Applying for college, you find yourself with tons of schools with all kinds of attractive attributes that seem desirable. It’s important to step back and find what is most important to you. For me, these are the top 5 factors that I think you should all consider:

1. Location - Where is the school located? Is it near the beach? Is it within driving distance of your house? Everyone wants to get away from home, but don’t underestimate how nice it is to not have to deal with airports and plane tickets any time you need to go home..which will happen.

2. Weather - Is it warm all the time or cold all the time? Are you a beach bum or a skiing enthusiast? Does the school’s location see all 4 seasons every year? Walking to class in February with a -20 degree wind chill may be more annoying than you think.

3. Size - Schools can vary in size, both in number of students and area. Some schools are conducive to driving, others are only walkable. Some schools have hills, others require 25 minute busing across campus.

4. Sports - If you’re a diehard sports fan and root on your high school in every match and game they play, you might wanna make sure that your college offers a similar experience. Division 3 sports are not exactly the most exciting events and don’t really draw the massive student support that a Big 10 or SEC school does.

5. Competition - Some prestigious schools foster incredibly competitive student bodies. Being a part of one can be very frustrating and undesirable at some points. Cut-throat classmates may not fit with your learning style.