At U.S. News, we've always preached a methodical, wide-ranging approach to finding the best school for you. After all, it's a four-year commitment, sometimes longer, and it's not as if your choices are limited. The directory in this guidebook alone lists more than 1,400 colleges.
This year, though, many students and their parents will feel pressure to scale down their ambitions. In a struggling economy, $45,000 a year for that private college in New England might seem too far out of reach. Even the hidden extras add up; leaving Georgia to go to school in the Pacific Northwest might be your dream, but getting there and back twice a year costs a lot of money—especially if you don't travel light.
That said, it's still our advice to cast a wide net. One of our goals is to dispel some of the myths of applying to college: that state schools are automatically cheaper than privates, for example (your true net cost depends on what kind of financial aid you can swing), or that big schools don't suit shy kids (some huge campuses are broken down into surprisingly livable villages), or that financial aid offers are take-it-or-leave-it (appeal! appeal! appeal!). You might even want to investigate community colleges that offer the full dormitory experience or an out-of-state public college that will let you pay in-state tuition.
The questions to ask in this economy are the ones you should always ask: Does this school have what I want? Will I thrive on campus? How well does the institution look after its students? Applying for college is stressful; financial uncertainties only add to that. But the payoff is huge. Concentrate on your grades, polish your essay, check out campuses, decide where you really want to go, then see how you can put together the money to get there. That college down the street where everyone else from your high school is going may be just right for you, but don't settle for it before seeing what else is out there.
—The Editors
Searching for a college? Get our America's Best Colleges 2010 complete rankings.
Reader Comments Read all comments (1)
Andrew of IL 3:31PM January 26, 2010