3 Reasons You May not Want to Attend the Best College that Accepts You

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Have you seen the newsreels of students being accepted to all Ivy League Colleges? Or have you heard parents bragging about the prestigious schools their children have received acceptance letters for? When thinking about which college to attend, it is important to make sure the college is not necessarily the “best”, but also the best fit for you.  Here are 3 reasons you may not want to attend the best college that accepts you.
1.    Academics May not be Beneficial for You
Academics include things like teacher to student ratio, majors offered and class size.  Before you decide what school to attend, figure out what kind of college experience you would like. Do you want to be one among many or would you prefer an intimate setting with your professors? What kind of class environment would you thrive in? Also some studies suggest that 80% of college students change their major at least once. A change of majors is usually not planned, but if you do decide to change your major or declare one, it is important to attend a school with a variety of majors to help accommodate your modification.
2.    You may not be able to afford it
Ok you were accepted to a great school, but now you have to think of how you are going to pay for it. If you are like millions of Americans, you are going to apply for financial aid. Not all financial aid packages are equal. A smaller college can usually offer a better package than a bigger state school. Additionally, it is important to think about life after college. I’m sure you would like to enjoy the money you will be making after you accept a position after graduation.  If you have a hefty student loan bill, you may not be able to enjoy it as much. Instead of choosing the ‘best’ school you were accepted to, you may want to choose a school that offers you the best scholarship.
3.     The Climate/Environment is not Ideal
Home sweet home.. or not. Some students are eager to get as far away from their home as possible; some would prefer to be close. When determining whether the ‘best’ school you were accepted to is a good fit, think about the location. Is the climate similar to what you are used to? Sure, a Harvard education would be great, but can you deal with the cold? Even though this may seem trivial, plenty of students have switched schools because they could not handle the drastic change of climate.
Choosing a college can be a very challenging decision to make.  While deciding think of the kind of college experience you would like to have and what you would like to obtain after four or so years at an institution. Let these thoughts guide your decision and not a reputation or a name. For if the academics the cost and the environment, are not beneficial for you, your college experience will suffer.