Harder classes, more responsibilities, preparing and taking SAT/ACT, having a job, surviving AP testing, and finding a date for Prom. This plus much more is what junior year entails. The last thing you want to think about is college. You’ve watched your senior friends stress about college applications, and you’ve seen their excitement as they get accepted. Your relatives interrogate you on a daily basis about your dream college and career, and you probably think, “I’m only a junior! I don’t need to think about college yet! I have time.” This kind of thinking can put you in a stressful position as a senior. That’s why it’s important to start your college search early. Here are some tips for the beginning of your journey.

Make a list of qualities you want to see in a college.

There are thousands of colleges in the United States. This may seem overwhelming at first, but once you establish your wants, the list narrows quickly. First, ask yourself some basic questions: do you want to go far away or stay in state? Do you want a big university or a small one? College visits and campus tours can help you answer these questions if you are indecisive. If you do know what college you want to go to, it’s a good idea to have backups and visit more colleges just than the one.

Visit colleges.

College visits are an essential aspect of your college search. As your junior year progresses, your email and mailbox are probably being bombarded with letters from colleges claiming they are the best. The letters include brochures with beautiful pictures of their campus. However, these pictures are not always accurate, so seeing a campus in person gives you a real feel of the atmosphere.  This spring break is the perfect time for college visits. Convince your parents to take you on a vacation to the East coast, for example, and you can visit 5+ colleges in one trip. You can go to the admissions page of a university’s website to look up visiting days and schedule a tour.

What to Expect on College visits:

If you scheduled a tour, get ready to walk a lot. A current student of the school will take you on a tour of the whole campus, including the library, dining halls, lecture halls, sports facilities, the best hangout spots, and the dorm rooms. Try to imagine you are attending the school during the tour. This can aid in your decision of whether you want a large campus or a small one. College visits between small and large universities can differ drastically. For example, I visited two colleges in Minnesota over Thanksgiving break; St. Olaf University, a small,  private liberal arts college, and the University of Minnesota, a large public school in the middle of Minneapolis. The two colleges have a difference of about 48,000 students, with St. Olaf having the enrollment of 3,000 students and U of M having over 51,000 students. At St. Olaf College, I was taken on a private tour and had the opportunity to eat lunch in the dining hall with a current student. On the contrary, I went on a tour at University of Minnesota with about 30 other high schoolers but got to experience the excitement and rush of the city. The two opposite visits gave me insights for small and large colleges, an important aspect to consider.

Budget

It’s necessary to establish your budget for college early on. This can motivate you to get a job over the summer, look for scholarships, and study hard for the SAT/ACT. However, never just look at the price of a college according to their website. Most every high schooler qualifies for financial aid and many schools give scholarships for high testing scores, good GPA, community service, and many more activities. You can find out more about scholarships by talking to the college and careers counselor, Dr.Beers.

Whether it’s on the East coast, West coast or right here in Colorado, the right college is out there for you. Now it’s just about where to look. Happy searching!