Exercise 2.2: College Search Evaluation
In this exercise, you will analyze and determine what characteristics of a college/university are most appealing to your individual needs. This worksheet will help you discover the best college for you based on what you value and consider most important.
Table 1: For this activity, use the table to list and rank the factors related to your person college needs.
| Factors | Rank in Importance (1-7) |
| Cost | |
| Location | |
| Major & Concentration | |
| Campus Size | |
| Type of College Culture | |
| Housing Needs | |
| Campus Life |
Table 2: For this activity, consider what you have learned about college culture so far. Use the table below to help you decide what cultural factors of a college campus you prefer. Select one of the factors listed one each row with an X.
| Type of College Culture | |||
| Large University | Small College | ||
| Public | Private | ||
| Co-ed | Single Gender | ||
| Traditional | Online / Evening /Weekend | ||
| Big Metropolitan Location | Small Town Location | ||
| Ethnically Diverse | Minoring Serving | ||
| In-state | Out-of-state |
Table 3: List 3 colleges you would consider attending. If you have fewer than 3, then visit: www.mycollegeguide.org/ to get a generalized list of colleges.
| A. |
| B. |
| C. |
Table 4: In the table that below, enter your score on a scale from 0-5 (5 being the best fit and 0 being no fit) to judge each feature for each school. Consider each feature by asking yourself, “Am I comfortable with this feature of this school?”, or “Do I like this feature of the school?” When evaluating factual information such as “Is my major offered?” enter a 5 for yes and a 0 for no.
| Sample Qualities | College A | College B | College C |
| Is my major offered? | |||
| Distance from home | |||
| Campus size | |||
| Ethnic make up | |||
| Average number of years to graduate | |||
| City/town size and makeup | |||
| Cost | |||
| Gender make up | |||
| What do my instincts tell me? | |||
| Personal Quality 1 | |||
| Personal Quality 2 | |||
| Personal Quality 3 |
Based on your findings, rank your top 3 college choices.
1.
2.
3.
Keep in mind that this exercise is to help guide you in the decision-making process. It is not an absolute test in choosing which college you should attend.
