The Big Three- Factors for making your list

While there are many little things that may help you pick one school or another, when you’re at the very early planning stages you want to look at a wide variety of schools.

But with literally thousands of colleges to choose from, how are you supposed to narrow down to 20-30 to start your search?

Look at the Big Three factors.

The Big Three?
These are the very broadest categories and definitions of schools that will help you decide. While many of them have fuzzy lines, generally speaking they are factors that you can give a numerical value to and make cut offs. 

The Big Three factors are:

1.     Size

How many students are at the school?

How many are graduates and how many are undergrad? Are you going to have small seminar classes of 10-20 students, or big lectures with 300? Are you going to have 2 degrees of separation with everyone on the campus, or are you going to meet complete strangers every day? Is the campus like a bustling city of 18-22 year olds, or is it a small quiet oasis?

This is a factor that students usually won’t know at the beginning of their search, and I also believe that you should add in some outliers and play with your numbers. Generally speaking, you’re going to fit into 1 of 3 preferences (2000, 7000, or 10000+). Take a look at all of these types and see which one fits you best. It’s usually not something you know until you see it.

2.     Academic Rigor

How tough are the classes?

Are the academics top-notch with the crème de la crème or is it like high school 2.0? How many students do they send to grad school every year? Is the program for your major respected and reputable? What is the acceptance rate? Is there grade deflation, or can I expect to do well?

Academic Rigor is one of the biggest factors for when you are picking a school. You want to go to a place that will fit you and you can handle the work, but also you won’t be bored. This is an easy factor to match because, generally speaking, you know where you can get in. Again, generally speaking, academics are tougher at a school that is harder to get into (granted, I’m talking about a school with an 80% vs. a school with a 40%, not a 30% vs. a 10%, where the difference is really more about name recognition rather than the actual quality/difficulty of education). 

Also, notice how I didn’t say prestige? They are different things.

3.     Location/Distance

Where is the school?
This one is the limiting factor for the vast majority of college students, because most students are limited to their home state. And that’s totally fine. I go to a state school (out of state) and I LOVE it and I’m jealous that the state I’m in has such fantastic public schools (as opposed to my home state where even our good publics are only meh). Also, not debting yourself is literally worth it’s weight in gold.

For those who can look a little further, you’re going to have to know your preferred radius, and take into consideration the financial constraints of traveling. Can you drive, take the train, or fly? Are you a 2-hour person? A 5? Or are you willing to go cross-country?
While I’m the only one of my siblings to go outside of the Tri-State, the 10 hour drive to and from school is a bit harrowing and a HUGE pain in the butt, even only twice a year.

This is a great limiting factor because it has very hard lines. While I’d say that there’s very little difference in 5 hours driving and 5 hours flying, try saying that when your schools is evacuated for hurricanes…

So know what you, and your family, can handle distance wise.

How The Big Three can help make your decision:
While there are a million and one reasons you can pick a school, these are three of the easiest ways to cut out HUGE chunks of schools right off the bat. You might not know exactly what you want at first, but once you know what appeals to you, it makes a list nice and easy.

So when you’re starting your search, know where you stand on the Big Three