Find the right match when looking at colleges

By Diane Huber | The Olympian • Published October 04, 2008

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College application season is nearly here. College admissions officers are visiting local high schools, and high school seniors are starting to narrow their search.

Checklist for college fairs

Admissions

•What are the admission requirements?

•What qualities should prospective students have?

•Which standardized test scores do you require?

•What majors are offered? What's the most popular?

•What are the application deadlines for admission?

•Are interviews required? Are there group or individual interviews?

•How can I arrange a campus visit?

•How long should I expect to wait for an answer once I submit my application?

Financial aid

•How much will it cost?

•What financial aid options are offered?

•When is your financial aid deadline?

•Estimate the percentage of work study, loans, grants, and scholarships awarded in your financial aid packages.

Classroom

•What is the average class size?

•How accessible are professors outside of class?

•Will professors or graduate students teach my courses?

•When must I choose a major?

•Do I need a computer?

•What student services are offered (tutoring, career counseling, study workshops)?

•How are the libraries, computer labs?

Housing

•What type of housing is available?

•Is student housing guaranteed for four years?

•Would I have a roommate or live alone?

•How are roommates selected?

Student life

•What special interest groups, activities, fraternities/sororities are available?

•What's it like on campus on the weekends?

•Are any programs offered to help students adjust to the college life?

•Are intramural, club, and varsity sports offered?

•How are the sports facilities?

•What types of meal plans are available?

Just the facts

•What is the school known for?

•What are recent graduates doing now?

•How many freshman return for their sophomore year?

•How safe is the campus and its surrounding neighborhoods?

Source: National Association for College Admission Counseling, www.nacacnet.org

Here, high school career counselors and college admissions officers offer tips on choosing a college that's the right fit.

Counselors agree students should first decide what sort of college they're looking for: a large campus or small, close to home or far, in a big city or smaller town.

Other factors to research and ask admissions officers about:

• Cost, although students shouldn't be afraid to apply for some schools out of their price range, counselors say. You never know what kind of financial aid package you'll get.

• Admissions requirements. Some colleges have more rigorous requirements for GPA and AP classes than others.

• Available majors. For students unsure of a major, they might want to look to schools with a wide variety.

• Average class sizes, and who's teaching the classes — professors or assistants?

• Housing options and meal plans.

• Clubs, sports and activities on campus.

When chatting with admissions offers, the more specific the questions the better, said Eric Pedersen, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Saint Martin's University.

"Asking, 'Do you have a good biology program' isn't a very good question, because, we're sales people — we're going to tell you it's a good program," he said. "Ask things like, 'does your biology program have a particular focus?' and 'Tell me about the professors who teach in your biology program.' "

Staying organized

Most application deadlines fall between January and May. Some schools, like Saint Martin's, have rolling admission and are accepting applications. Others have early priority deadlines.

In addition, there are deadlines for scholarships and financial aid information, as well as testing dates for SATs and ACTs. Most colleges also hold open houses in the fall.

All of these important dates belong on a calender, said Shannon Garrett, Capital High School's career specialist.

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