How Colleges and Students Differ: Which Kind of College Is Best for You?

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Which Kind of College Is Best for You?

What kind of college is best for you? Well, as with most things in life generally and in college admissions, it depends. It depends on your personality, your learning style, and your academic interests. Given the results of your self-assessment, do your preferences seem to fit better with one type of college than another? If so, you have made a major step toward developing your college list. You may also find, though, that you do not have a clear preference. Many students feel comfortable in different kinds of settings, and their final choice depends in the end on where they are admitted as well as the other factors that they discovered as part of their self-assessment. In the next section, we talk more about some characteristics of colleges to think about as you reflect on your own preferences. 

I was really surprised by my son’s reaction to certain colleges. The original Birkenstock-wearing California kid, he fell in love with a small liberal arts college in rural Massachusetts (enrollment 2,000) as well as a large research university in New York City (enrollment 23,000). Go figure.  - Observation by surprised parent

Location, Location, Location

When you close your eyes and try to imagine yourself in your ideal college environment, what do you see? A bustling city, with all the excitement, anonymity, and diversity that accompany it? Or a more bucolic setting, perhaps near a small town, with expansive lawns and a slower pace? Or something in between? Perhaps you have no clear preference, and you would be at home in any of these.

Despite the trend for students to think nationally rather than locally when considering colleges, the majority of students still go to college in the same part of the country in which they live—those in the South go to southern schools; westerners tend to stay west of the Rockies; those in the Northeast usually choose a school in that area, and so forth. Some students, however, see college as an opportunity to explore a different part of the country and factor this into their college search plans accordingly. Each area of the country has its own weather and elements of its own culture. Try to keep your mind and options open, and don’t automatically rule out a part of the country without carefully considering why. Be aware, though, that a campus in rural Maine or the Upper Midwest that is gorgeous when you visit in the fall could be less appealing in winter if you don’t care for snow. Cultural differences can also pose a challenge for some. Aa young woman from the East who was determined to go to the most prestigious college that accepted her, no matter what. She chose to attend a super-selective college on the West Coast for that reason and ended up miserable because she thought it rained too much and that everyone was too laid-back. Few people would describe Stanford Univer sity that way, but she did. The fit, for her, was a poor one.

If you find yourself drawn to colleges in other parts of the country, be sure to do your homework to determine what life would actually be like if you were to spend four years there. Be aware of possible differences in food, politics, weather, and lifestyle in general. In addition, it can sometimes be hard to get home from colleges in remote locations. Living in a different part of the country can be a wonderful experience if you are prepared to be flexible, or it can be a long four years.