Identifying target colleges

With thousands of colleges in the United States, the choice of where to attend for higher education can feel both overwhelming and a little bit scary.

The first thing to do is break down exactly what sort of options exist for college, decide what matters to you and what doesn't, and then narrow your options accordingly.  This will allow you to identify your target colleges - institutions where you plan to submit an application.  We offer extensive details on the various college options in the videos following this article, which allow you to...

...get a broad sense of the type of colleges that exist...
1) Vocational vs. 2-year vs. 4-year college
2) Public vs. private college
3) University vs. liberal arts college
4) Nonprofit vs. for-profit college
5) Highly selective vs. selective vs. non-selective

... and then consider other college choices that will impact your experience...
6) Financial aid policies
7) Special focus or affiliation
8) Diversity
9) Location, size, and housing
10) Majors offered
11) Campus activities

Some of these choices may already be clear-cut for you.  Perhaps you know you want a large school with a diverse student body.   Other decisions may be less clear, both in terms of what you want or even in terms of what the choices represent (what is the difference between a university and liberal arts college, anyway?).  Continue on with the videos in this section to learn more about each of these options and how they will impact your college experience. For more information on identifying colleges, check out Big Future.