College is a choice that requires some careful planning and is something that should be thought about as early as your freshman year in high school. The earlier you prepare and narrow down your choices, the greater the chance you’ll find a good fit and have more options as far as financial aid.
Here are some areas you need to consider when choosing a Christian college, many of which related to choosing a college in general:
Location
What kind of environment do you want to spend at least four years of your life? Some people enjoy living in large cities while others enjoy a more rural environment. The city location is also going to play a factor in activities and opportunities you have available to you.
Campus Size
Campuses with large student populations can sometimes be intimidating but often have more programs available due to greater demand. Generally smaller colleges have the advantage of better student to instructor ratios, but this is not always the case. Visiting the college and talking with current students is a great way to determine this.
Class Size/Environment
A major advantage to Christian colleges in general is the Christian environment-you can learn about God and fellowship with like-minded students without a lot of the negative aspects some students encounter in other college types.
Since you’re paying for college through some sort of your own funding (including any scholarships you earn and student loans you may take out), to a certain extent you need to treat it like you’re literally investing in a product. People sometimes don’t think of their education in those terms, but it’s helpful. You want the best learning environment for your time and money. Small classes and at least some availability to your instructors will help you greatly over the course of 4 years.
Degree Programs and Course of Study Options
Some Christian colleges have course programs that are very similar to secular colleges, while others have concentrated options in Bible studies. Many can give you flexibility or a range of options between both. While it definitely common to not know what you want to do as far as your career when you’re in your teens, knowing what you want to study will narrow down your list of choices.
Financial Aid/Tuition Costs
Tuition costs can range widely even with private colleges, and as early as your sophomore or junior year it’s a good idea to start looking for scholarship and grant options-just to know what’s available, even if you can’t apply until you’re a senior. In later stages in your choices, a determining factor is often the college that gives you the best financial aid package.
Mentorship Opportunities/Career Development
According to your field of study, some colleges have programs that offer hands-on experience along with classroom study. The general qualifications of the college’s instructors-what they’ve accomplished outside the classroom-is helpful knowledge.
General Steps in Your Search
Think of this process like a water through a funnel. It’s often easy to begin a broad search on the web, which will often result in a lot of options for you. Sign up for more information with the colleges that seem most interesting to you. You can then arrow these options down using the criteria that is most important to least important to you. With your final choices, personally visit the campuses and get feedback from current students.
Good luck and best wishes to you!
