students who don’t have high grade point averages or a collection of AP courses is the myth that they are stuck with their high school transcript. However, attending a community college for a couple of years in Washington and turning a good academic performance will overcome this. The reason is that college admissions offices will base their decision on the record at the community college and not the high school transcript. Washington has good community colleges in many cities. For example, Highline Community College, located in Des Moines, Washington, is an award winning school with an enrollment of 15,000.
4. Take finances into account. Most high school seniors are eager to get out on their own and college dorm life is certainly a good place to start. However, many families have limited resources. If that’s the case, you may want to choose a college in Washington near you and live at home. There are some good choices for students in this position. The University of Washington has campuses in Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma. Washington State University also has campuses in different cities.
5. Make your interests the top priority. You may not know exactly what you want to major in but chances are you have some idea of what you like or do not like, or that you want a career in some area of business or health care. For example, if you want an engineering or science career, your best choices are Washington State or the University of Washington. To pursue a teaching career, you have several choices, including Eastern Washington and Evergreen State. Western Washington University and Washington State University both have good business schools. The idea is to go where you can learn what you want to learn.
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