# What did/do you look for in a school?



## Nomenclature (Aug 9, 2009)

Haha, I love how in my college handbook comparison chart, there are rows and rows of numbers like average GPA, class size, tuition, etc., and then for the last row, there's "how did my stay on campus make me feel?" I mean, I know that it's important, but lmfao. Imo it's not something that really belongs on that table.

But what I personally look for would be:

Urban area, preferably New England, but the bigger the city, the better
A crap load of extracurriculars
Sororities xD
Super duper liberal and/or artsy
Party scene
Renowned for research
Interdisciplinary majors or the option to construct your own major, YEAH!
Some place that would accept the disparity between my ACT scores and my dodgy GPA -_-

Soooo, perhaps it's an urban area, varied extracurriculars, fraternities/sororities, or something that I didn't even think to mention. What is it about a the setting, atmosphere, or programs that would attract you?


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## viva (Aug 13, 2010)

Oh gosh, thinking back to my college search... what a handful that was. I was soooo worried about picking the right school. 

My main priorities were:
*Academically prestigious/low acceptance rate
*Campus not IN a big city, but one close nearby
*Smaller than about 5,000
*Pretty campus
*Great financial aid/scholarship opportunities

I ended up getting all of the above, so yay! Just an FYI, you're probably not going to find an artsy liberal arts school that has Greek life. They are usually mutually exclusive. So you might have to pick which means more to you-- if you want Greek life or if you want that ultra hipster artsy vibe. I'm in a sorority, and I love it, but I could definitely survive without it, and would DEFINITELY rather be on a campus where most of the people were like me rather than having to join a sorority to find people like me. If that makes sense.

Looking at your list, if it's not too competitive, try Tufts! That's one school I wish I had applied to, but didn't.


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## Nomenclature (Aug 9, 2009)

Collegeview.com suggested University of Wisconsin-Madison and Cornell for schools with both liberal leanings and Greek life.  So I know that they're out there! d; Extracurricular organizations are a huge focal point, but ehhh, I could go either way on that one. I don't really think of people in terms of alike and different, it's more like we either click or we don't... if that makes any sense.

I'll add that to the list of schools to look into. But campus visits in Boston, NY, and Chicago in general are musts regardless.


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## loungefly (Nov 2, 2010)

Ha, honestly, I just decided based on the quality of the tennis courts. Fuckin love tennis...


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## viva (Aug 13, 2010)

Nomenclature said:


> Extracurricular organizations are a huge focal point, but ehhh, I could go either way on that one. I don't really think of people in terms of alike and different, it's more like we either click or we don't... if that makes any sense.


Yep, that's what I meant too! I couldn't think of how to word it haha, I was out of it, sorry. But honestly, I wouldn't worry about extracurriculars because pretty much all colleges have tons of extracurriculars and if they don't it's probably not a school you're going to be looking at anyway. Try to narrow down your search to as few key points as possible, and be flexible, and I think you will end up with a lot of options.


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## jbking (Jun 4, 2010)

*What I did....*

There is a Canadian magazine that ranks all the universities in Canada and so this is a way to see what kind of ranking various schools have. This helped me figure out where to apply and then based on what scholarships I was offered is what determined where I went and studied. This may or may not help, but I'm just sharing my experience. There were also contests that some schools gave that were also a factor in my application process.


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## madhatter (May 30, 2010)

Whoever was willing to give me the most money.


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## TheWaffle (Aug 4, 2010)

Best financial aid and scholarship offers
Large but not too large
In or near a city
Exclusive (meaning they don't accept everyone and their mother)
Offers my list of possible majors
No religious affiliation
Possibly liberal
Within 6 hours from home


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## sonicdrink (Aug 11, 2010)

Nomenclature said:


> Haha, I love how in my college handbook comparison chart, there are rows and rows of numbers like average GPA, class size, tuition, etc., and then for the last row, there's "how did my stay on campus make me feel?" I mean, I know that it's important, but lmfao. Imo it's not something that really belongs on that table.
> 
> But what I personally look for would be:
> 
> ...


wow... I'd say UMass is perfect for you. ha ha. they have one in boston too, so a big city.

anyway....

my criterion were

- school/city size
- reputation
- if they had a good program for my major
- financial aid
- interdisciplinary major option
- overall environment


for instance, I wouldn't want to go to a school that was renowned, but in a shady area (heard some bad stories about that, aye)

I tried to go to a rural area for a while, but discovered I like living a busier life.

mostly though, it was the major, because it's a bit obscure, and I wanted a good program for it.
i reviewed practically everything though, then narrowed it down to these as the most important. I hated college searching, my gosh...


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## ceembee (Jun 28, 2010)

Traveling debate team (and scholarship opportunities)
College town/great location
Affordable
Intellectual atmosphere/no religious affiliation

I'm planning to transfer next year. I didn't end up having the money to go to UMass-Amherst, which was my first pick (also, no debate scholarships there. waaaaah), so here I am at the four-year university in my home town.
My criteria have definitely changed since dealing with Financial Aid offices and realizing that no matter how brilliant I am, colleges are money-making machines and won't keep me around for that sole reason :mellow:


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## sonicdrink (Aug 11, 2010)

ceembee said:


> Traveling debate team (and scholarship opportunities)
> College town/great location
> Affordable
> Intellectual atmosphere/no religious affiliation
> ...


i was in debate too! actually, i transferred to Umass, but the last school I was at I did get a debate scholarship (yeah, they don't have anything but C/X, and me being a POI person, that sucked). but, the most important factor for me was my major. unfortunately i'm encountering the same problem with money,but i'm gonna stay a year to establish residency and get cheaper schooling.


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## Rez (Nov 6, 2009)

*hey*

My history teachers wonderful powerful passion for his words


My math teachers kindness as he took us down the path of mathematical exploration

My other math teacher's gentle manner, it got through to me


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## lylyness (Jul 31, 2010)

Location location location. I'm a city girl and can't do the middle-of-nowhere-life-in-the-college-bubble thing. Plus practicality of not needing a car and having many internships opportunities was big for me.


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## TheBly (Dec 11, 2010)

I was somewhat lucky, in that I didn't have to look to hard to find my school.

I needed something cheap, but still a good school. Which meant it would have to be *public* and *in state*.

I applied to University of Cincinnati and The Ohio State University.

Accepted to both, and I chose OSU because it's awesome, a better school for my field, and farther away from home.


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## timeless (Mar 20, 2010)

I'm going to school in New England. I've been in New England since forever. It's pretty hard to find a school that's _not_ liberal in New England.


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## absent air (Dec 7, 2010)

Having great debates
No intellectual atmosphere needed, in fact, i would enjoy a jolly/fun atmosphere, with lots of food,icecream and cookies. =D
Outside-the-box thinking has to be stimulated
More ways to learn then just using books, becuz thats just a narrow academic skill.
Some kind of competition, i love competition, and i really miss it here.
some kind of official half IQ half knowledge test, the higher your score, the more priveleges you will have (skipping classes, not being underestimated.)

This may be a bit radical but i would intensely enjoy the thrill of a kind of deathmatch in school, you start with 300 people in a study, and only 50 will pass. That would be awsome.


i hope i didnt scare people off o_o


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