As discussed earlier, the process of beginning the college search entails more than looking in your backyard and picking a school based on your favorite team. In Part 1, the search process began with looking at the size of the school. Having determined the size of school that will meet your needs, it’s then time to look at the next factor.
Step 2: Setting
Just as looking at size entails a great deal of thought, the category of setting is also important. Like many students across the nation, those of us in the Triangle, and all of North Carolina, are fortunate to have a plethora of excellent schools to search from. However, determining which school to look at requires consideration into its setting.
With thousands of schools to choose from across the nation, the choice of setting can range from remote to urban. The setting of the school does NOT indicate the size or caliber of a school. Dartmouth is located in a remote area of New Hampshire; the commute from the closest airport is an hour and a half. On the opposite spectrum, U Penn is located smack in the middle of the city of Philadelphia. While both Ivy League schools, their settings are on the opposite spectrum.
When thinking about the setting, give careful thought to a few questions. Will you need a car to get around once you are at school? Are you comfortable living in the city, or do you prefer a small rural area? Are your finances such that you can afford to fly back and forth to school, and once you do fly in, will you be able to get to campus? Do you want to be surrounded by a city where there is nightlife or part-time job opportunities, as well as internship opportunities, or are you looking for a setting that is free from distractions and focuses solely on the college experience?
Other considerations regarding setting refer to the campus life itself. Are you interested in a school that has constant activities every day, such as sports, arts, debates, etc? Or do you prefer a campus that is quieter, where the weekends are spent studying and enjoying the campus surroundings, or even entails going home? Think about how you currently like to spend your time outside of class and on the weekend and look for a school that will provide you that type of setting.