Expert: Todd Johnson - 10/26/2007

Question
I'm a junior in high school now and my parents are pushing me to begin narrowing down my list of colleges. I honestly don't really have much of an idea as to where I want to go. My grades are okay- my average is somewhere between an 87 and 89, 90 at the most.  I do several clubs for school, including the school newspaper, community service, and I have definitely demonstrated leadership skills through various activities. I'm not sure what I want to major in, but I've always been interested in international relations- especially Middle Eastern and Islamic studies. I've also considered teaching, counseling, journalism, and anything with the United Nations interests me. I know that's a wide range of majors/careers, but it's basically everything that interests me. I live in NY and I don't have a specific state or area as to where I want to go to school, but I don't want to be 20 hours away from my family.
Thank you,
Anna

Answer
Anna,

Thanks for writing. Although there is no real rush right now, the more you can work on the college admission process this year, the less hectic your senior year will be.

For students who don't really know what sort of college they are looking for I generally advise visiting come different types of colleges in your general area. Go visit a large state university, a smaller research university and a small liberal arts college. Ideally, try to visit at least 2 of each type of college. Most people after visiting will get a general idea of the type of college they like best.

Large universities have a huge choice of majors so you can explore many different options. They also have lots of activities with something always going on. However, they tend to be less personal with large classes typical particularly for the first two years.

Smaller liberal arts colleges tend to have much closer student teacher interaction both in and out of the classroom which is best for teaching and learning as well as future references for grad school or work.  However, because of their size, they have fewer majors available which is a problem if you decide they don't have the major in which you are interested.

Each type of college has its advantages and disadvantages and you need to try and determine which is the better fit for you. Thus the college visit.

I do often tell people like you that are undecided about what they want to study, to not worry too much about that issue. Every college, even smaller ones, will have a variety of majors and classes beyond what you have any knowledge at this point. The average student changes majors about 6 times during a college career so if you don't know what you want to do, you are in good company.

Once you have determined the type of college you are most interested in then you can focus your search for colleges that meet your criteria. For example you might want a college between 1,000 and 5,000 students within 6 hours of where you live that has a strong study abroad program. Each student's criteria differs and it is your job to figure out generally what you are looking for in a college.

I would suggest that if you are interested in international studies that you look for a college that has a strong study abroad program where many of the students participate in such a program.

If you want some more guidance you can check out the resources page on my website. I have written some articles on what to look for in a college and what colleges are looking for in their students. You can find that page at http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/resources.htm

Good luck in the search for the right college for you.