Choosing a University

Step 1: Determine what you will study or major in at the four year college or university .
That information can help in finding colleges that offer (and even specialize) in that field.

Step 2: Develop a list of criteria you want to use to evaluate colleges.
Do you want a large university or a small college? What about costs?
Here's a list of common criteria:

• degrees offered
• majors/minors
• location (rural or urban setting)/ geographical region of country
• size of the student population (from small at 1,000 to large at 35,000+)
• public vs. private
• costs (tuition, room and board, etc.)
• scholarships to international students
• campus resources (labs, libraries, computer access, etc.)
• graduation rate/time
• placement success/internship and co-op programs
• accreditation
• class size
• faculty contact/classes taught by full-time doctorally qualified faculty
• quality/reputation/ranking
• safety (campus, community)
• student body (diversity, gender, etc.)
• social life (Greek organizations, sports, school spirit, etc.)
• religious affiliation/independent
• housing options (dorms, apartments, homestay )
• realistic entry expectations (based on typical student admitted)

Step 3: Compile a list of possible colleges and universities.
With at least some idea of the criteria that are important to you, begin the gathering phase. You can find college information in Seattle Central's College Transfer Center. There are books, general websites and individual college and university websites. You will also get suggestions from family, friends, and faculty and counselors. Seattle Central also hosts several college transfer fairs throughout the year in which admission representatives from four year institutions come to our campus to recruit students.

Step 4: Gather all your resources and information about each school you're considering.
If you don't have all the information you need on a particular college, you should consider visiting the college's website.

Step 5: Use the criteria from Step 2 to narrow your list of colleges to a 4 or 5 choices .
Now be sure to pay attention to admission requirements, pre-requisites for your major and the official deadlines for the term you hope to enroll in.

Step 6: If possible, visit the colleges on your list from Step 5.
The best way to really get a feel for a college is by visiting the campus, taking a tour, meeting with students, attending a class, reading the campus newspaper, eating in the cafeteria, and spending the night in a dorm (if possible).