There are several factors that you should consider when looking for a school to transfer to. The following nine criteria, adapted from About.com, provide plenty of considerations for you to find a school that fits your needs:
- Academics
- Admissions
- College Rankings
- Costs
- Extracurricular Activities
- Location
- Public or Private Institution
- Size
- Social Life
Academics
When considering academics you should think of it as a three-fold question:
- What is the level of academics of the school you want to transfer to?
- Does the school you want to transfer to offer the program you want?
- How many graduating students pass this licensing exam?
Of these three questions, the second question is probably most important. You want to make sure that the type of program that the school offers is the type of program that you're interested in. Often, a common program such as electrical engineering may vary from school to school.
Admissions
Admission is the first step that every student must take. Be aware of your grades at your current school. If the school you plan to apply for has high admission standards, plan accordingly. Work hard to increase your GPA. Also, study hard to do well on admission assessment tests.
College Rankings
College rankings are a touchy subject. While they have their place in narrowing down potential colleges you should never base your decision to attend a school merely on its rank. Why? There are several reasons for this: rankings don't stay the same, rankings don't consider most everything else this article talks about, and high rankings don't ensure a particular school offers the program you want.
Costs
For most people, the costs of a school rank up there as one of their top concerns. It's easy to see why. Not only do you have tuition, but you also have room and board (whether on campus or off), food, gasoline, entertainment, etc. Still, dismissing a school just because of the costs isn't a good idea because you could miss out on a great education, living environment and overall experience. Yet, choosing a college just because it is expensive (and thus must have a quality program) is not good either. Bottomline - apply and, if accepted, worry about costs then. Find out what financial aid is available to you on campus as well as off campus.
Extracurricular Activities
Do you want to be involved in extracurricular activities at your school of choice? Again, the larger schools generally offer more activities including clubs, groups and sports, than the smaller ones. If you are a person who likes to be involved in school activities, contact the school that you're interested in and inquire about what they offer.
Location
Where would you like to attend college? If a city filled with a variety of activities interests you, then choose a school in a major metropolitan area. On the other hand, if more people crammed into a smaller area isn't what you desire, then choose a rural or suburban school.
Public or Private Institution
While some may argue that private schools offer a better education, the main crux of the argument between public and private schools goes back to size. State schools are often very big, while private schools are usually smaller.
Size
Size is more important than you think when choosing a school. If you attend a small school, you are more likely to get one-on-one attention and have a larger number of smaller classes to choose from. On the other hand, a larger school offers more extracurricular activities, larger facilities and libraries, more resources, more majors. Still, a larger college obviously means more students and this can make it hard to get into the certain limited availability classes.
Social Life
Related to extracurricular activities is the social life available at the school of your choice. Do you want a lively living situation, night life, dating scene, party scene, and fraternity and sorority scene about as much as you want a root canal? Some schools are deemed 'party' schools and if this isn't for you, maybe you should look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you are a social butterfly, a school with all of the above items may be just the place for you.
