What You Should Take Into Consideration When Choosing a School

There is a lot to take into consideration when choosing a school. When students begin to hear back from Universities this winter and spring, they will have to make their decision based on several different components. Other than academics, a lot goes into making a college unique and fun to attend. When choosing which college they are going to attend, students should take into consideration things like clubs, class size, Greek life, charity organizations, and recreational activities that the university has to offer. 

Clubs

The different types of clubs a school has to offer is something important you should take into consideration when choosing a school. It is incredibly important for students to be able to involve themselves in clubs and organizations outside of the classroom. Clubs help students further engage with their university and community. Clubs are considered extracurricular activities to which students willingly volunteer their time, so clubs can be included on a future resume. Universities will usually include a list of all the clubs they have to offer on their website, and you can learn more about what each club stands for. For example, here is a list of UMass Lowell’s clubs. 

Class size

Another important factor to keep in mind is the average class size of the University’s courses. Typically, with larger universities, the class size tends to be big, sometimes with over 100 people in a lecture hall. If it doesn’t matter to you whether or not a professor knows your name or face, then this shouldn’t be a problem. However, for students who need a more individualized course and an interpersonal relationship with their professors, looking for a smaller class average is important. You can check the average class size on the University’s website as well. 

Greek Life

Greek life is also a huge aspect of college that is important for you to take into consideration when choosing a school. Fraternities and Sororities are unique to the college experience. It consists of a group of social organizations that are there to help incoming freshmen make connections and lifelong friends. There are many pros and cons to Greek life. Depending on the person you are, Greek life may or may not be right for you. When I was deciding on colleges, I went to Niche.com. Niche rates Universities based on feedback from students. You can read up on what Greek life is like in each university to which you are considering applying. Typically, if you are a more introverted person who may have a hard time making friends, exploring Greek life could never hurt! However, if you are more extroverted then you may not like the restraints that some Greek organizations entail. 

Recreation

It’s also important to look into the respective University’s recreation department. If you like to play sports and do outdoor activities, see what types of exercise classes they hold at the campus rec center. Typically, colleges offer exercise classes like yoga and spin in their rec department. They will also have club sports and intramural sports that students can sign up for. Club sports require you to try out for them, as well as to travel and compete against other Universities. Intramural sports are more just for fun.

If you are still considering which colleges are the best fit, Boston Tutoring Services offers one-on-one Admission Consulting. Here’s a link to our services: https://bostontutoringservices.com/admissions-services/admissions-consulting/