How to Help a Child Choose the Right College

Before the final exams are taken, before the graduation announcements go out, before your student completes his senior year, you face a significant task together: choosing the right college or university. There is no "one size fits all" approach to selecting a college -- it's an intensely personal process for most students. Consider a wide range of factors to help your student make the best possible choice about where he will continue his education.

Things You'll Need

  • List of desired college features
  • College search engine
  • College brochures
  • Visits to colleges

Instructions

    • 1

      Discuss with your child her post-high school options, such as college, finding work such as a job or starting a business, or joining the military. If you determine together that college is the best option for your child, talk about why she believes college is important, why she wants to go to college, and what her longer-term goals are that she believes she would be furthering by going to college.

    • 2

      Talk to your child about what she thinks is important in a college experience and share your opinions as well. Identify the issues that will directly impact her college choice, such as his grades, test scores and family finances. Then make a list of the key criteria for her dream school. Your list might include factors such as the school's location, its size, the types of programs offered, the extracurricular activities available and the type of financial aid available.

    • 3

      Prioritize the items on your child's list, at least to the extent of sorting it into "must-haves," "highly desirable" and "nice-to-have" categories. Plug these factors into an online search engine specifically designed to identify colleges and universities that best meet your criteria, such as that offered by CollegeBoard.org. Start with the most important criteria, then experiment with additional factors to narrow the search results to a number you can work with, such as 10 or 20 different schools.

    • 4

      Use the search results as a guide to further focus your college search. Research each school by reviewing its website, requesting information directly from the school and attending local presentations about the school. If possible, talk to current students or recent alums of the school to hear their personal opinions and experiences at the school. Delete from consideration any schools that no longer appear to meet your criteria, or those that you and your student don't feel would be a good fit. Discuss the possibilities with your student's academic adviser or guidance counselor.

    • 5

      Make arrangements to personally visit your student's top choices of the schools remaining on the list after your research. Take tours of the campus, attend presentations by the admissions office and the departments of highest interest to your student, visit a dorm and a dining hall, and schedule an interview with an admissions counselor. Obtain more detailed information about student life on the campus, residential options, academic requirements and the application procedures.

    • 6

      Compare the features of the top choice schools to determine which college or colleges offer the best combination of your student's desired criteria. Complete the application process for each school selected. If your student is accepted at more than one of her top choices, use factors such as the amount of financial aid available, the school's location, and your student's gut feeling about which would be the best fit to make the final choice about which school she chooses to attend.

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