# How you CHOSE your COLLEGE



## Ms ISTJ (Nov 16, 2015)

Hi, PerC!

For those of you who are/were in college, how much did you research your college options? Do you wish you'd done more research, or do you think you went a little overboard with the research? (C'mon, I can't be the only one...) 

What did you look for in a college, and what did you try to avoid?

How do you think your mbti/enneagram played into how you went about the college selection process?

Looking back, I can definitely see my inferior Ne driving the whole process. I didn't want to eliminate any possibilities, but I was also freaked out by all the ways my choice could end badly. I was a little _too_ aware of the fact that if I didn't do enough research, I might wind up hating my college. I wish I could go back and tell past me to chill out a bit. :wink:

Also, how do you think your mbti/enneagram influenced what you looked for in a college?


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## Shroud Shifter (Sep 9, 2015)

I applied to 4 colleges, and went to the one that had me. There's not all that many to choose from in my country.


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## jbking (Jun 4, 2010)

I looked at nearby universities known for some programs and then chose the program that gave me the most in scholarships in the end.


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## angelfish (Feb 17, 2011)

I researched a *ton*. My family even drove me hours across the country so I could visit some options. I knew by the end of my research that I wanted to attend a small-to-medium-sized college with a focus on academics, preferably in a nature-friendly area. My sights were initially set on the Ivy League and other highly rated colleges at first, and I almost certainly did have the grades, standardized test scores, and extracurricular involvement at the time to have a good chance of admission, but I stumbled academically in the second semester of my junior year and I probably disqualified myself - I didn't even apply to most of my "top-tier" schools out of shame and fear of rejection, as well as the fact that even if I still did get in, I almost certainly wouldn't get any scholarship money. As it turned out, I ended up going to a small state school that had some surprisingly excellent attributes. I had a rich and wonderful experience there. 

As for Enneagram and MBTI connections - I think being a 6w7 inclined me to dig into information and to explore many options. I enjoyed the research process more than the decision process. I am glad for my research, but I wish I had stressed less about the future, and enjoyed high school a bit more. I internalized so incredibly much pressure to be academically perfect, and I reached my internal breaking point. As an INFP I think I was inclined to finalize with Feeling-judgment. I generally used T-like thinking to compare schools and narrow down options, but nothing was as informative as setting foot on a campus and judging how I felt inside. I clearly remember how joyful and comfortable I was first setting foot on the campus of the school I ended up going to. I carried that feeling with me throughout my four years, and I really blossomed there.


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## owlet (May 7, 2010)

For my undergraduate degree I chose the university based on how feasible it would be for me to afford to come home if I wanted to (so reasonably close to my home city) and aside from that, it was just where offered the course - because my course was only in six universities and only one of those was near where I lived, it wasn't too hard to narrow it down. I did go to an open day for that university and it seemed like it was a nice area and the students seemed to have enjoyed the course. It was a mix of being practical (so taking the more practical of the two courses I was interested in and being able to get home) and doing something I enjoyed (the course still wasn't massively practical).
For my postgraduate (which I'm doing currently) I had to go to one of the two universities in my city because I couldn't afford to live away from home on the loan available and one of them just so happened to offer a course I thought sounded very interesting.
Both times I researched a lot and looked up reviews by students as well as information on facilities.


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## Sherwood Forest (May 25, 2016)

I was fairly apathetic about the whole process. All I knew was that I wanted to be within 3 hours of home and didn't want to be at a large school (15,000 students or more). After applying to only two schools, I accepted the one closest to a family member's house. Visiting her was the reason I found out about the University in the first place, so I decided to take a tour and ended up finding a lot of things I really liked about it: mid-size, diverse, clean, and had the exact major I wanted to study. It was in another state, but still close enough to home that I could get up and go whenever I was needed for whatever reason. I also had five other girls living with me the first year, so it was nice to have a way to escape from occasional chaos and visit my Aunt who was only fifteen minutes from the school. That was only about once a month, though. It also helped that this University was a lot cheaper than the other one I applied to. 
@Ms ISTJ As another person with inferior Ne, I can understand becoming overwhelmed by all the options we have to choose from, but I think that's better than not having enough to decide between. I hardly did any research at all, and everything worked out really well in the end. I also didn't know a soul when I first started and was nervous about finding friends, but that all worked out, too. I don't regret my choice at all. Good luck with your search.


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## JennyJukes (Jun 29, 2012)

there was only 2 within 40 miles of me and i went with the one that would let me graduate early and was easier


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## Handsome Dyke (Oct 4, 2012)

I had chosen an uncommon major (Astrophysics), so my choice of university was dominated by that factor. I also wanted to stay in California, but that didn't much limit my options since we have a million colleges here in California. 

I didn't care about many factors besides academics, so I didn't need to research much. I did have a mild preference for the more prestigious universities, but those are just about the only ones that even offered my major, so I didn't have to worry about that much.


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## joshman108 (Apr 14, 2014)

Im an intp. I don't remember how much I researched. I just ended up staying home and going to the local university because it was most cost effective. I don't really care about the education I received one way or the other; it was alright I guess (major in sociology). I'm applying for my next job as a data analyst shortly. Things seem to be going alright and I graduated debt free because I went to a school I hated because it was cheap.


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## Devet (Dec 27, 2016)

I applied to several universities. Then I negotiated with my scholarship institution about my options.


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## nonnaci (Sep 25, 2011)

Was pretty sure I was going todo computer science. State university, which already was highly rated in CS accepted me and offered me scholarship money. I accepted.


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## septic tank (Jul 21, 2013)

I went to a college that had a lot of options for majors because I didn't know what I wanted to do yet.


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## Solar Angel (Dec 18, 2016)

I admit to doing a ton of research too. It dawned on me in my sophomore year how important it was going to be, so I made myself focus. I think my MBTI type influenced my major choice more than my school. I wanted to resist my usual whimsy in making this decision, because I knew it could have a life long impact. There's a big difference between choosing a college and where to eat lunch.

I would imagine it's easier if you know exactly what you want to do already. I didn't, but I had narrowed it down to a few choices and fortunately I had great SAT scores and pretty good grades. I didn't always "apply myself" as much as I could have, but I've always thought life was more than work. I do think some extracurriculars helped with my admission. I applied to several and got into my second choice, which does have the benefit of being very close to home, unlike my first choice. It's a top school and offers many majors and I consider myself lucky to have gotten in. I had doubts that I would, which is why I applied to over half a dozen schools.

I would say tour the campuses and get a feel for the schools and what they have to offer. Consider possible majors and what schools offer them.


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## tinyheart (Jun 17, 2016)

The fact that I'm poor and had very bad grades and a subpar education decided I'd go to Community College. Mainly the poor part.


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## daydr3am (Oct 20, 2010)

I didn't spend much time or effort in choosing which school to attend or where. In high school, I was granted a scholarship that I could use only in Florida, and since Florida already has low tuition costs, I stayed in Florida. I absolutely did not want to be one of those people who graduate with school loans/educational debt. I decided to attend the local community college for my first 2 years of college, where I paid zero educational costs (and attended smaller classes!) thanks to my scholarship and grants. I spent the next 2 years at my local university to finish my bachelor's degree (finance), where I also did not pay education costs (scholarship, grants, and also tuition reimbursement from my part-time job). 

I personally recommend attending the first 2 years of college at a community college. It is cheaper and there are smaller classes, which I believe is beneficial to a student's learning process. It's difficult to ask questions and be involved with your professor when there are another thousand people in your class.

I don't think it matters much where you attend college/university. To me, my degree is just a piece of paper confirming I spent an extra four years in school.

I'm not sure if being an INFJ influenced my decision. I'm typically pragmatic.


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## EtherealBeing (Dec 27, 2016)

I chose my college based on my course itself. I chose a college that has high possitive reports regarding my course.


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## gardengnome (Dec 12, 2014)

I applied to a few schools in my state and some out of state in case they gave me big scholarships (didn't happen). So I just went to the university in my state I liked the most (I visited some campuses beforehand) which ended up having low tuition costs and some nice $cholar$hip$.


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## Ace Face (Nov 13, 2011)

Ms ISTJ said:


> Hi, PerC!
> 
> For those of you who are/were in college, how much did you research your college options? Do you wish you'd done more research, or do you think you went a little overboard with the research? (C'mon, I can't be the only one...)
> 
> ...



1. I applied for colleges that offered courses for one specific program (my area of focus isn't something you can find just anywhere).

2. I factored in costs, scholarship opportunities, etc.

That's pretty much it.


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## PalmKing214 (Dec 5, 2016)

Ms ISTJ said:


> Hi, PerC!
> 
> For those of you who are/were in college, how much did you research your college options? Do you wish you'd done more research, or do you think you went a little overboard with the research? (C'mon, I can't be the only one...)
> 
> ...



I chose the college I currently go to based on a number of factors. First let me start off by saying that I'm sinfully indecisive and so my original college list had over 200 schools on it. I basically just went online and found every school I possibly could with my major and minor (elementary education and Spanish), and practically every school does. My parents eventually helped me narrow it down to 59 then to 33 and finally 14, 9 of which I applied to.

By April, my parents were pushing me to make a decision and by then it had really come down to two schools. I ended up choosing my current school for the following factors:

1) Better for my major (the state has higher standards for teachers and the school's education department was better)
2) Small student body, intimate environment - though most of the schools that made it into my final nine were like this
3) Far away from home to provide a change of scenery but close to extended family
4) School reputation disproportionate to its size
5) Surrounding area was better
6) I felt more comfortable with the people I had met who went to my school than the other (people at the other school were still very nice, though)


My interest in MBTI has come in phases and most of my senior year was during an 'off' phase but I think it certainly influenced my decision. Though I was apprehensive about it, I think my dominant Se pushed me to seek places far away (all three of my final schools were about equidistant but still very far from home). I have always been irritated by people who endlessly complain about their hometown but the second semester of senior year, my Te kicked in hardcore behind Se and told me that if I didn't get out and see the world now, I was going to get stuck. I realized that it's always better to get out of your comfort zone than to stay and find yourself trapped in a stagnant, miserable life. This is where Reason 1 also comes into play, because once I have my degree, I'll always have the option of coming back. And more options is always better, even for somebody as indecisive as myself.

It's harder to explain why I wanted a smaller school with MBTI and why I actively avoided large schools. Because as an ESFP, I should flourish in the large-school environment. Now, I'm so thankful I went with my instincts and chose a smaller school. At larger schools, people tend to gel with others who share their interests and there's nothing wrong with that but I just have a really wide range of interests, so whatever group I fell into would probably feel stifling to me. At my small school, I get to connect with all types of people and experience college in many different settings. 

Hope this wasn't too long-winded!


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## SolonsWarning (Jan 2, 2017)

I applied to several, "good" schools and a couple of, "safety" schools. I ended up getting into all of them and deciding to go to the, "good" school that gave me the most financial aid even though it was probably a slightly worse fit than I could have gotten by going elsewhere.


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