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There are many factors that go into selecting a college, but those reasons can differ from person to person. It is important for people to choose a college that is a good fit, and a place where they can succeed. There are many reasons why a person would choose a specific college but every person has different reasons and motivations when choosing a college to attend. People may choose a specific college based on where their friends are going or if it’s a party school, but the majority of people tend to choose a college based on other factors such as the location of the university, the degree offerings, and financial reasons.
At UCLA a survey was given to incoming freshman. The students had to rate which factors were influenced them the most in their decision to attend a particular college. The students had a list of 22 reasons in which they had to rank the most influencing reasons. 45.5% of the students said that they were offered financial assistance (scholarships), 41% said that their decision was based on the cost of attending the college and 38.7% said that the most important factor was the size of the school.
When people choose a college to go to, one of the most important factors is the location. The location of the school is an aspect that highly influences where a person may decide to go. One of the reasons senior Brittany Younan chose the University of Boston was because it was, “a great city and the campus was perfect.” In the United States people consider the location of a school based on many other geographical reasons. People choose colleges founded on whether the college is in in a big city, metropolitan area, small town, near the beach, where it’s warm all year, part of the country that the person enjoys, etc., are all motives to choose or not choose a particular college. People also choose the college because they are from that area or it is close to family. “Part of why I chose Front Range Community College to go to for one year is because it was close to my family,” Senior Ashlie Wilson of Fossil Ridge High School said. While location of the school influences a person’s verdict significantly, the degree offerings and their career choice is another impactful reason.
People frequently choose a college that is known for a specific major or that has the degrees that the person is looking to explore. Most people don’t choose a college if the school doesn’t offer the degree program that the student wanted to pursue. “One of the reasons why I chose the University of Wyoming is because it is known for having a good engineering program,” FRHS senior Girik Ranchhod explained. Other individuals select a school because they hope to pursue a career in college athletics. Brittany Younan chose the University of Boston because the school offered Younan a scholarship to play softball. She clarified that that decision to play softball in college was a chief factor in the selection process. “I only wanted to go to a school where I could play softball,” Younan added on.
Though the school may be an expert in a particular field of study, the foremost factor that accounts for how people pick out a college is due to financial reasons. In today’s economy numerous people are forced to be realistic when deciding on a college based on if they can afford it. The price of tuition is a wide range that can be anywhere from $5,000 to upwards of $50,000 for different universities. Due to the price of some colleges people are forced to pick a certain colleges because they cannot afford other more expensive institutions. Various people like Wilson, go to a college for a couple of years in order to save up money then they transfer to another school that they previously couldn’t afford to go to. “I am going to Front Range for one year in order to get started in pre-med because of the prices.” Various other people may be able to afford more expensive colleges but they select a cheaper college to have money for the future. “It came down to a couple schools but part of why I liked Wyoming was that it is a cheaper school and I could get scholarships there,” Ranchhod said. While price is a limiting factor for numerous people the ability to apply and receive scholarships is a crucial factor when choosing a college. People pursuing college athletics such as Younan can get full ride scholarships to play a sport for the university.
There are countless factors that help aid in determining where people choose to attend a college, and it may come down to simply a gut feeling. Though it may come down to a gut feeling, people often choose colleges because of the price. Colleges can be expensive but with the help of scholarships and other financial support colleges are becoming more accessible to a wider range of people. The location of the school is also an impactful decision when picking a college as the person must be willing to live in the area for a couple of years. The majority of people also choose to go to a school where there are program offerings fro their degrees.
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