It can be difficult to find the ‘perfect college’. Most students throughout their high school careers are focused on accumulating the required credits and grades to advance to college after they graduate, but few ponder what comes after that.

“[Students need to] work really hard academically starting from freshman year and know what the academic standards are at that college,” Ms. Erica Churilla, Guidance, said.

Once a student knows what their options are, they can figure out what they want to major in.

“I think the first thing is knowing what you want to major in and making sure that your college has that program,” Ms. Churilla said.

When someone is searching for the right college for their major, they will most likely discover that there are numerous options to chose from.

“It can be so overwhelming because there are thousands of schools, but I think if you  break it down into the different [categories and] match it up with your personal qualifications then it becomes a lot easier,” Ms. Ashley Kline, Guidance, said.

Too many options can distract a student when picking a college. There are programs that can filter through colleges for anyone willing to take the time to.

“Through a program we have here [in] Naviance called the SuperMatch college search, you can put in your own personal preferences, like location, tuition, school type and school size [and] a bunch of other categories. It will match [you to] schools that match your qualifications,” Ms. Kline said.

Approximately 4,600 schools are registered through the program. The more preferences inserted,
the more accurate the match. The last thing to do is to visit and take a tour of the school.

“Go to the college and see how you feel while you’re on campus, and then decide if [the college] feels like home to you,” Ms. Churilla said.