Finding the right college for you is often a difficult task. There are so many variables to consider. In this article, we'll do our best to help you decide the right college for you.
You should try and go to the schools with the resources and majors you want. If you want to major in CS, going to a school like Dartmouth doesn't make much sense compared to a lower ranked UDub or UIUC. If you want to do finance, NYU is gonna make more sense than UCLA. It's all about picking the school with the best resources for your major. You've gotta do the research to find what fits you best in this regard.
It cannot be understated just how much culture matters to a school decision. A college/uni with a culture that fits you that is ranked lower will always be a better decision than a top school with a culture that doesn't fit. If you don't like greek life, a school like Dartmouth or Tulane would suck for you. If you want a more balanced school-life balance, choosing a school like UCB would be a terrible idea. Every school is for someone, but many schools likely aren't for you, so keep this in mind when looking for schools.
Location is extremely important to pick the right school. If you want to work in finance, being in NYC is a big plus. There's also a lot of other things. Plenty of people love the big city, being around tons of people and having a great amount of flexibility in transit options. Others love the distant countryside and the sound of absolutely nothing. Really, you should just pick whatever you like best, but in an effort to find which you really enjoy, you should try both. Go to big cities or remote locations or pure college towns. Explore things. Find out what you like.
For many people this straight up won't be an option, but for those of you who it is, and I cannot stress this enough: Go on a campus tour. You will likely learn more about the culture and setting in a tour than in a lot of reviews, and this really is one of the best ways to assess a school.
Go onto Reddit to get some honest opinions. Yes, Reddit tends to be biased, but there are so many small nuances about a school that you would only be able to learn from a community of people who, you know, spent 4 years at that school you're thinking of attending.