I come from
a very small town in Illinois called Dallas City (Go Bulldogs!). It is a town of a thousand people. My graduating class was 34. Yes, I know some of you are laughing.
One of the
major factors in the choosing a college/university for me was the size of the
school. I did NOT want to go to a
larger school because I knew I would feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable. So when I began my search, I looked at
community colleges and private schools.
I had
friends, very good friends, in my graduating class that was the complete
opposite of me. They were looking for
something different than the small town atmosphere. They looked only at larger universities.
When it came
down to my choice, I decided on going to Southeastern Community College in West
Burlington, IA. I took my first two
years there and then transferred on to William Penn College (now University) in
Oskaloosa, IA for my final two years.
Those two schools were the right choice for me. Both are smaller schools, which is what I
had to have, but they also had the right academic programs and extracurricular
opportunities which were important too.
How about my
other friends that went to the larger universities? Turned out those were the right fit for
them. One went to Western Illinois
University in Macomb and is now a school teacher. Another went to a large school in Texas and
is now an English Professor.
There will
be many factors important to you in choosing a college. Make a list of the ones most important to
you and then investigate colleges that meet all those factors.
Erick - ICAN Ankeny/Des Moines
