College Choices: AKA a huge and terrifying choice that will change your life forever

This August, I'll be going to the University of Oklahoma in Norman to pursue a degree in journalism with an additional emphasis in advertising. I only applied to two schools: Oklahoma and Missouri, but I decided pretty early on where I was going to go. Tons of people kept asking me how I made my decision. These are the biggest things that influenced my decision.... and if you're unsure of where to start, I think Oklahoma is a pretty option if I may say so myself.

1. Location 

For me, this means two things: how far I have to travel and weather. I pretty much drew a line across the United States because I didn't want to go anywhere too cold. Many people forget to think about things like this in their choices. Traveling is also a big deal. How far away from home do you want to be? One of the reasons I chose Oklahoma over Missouri was because of distance. I wanted to be able to drive home for a quick weekend if I something were to happen where I needed to be home.

2. Numbers and Statistics

Number of students

Teacher:Student ratio

Average SAT

COST: This is obviously a big one. What can you afford?! Student loans are NOT a good idea IF you can avoid them

Average number of graduates with jobs

Guy:girl ratio

Scholarships

etc. etc. etc. When you start the search process, you'll hear lots and lots of numbers that might not mean much to you, but when you get more into the search, these numbers become more and more important. I recommend keeping a record of the information from schools that you're really interested in. Here's an example of a college comparison chart that is given out at UNT... 

http://howtochoose.unt.edu/sites/all/files/How-to-Choose-toolkit.pdf

3. Campus Living

What do you want your college experience to look like? Do you want to go to every football game and be super gung-ho about school spirit? Then you might want to nix any colleges that don't have a football team. Do you plan on joining fraternities or sororities? You'd need to look into what the campus has to offer. I love all of the Christian organizations and the Greek life found on the OU campus. 

4. Education

This is about your education. If you have an idea of what you'd like to major in, look at schools that are known for their programs. However, remember prestige isn't everything. I looked at schools like Vanderbilt, Columbia, and the University of North Carolina for a while, and even though I had a pretty good chance of getting in, I didn't like the more prestigious schools. They weren't the place for me. Mizzou is often seen as the top journalism in the nation, while Oklahoma is only up and coming. However, I chose OU. In the end, I'll probably get more personal attention and learn just as much from the program at OU because I won't be competing with as many people within the school of journalism. Go where you think you'll be most likely to succeed, which is not necessarily the top school.

5. Go with your gut

This was the biggest part for me, and when I try to explain to my friends, they kinda think I'm crazy. Oklahoma felt right. I was simply more comfortable on the campus. I was more excited about what it had to offer. I envisioned myself at both OU and Mizzou, and it wasn't hard to decide from there. For a while, I wanted to go to Mizzou. I knew the program was better, so I thought it was a better option for me, but after visiting both schools 3 times each, I couldn't deny it any longer. 

Oklahoma felt like more of a home. 

142 more days... Until then keep calm and boomer sooner!