7 Questions to help identify the best college

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.  (Yogi Berra)

It is time for a fork in your road. Hopefully, you are following the great Yogi Berra’s advice and taking it.

Goodbye with the old and hello to the new; new experience and new college.

How do you make sure you’re saying hello to the best college for you?

Make sure to ask yourself and the schools you’re looking at the questions below.  

• What is the best college type for me?
• Nationally accredited, regionally accredited, or not accredited at all.  What does it all mean?
• Can credits be transferred to or from this college?
• This one may be a little scary…how much is the tuition?
• Now that you know what you’re up against, what is the financial aid?
• What is the student: teacher ratio?
• What is the job placement percentage for graduates?

What is the best college type for me?

This really depends on what kind of experience and training you are looking for. Have you always dreamed of going to college, taking lots of different classes and playing Frisbee in the quad? Than a public 4 year university or private university may be the best college for you.

If you are looking to receive your education quickly and only take classes that are relevant to your degree, a career and trade school may be your best bet. For many working adults who have a clear career goal in mind and want to get in and out quickly, career and trade schools or online colleges are often the best colleges for them.

Still not sure what the best college type is for you? Check out the EdSoup College Search 101 Series.   

Accreditation…what does it all mean?  

There is a lot of information that goes along with education accreditation but I am going to keep it short and sweet. There are basically two types of accreditation for higher education, regional accreditation and national accreditation. Generally speaking, regionally accredited schools are the “more traditional” and academically oriented schools, such as Yale or the University of Utah.

Nationally accredited schools are generally centered on vocational and career training programs.  Some schools can be nationally and regionally accredited. There is another major difference between the two accreditations which leads us to. . . transferring credits. 

Can credits be transferred to (or from) this college? 

And you thought we were done with the accreditation business . . . think again. When looking at transferring credits, nationally accredited institutions will generally (note this doesn’t mean always) accept credits from regionally accredited schools. On the other hand, regionally accredited schools will generally not accept credits (or sometimes a degree) from nationally accredited schools.    

This may not be important to you if you simply want career training to start a new job. This may be vital if you are planning on doing an advanced degree after the one you are working on. Check with the schools you are considering to see if and which college credits they will accept.  

Let’s talk tuition

Keep in mind that education is an investment in yourself, so how much do you want to invest? Get tuition prices from multiple schools that fit what you are looking for. When asking a college for its tuition, be sure that the price they give you includes all the random fees; such as technology fees, activity fees, and any other fees that may be tacked on at the end. Some colleges’ tuition includes all the textbooks for the program or a laptop, be sure to add these benefits when looking at the cost. Then compare schools and see which one offers you the right education at the best value…which brings us to financial aid. 

How do I apply for financial aid?

Keep in mind when looking at a college’s tuition that sometimes what you are seeing is not actually what you will pay (thank goodness!). There are multiple kinds of financial aid that can help you achieve your dream education.   

Federal financial aid includes grants (money you do not have to pay back) and loans (money you do have to pay back, with interest) through the federal government. These can be applied for using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and there are deadlines throughout the year so make sure you apply early. Note this is a FREE application so you do not need to pay anything to file this (despite what some websites may tell you). You can apply through mail or online here.   

There are also thousands of scholarships available for those who are willing to take the time to apply to them. To begin with, check out:

http://www.scholarships.com/

http://www.fastweb.com/

Also, ask your college of choice if they have any institutional scholarships you can apply for.  

Student: teacher ratio

This may be a very important question for you or it may not matter at all. If you want to be in a small classroom where you can get lots of one-on-one help from the instructor, the best college for you would have a low student to teacher ratio. However, if you are perfectly happy being one of many a higher student to teacher ratio would fit you better. Only you can answer this question for yourself. 

What is the job placement percentage for graduates?   

Ask the admissions representative what percent of students are placed in careers at the time of graduation. This will be a good indicator of where you may be at the time you finish the program at that school. Do companies come to the school looking for graduates to hire?  Is there a career liaison that has good contacts in the field the school specializes in? Can they do mock interviews or critique resumes for those getting ready to graduate? Depending where you are in your career, these services may not be needed or may be a huge benefit. 

By taking the forks in the road, Yogi made it to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Where are you going to end up?

Need more advice to help you along your chosen path?  Check out more information on finding the best college for you at the EdSoup Blog.