Choosing a college, a new home away from home, is a big decision. It's essential to invest in your college experience beyond your chosen major. Your future career goals might be a priority for you, but it is also important to consider the elements of college that will support your success as a young adult. If you focus only on your major and neglect other aspects of your college experience, what happens when you don’t enjoy classes or want to change majors? Or what if a college has a degree program you’re planning to study, but the school’s atmosphere isn’t a good fit? Which part of the college decision should be the most important to you? Sadly, there’s no right answer. Once you have narrowed down your decision to the schools and colleges your family can afford, this article will help you reflect on other parts of the college experience that you should include in your decision process.
Here are some key factors to weigh beyond your major of choice: school size, location and climate
School Size:
Think about your high school experience and what you envision for college life. Evaluate the pros and cons of large-scale institutions and smaller colleges. You may want a wide variety of academic programs, extracurricular activities and diverse friend groups. For you, college might be more about having significant options rather than support. However, smaller class sizes and academic departments may lend themselves to more personalized attention. Similarly, fewer people on campus might lead to tight-knit friend groups and sometimes even more diversity within friend groups. There is no wrong preference here, but ask yourself these questions to narrow down what might be the best fit for you.
- Do you prefer receiving less attention from professors in a large setting and fewer project-based assignments, or do you thrive in smaller settings and more project-based learning?
- Do you prefer the anonymity and variety that often come with a large student body, or would you rather know most people you see on campus?
- Does a certain size school more easily align with your extracurricular interests?
- Look at the types of resources available for academics, student life, student support and accessibility. Do the facilities and resources in each area align with your college expectations or meet your needs?
- What about food options on campus? Does a smaller school lend itself to less intimidating dining hall spaces and social opportunities, or would you prefer more diverse food choices and a larger number of locations? Consider the differences between meal plan options at big and small institutions.
- How are the living arrangements set up? Are they close together in a way that will help you build community — like everyone living on campus — or is choosing where you live a potential stressor?
- What do you expect out of a student recreation center? At smaller schools, faculty and staff may be a part of intramural teams and gyms. Does this level of community appeal to you? Or are you more interested in the large amount of equipment available?
- How important are the sports teams you support? Do the athletics meet your expectations? Do you enjoy the ways the student athletes are a part of the student body at this institution?
Looking at the questions you’ve answered in the school size category, rank which type of school is likely the best fit for you.
Associate Director of Admissions Cori Bradham emphasizes that a school size like Berry’s plays a really important role in some students’ decision: “Students who visit Berry are often blown away by the level of support or attention they receive at Berry College. For example, freshmen don’t register alone or with other college students. Instead, faculty make sure students get the coursework they need rather than them having to scramble for a final seat in a class. We at Berry do our very best to make sure you are prepared to succeed.”
Location:
Next, think about where you like to spend your time. Some colleges are centrally located in large-city downtown communities while others are more rural. A college in a more populous area may be a hub of cultural events, good food, museums and more, but it will also come with a higher cost of living, a more complex community setting and spaces less tailored to the needs of college students when off-campus. In contrast, students at a college in a more rural setting might need to make their own fun, having less access to cultural activities and events. However, gaining natural beauty and extra campus space may offer less stress or, on the other end of the spectrum, adventure or further room for study! If a focus on animals and the environment is important, you might find more hands-on learning in rural areas. As for adventure, a college on a lake might offer waterskiing courses! Location will play a factor in what your school can offer.
When considering your best option, ask yourself:
- How much does your environment affect your temperament?
- Do you prefer a more relaxed and peaceful environment or a fast-paced one?
- Are you comfortable with the noise, crowds and hustle of city life?
- Do you feel safe and what are the crime rates of the area?
- How does weather affect your mood or motivation? Would heat, cold weather or precipitation deter you from participating in college life?
- Do you expect to make friends connected to campus or college life or more friends outside of the institution?
- How close or far away from home would you prefer to be? Will you likely travel home to see family? Do you have any family close by?
- How does the location affect recreational activities either outdoors, such as hiking and sports, or cultural events, such as concerts and theater?
- How are housing, food, transportation and other expenses affected by location? Which do you prefer?
- How easy is it to get to campus if you are not living on campus? What is parking like?
- Are there industries connected to your future career close by? Does that play a factor in where you want to live?
- Where do you see yourself after graduation? Is there an alumni base nearby or connected to places where you are interested in living in the future?
Looking at the questions you’ve answered in the school location category, rank which type of school is likely the best fit for you.
Weighing the importance of location vs. major, Associate Director of Admissions Trevor Ehrenheim says, “At Berry College, we often see students who are interested in a specific major but are concerned about not living in a big city. But then, when they come to visit, they see Berry putting up a skating rink or fair for students or they experience the positive aspect of a tight-knit community, and they feel less worried about not having big city amenities.”
Campus Culture
Woven into the size and location of a college is its campus culture or climate. This unique set of traditions, values and behavioral norms or rules reflects the personality of the students and the commitments of the college. For example, Berry College’s story began with, Martha Berry, a single woman burdened by the desperate lives of children in her surrounding rural communities, who did not have access to education. With determination and 83 acres of family land, Martha Berry envisioned an education of the head, heart and hands that would disrupt the cycle of generational poverty and would include education for women. The residential schools she founded became a Gate of Opportunity for thousands of students, a testament to her unparalleled entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit — a rarity for women during her era.
Today, Berry aspires to bridge Martha Berry’s vision with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream by creating a “good neighbor” culture on campus and in the surrounding communities. Berry looks for ways to celebrate the increasing diversity of the campus community and asserts that it values a variety of voices and ideas, making Berry a dynamic place to live and learn. If Berry isn’t on your list, it’s likely the schools you are looking to attend have made similar statements. Find their mission and value statements about the types of student groups they hope to bring to campus and think through how their founding history affects the culture of today’s students.
Haley Smith, chief diversity and belonging officer at Berry College, says, “Campus climate is incredibly important to consider because you're choosing a second home. The best homes are the ones that are kind and honest, welcome their neighbor and allow you to be authentically you. They also listen when there's an issue, work together to find solutions and care for each other even when there are differences. Look not only for the fun things and the incredible opportunities but also for how the culture of the campus values treating you and others.”
- How can you see the mission and the vision of the college impacting choices made by the college and the student body?
- Can you see specific statements or choices made by the student body that you are excited or proud to be a part of? Do you have any negative reactions?
- How does the college support student belonging? Do they have mentoring practices or other staff specifically designed to help students find their place on campus?
- What about counseling, health services or academic advising? Does this feel intentional or disorganized? Will you be advised by a faculty member or a staff member? What is their training like?
- How do the clubs and activities on campus work? Do they feel inclusive or exclusive? Why or why not? How does this make you feel?
- What are the spiritual or religious practices of the campus? Does it feel like, despite your choices, you will feel cared for and respected?
- Does the campus attitude feel more community-based and collaborative or competitive? Where would you prefer to learn or grow?
- Does the campus feel open to dialogue, inclusive of ideas and accessible? Why or why not?
- What is the general attitude toward communication to the student body? Is it clear? Is it positive?
- How involved is the college in the local community or surrounding areas?
- How engaged is the alumni base and how do they respond to or support the students on campus today?
- What are the underlying values of continuing school traditions? What does that tell you about school values?
Looking at the questions you’ve answered in the campus culture category, rank which type of school is likely the best fit for you.
Put It All Together
At this point, you’ve reflected on the school size, location and campus culture, but your original priority, your degree program, is still on the table. Now, envision yourself struggling in that major, but with all the other factors and resources in place. Do you know where you would go to get academic help or counseling? Do you feel like you could find a community at this institution to support you or that you could confide in? Do you imagine sitting in a large lecture hall or a smaller cohort? What resources would you turn to when you face challenges? Are you interested in other majors available at the college and are there easy ways to transition to something new?
With all your expectations and reflections in place, you are likely prepared to make a strong decision. But no matter where you go to college, life is likely to bring you unexpected bumps along the way. Choose the college where you feel most confident and comfortable weathering the storms (and celebrating the joys) that life will bring during your next four years of college.
