While deciding where to apply to college is often a stressful experience, knowing what things to consider when choosing a college can give you the confidence to chose wisely and end up at the school that best meets your needs. Here are the top ten things to consider when choosing between universities.

1. Types of Majors and Degrees Available
No matter how good the school, it will not be the right one for you if it does not offer your preferred area of study or desired degree level. A school’s admissions office, website, or most brochures should have a list of all their colleges, majors, and areas of study. Be sure to thoroughly read about the available programs, you don’t want to pick a school only to find out they don’t have a good program or major for you.

2. Cost and Financial Aid Opportunities
Cost is one of the most important things to consider when choosing a college, and you will need to determine how much tuition you can afford to pay prior to selecting a school. The cost between public and private universities has risen considerably in recent years. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, for the 2011-2012 school year, undergraduate tuition, room, and board cost an estimated $14,300 at public institutions, $23,300 at private for-profit institutions, and $37,800 at private non-profit institutions. Don’t forget to take into consideration the cost of graduate school, as well as your the average salary for your intended job after college.
Although the cost of higher education has risen dramatically, so have financial aid opportunities. Financial aid can be in the form of a federal or state grant or a federal student loan. Individual college and universities may also award institutional grants and scholarships.

3. Environment
When looking at a school, it’s also good to take into consideration what type of school it is.

Questions
to ask: Is it a 2-year university? or 4-year? Is it urban? a college town? or rural? What’s the location and size of nearest city? How about about co-ed? Finally, any religious affiliation? You don’t have to follow the same faith, but does that affiliation affect curriculum?

4. Location
A college’s location really does matter. Where is the nearest grocery store? And how about a downtown area? If you want to get off campus for a few hours, what are your options? It’s important to get a feel for the campus and its surrounding area. People often say you “just know” what college is for you when you walk both on and off-campus.
Do you plan to live at home and commute, make sure to pick a campus that is located close to home. If you plan to get away, how far is away for you? A few hours south of home or a few hours on a plane all the way west plays a huge role in your yearly commute and costs. If you have strep throat and want to head home for the weekend, are you close enough to do that? What about family weekend, will you parents be able to drive or fly out to you?

5. Job Placement Rates
Want a good, well paying job right out of school? Knowing the facts about how many graduates in a particular field find a job, and how quickly, will help you evaluate a potential college. Most schools post data about the percentage of students receiving a job offer within a six month period after graduation. Finding out the job placement rate will help you make sure that your tuition dollars will be well spent.

6. Quality of Department of Study
In addition to investigating the quality of professors, review the quality of the department for your area of study. For example, if you want to major in secondary education, it’s important to attend a school with a well-established education department. You want a program with a great reputation and impressive research opportunities.

7. Class Size
Schools typically publish information regarding their average class size. While colleges vary greatly in size, do not assume that small colleges will have the smallest classes. If you are the type of student who would prefer to have individualized attention, class size can be an important factor in your education.

8. Teaching Assistants
At large schools, many courses are taught by graduate assistants or by other types of teaching assistants, known as “TAs.” This can be a great situation, depending on the knowledge or enthusiasm of the teaching assistant. It can also be frustrating, if the teaching assistant lacks teaching experience.

9. Campus clubs, organizations, and Greek life
Have an idea if you want to join a sorority or fraternity? See what the ratio of students who join Greek life is in comparison to those who don’t. Think about how involved you are now in high school and what you want to continue in college? If Greek life is super common on campus and you hate the idea, it’s something to consider.

10. Amount of spirit
Maybe you love to have school spirit. Or, maybe, not so much. At most Big 10 schools, such as Northwestern, basically shut down on game days. If you’re not into sports, you can still enjoy school spirit. If you’re not super into student fandom, these events may negatively affect your college experience. Questions to ask: Would I attend a game? Do I want to tailgate? Or will I become a hermit during certain seasons?

When making a decision, don’t be afraid to make a chart with these aspects and see which school caters to you the most.