Choosing your university

now, applying for university can be a very tough decision-making task
but choosing the right university for YOU can make A LOT of difference in your university days.

1.first of all, you need to make a pick; public or private
there are a lot of differences in public and private as i have explained earlier on
if ur the more competitive type, and u like large classes, then go ahead with public
if ur the more attentive type, and u like small classes, then most probly private unis would suit u.
it all depends on the class size. that's when research is necessary.

2. take a little tour into the curriculum
some unis require certain tests to be done beforehand, or perhaps compulsory internships after graduation.
other unis might require u to take more ridiculous subjects than some of the others
and some unis might give u a bachelor in science for ur course and maybe a  bachelor in business in other unis
a little research into the universities' websites might help you a lot.


3. take a look into the social life.
take into consideration the crime rates, the living costs, even transportation
for instance, drake students enjoy a free shuttle service around des moines. some unis just have more privileges than others
if ur the more fun and adventurous type, u might wanna go for public unis because these unis are more focused towards athletics and huge events. there are numerous groups that u can look up such as IVY League, and BIG TEN which are leagues in the sports department
private and small universities like RPI dont focus much on athletics (although we are number 1 for ice hockey)  but on the other hand, we have a huge performing arts theater on campus which hosted the ICCA 2011(glee club stuff)

4, take a look into the job prospects
although this is NOT so important, but u have to take this into consideration as it may affect ur degree quality
statistics can easily be googled for stuff such as median salary, or types of companies the graduates use to work with
u may also look at the list of companies that come to ur university for annual career fairs
career fairs are the perfect place to find jobs!
some unis even offer collaboration with companies in certain courses


5. acceptance rate.
this might make a difference on whether you fly overseas or stay local.

overall, DO NOT apply a university SOLELY based on rankings. coz rankings just tell ya how much research they did and how many smart people go there. it doesnt decide whether ur gonna have a hard time or a superb time for the next 4 years of ur degree.

some sites u might want to take a look at :
www.collegeprowler.com < rankings and reviews of universities
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ < discussions about universities