Re:
1. Find a college with LOTS of majors. It would totally bite to have to transfer schools just because your current college offers only a limited selection of majors. I was at UMO (University of Maine-Orono) and their Business program was slight, so I transferred back home.
2. Visit. And preferably, stay over. Get a feel for the campus itself. The social scene and its comforts matter as much as the academics.
3. Don't over borrow just to have a good time. If you don't get a slamming major, and you borrow/indebt you or your family, just for 4 years, the 20 years it takes to pay them back won't be worth it. If it's free no matter what, find one you really like that fits you. Each person is different.
-Will your parents give you spending money, or do you have to work throughout the year? Normally, campus work doesn't compensate enough to make ends meet, even if it's beer you want to buy. If your parents can front and give a big allowance, then finding a place with few local jobs is ok. If your parents will request you work, then you better save during the breaks, get campus work, and find a school near plenty of jobs. Money will become an issue. Perhaps not initially, but after the first month, you'll want to resume your spending habits and go to dinner with friends, and/or save for spring break.
-I went to a semi large school = 9000
-A medium school of 5,000
-And a small school = 1300
They all have their pluses and minuses.
Big schools you never stop meeting people. But they can also be distracting. You're just a number, and very often you have to wait for all services.
Small schools you get to know people pretty intimately, but you always have a place to go and parties you can host or attend. At my smallest school, which was a top party school up in New England for many years, the closeness of the student body was bad for hooking up, unless you did so with many freshman. But as you got older, all your friends had townhouses, apartments, and space, so everywhere you went there was a party to be had. The only down side was during finals when most people WERE NOT hosting parties, but even then frats would have "quiet" parties. It paid to know upperclassmen when you were a freshman, b/c if you didn't, then finding parties was tough during final weeks. Food is better at small colleges, too, b/c normally they do individual meal plans versus the buffett style. Frats aren't as popular, and normally don't have frat houses at small schools, nor the respect they do in the south and midwest, but they are still present.
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Having tried a small school, I'd APPLY to large elites. Notre Dame. Duke. USC. (Maybe not elite, but expensive and large). Find out what scholarships you can get there. They take in more money, so they can hand out more money. If you can get a nice scholarship, come away with no loans, have mom and pop provide some allowance money, and make some bucks during school, that's my ideal. The spending cash is also key so that you can still remain autonomous during school and breaks. I tried skimping, but eventually you end needing things.
A-Unit
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