As a young student on the cusp of adulthood, you might be experiencing uncertainty slowly creeping into your thoughts as you start to feel the weight of having to forge a path into your future. You have one of the first and toughest decisions of your career life ahead of you, and with so many unknown variables about yourself and the world around you, the prospect may induce a bit of stress and pressure.

The space you are finding yourself in is very common, and one that will help direct your feet and sculpt your days to come. The possibilities are endless, and so is your potential.

While pursuing knowledge should not solely be on the grounds of professional achievements or economic value, higher education should be viewed as an investment; a plan that needs to be made based on clearly-defined goals.

It is safe to say that the quality and quantity of your learning are proportional to the likelihood of your long-term success. And the decisions you make today will shape the pool of opportunities that you are going to have a few years down the line.

Now let us be done with these heartfelt but rather dull generalities and give you some practical tips that you could use while navigating the college admissions process.

Assess Your Financial Limitations

It is no secret to anyone that college is very expensive and its cost is a limiting factor for many students and families.

When evaluating your options, don’t just look at tuitions. You need to consider the overall cost of attendance which is an estimate of all the yearly expenses associated with attending a particular college. COA includes costs of room and board, supplies, books, transportation, and more. Most colleges calculate and present their COA on their websites. Here is the COA of Harvard Law School as an example.

Statistically, education pays. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, earners of bachelor’s degrees have 67% more median usual weekly earnings than those with a high school diploma. However, the data they provide does not specify the ROI of each individual institution. Overall, prestige and name brand matter. But what matters the most is your level of engagement as a student both inside and outside the class. Qualifications can only get you so far. It is your education that propels you forward in your career life.

Narrow Down Your Majors of Interest

Your college of choice is predicated on the majors that interest you. It is natural if you are not sure about the academic path you want to take. However, no college offers all of the hundreds of majors that are available collectively in United States colleges and universities. In fact, many schools focus on a specific body of majors. For example, a liberal arts college tends to focus on fields of study such as humanities, languages, history, philosophy, and literature.

By narrowing down the list of the majors you are comfortable with, you can prioritize colleges that cover the most and work your way down. This may sound like an arduous task, but there are sources online (like Authority.org) that help you effortlessly find colleges based on criteria such as major, location, tuition cost, etc.

With regards to how you can narrow down your majors of interest, start with these 3 simple criteria: (1) the things you are good at, (2) the things that the market pays you good money for, and (3) the things you are passionate about to the degree that you are willing to withstand its ups and downs over the course of years. Have an honest conversation with yourself and create a comprehensive list of all the career options and opportunities (e.g., in finance, high tech, sports, etc.) that have these 3 criteria in common. This is not the ultimate solution, of course, but it is a good place to start.

Do In-Person Research

The Internet does most of the heavy lifting in the extensive and tedious process of choosing your top picks. But what it cannot do is give you a first-hand experience of what it is like to study at any of them. You might face elevated restrictions in times of pandemic, but going on college tours and meeting faculty in person gives you valuable insight into the education you are going to receive over the next few years.

Likewise, experiencing the setting outside the campus is important as well. Some colleges are located in more peaceful rural areas whereas others are in bustling urban locations. Different towns and cities have also different job markets, especially in relation to the field of study you ultimately opt for. Additionally, paying a visit to your top college choices makes you get a better feel of the social climate of the areas, the local resources, and the distance of each school from your home which entails its own time and financial considerations.

Last but certainly not least, try to talk to Alumni about the colleges that you are thinking of attending. Those who have years of experience studying in those environments usually can provide you with information that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.