25 Common Mistakes in Choosing a College

As much as I would love to say that all of my current seniors were finished with their college applications, that simply isn’t true. Not to mention the fact that you will still have to decide where you ultimately want to attend. For those of you who are younger, you are probably starting to think about the future and what colleges might be a good fit for you. I came across this article highlighting 25 common mistakes in choosing a college and I whole-heartedly agree with it! Below you can see their list of the 25 mistakes, but if you actually follow the link to the article it will provide good explanations for WHY these actions are mistakes.

1. Only look at colleges your best friend is looking at
2. Go to college where your girlfriend (or boyfriend) is going
3. Consider only colleges that mom or dad attended
4. Choose a college because it is the last place mom or dad want you to go
5. Choose a college based on the quality of their athletic teams
6. Go to the college with the best party scene
7. Look only at colleges within 50 miles of where you live
8. Don’t examine who you are and what you want from a college
9. Consider the cost of the college in deciding where to apply
10. Don’t visit a college or a similar type of college before applying
11. Choose a college without investigating campus safety
12. Let the choice just happen instead of taking charge of your future
13. Apply to colleges that you don’t really like because you think it will make your parents proud or impress your friends
14. Choose a college based on whether the student body is attractive
15. Believe that the harder a college is to get into, the better it must be
16. Assume that all colleges are the same
17. Rely on the rankings in news magazines
18. Apply only to prestigious colleges
19. Rely on someone else’s opinion
20. Be too shy to ask questions
21. Rely on a college’s advertising
22. Misjudge your ability to get admitted to a particular college
23. Ignore the resources you have available to help
24. Don’t adequately investigate your college choices
25. Decide that there is only one “right” college