5 Things NOT to Consider During Your College Search

The search for a college can be stressful, terrifying, and confusing—but most of life's truly rewarding events are. The biggest mistake you can make while searching for a college is to become overwhelmed and give up. Neither of us wants to run into each other at a drive-thru, right?

So, above all, remember to persevere and keep the following "don'ts" in mind:

1. Don't choose a school because it's where your boy/girlfriend is attending.

Much like the lesson we learned from reading [the Sparknotes for] Romeo and Juliet, making hasty decisions under the influence of hormones can be tragic. You'll change a lot between your Freshman and Senior years of college (remember when you were in 9th grade? Sheesh...). The odds are that those changes (or a fraternity party) will get between you and your high school flame before you graduate. If you don't like the school you followed him/her to, you might find yourself stranded and miserable—not the best mindset for successfully completing your degree.  

If your love is as strong as you think it is (and I'm sure it's stronger than any love felt by loving lovers in the history of love), it can survive attending a different college than your schnookie-pooh.

2. Don't attend the local college/university because "it's easy."

You know all those successful people who accomplished amazing things while staying entirely within their comfort zone? Yeah, me either.

Life is about taking risks, having adventures, and learning from new experiences—all very difficult to do from the bedroom you occupy at your parent's house.

Sometimes there can be great reasons to attend the local college—but if "easy" is at the top of the list, you might want to rethink your choice.

3. Don't exclude a college because they don't offer the sport you like to play. 

I don't mean to squash your Olympic aspirations, but unless you've been told that you'll be getting a D-1 full ride since you were about six years old, the likelihood is that sports will be a pass-time for you from now on. 

Scholarship athletes are scouted, so if you haven't heard from a scout, you aren't going to be getting a scholarship—much less going pro and making millions. Therefore you might want to hang up those cleats and explore other avenues. Even though a school might not want you to be their next star wide-receiver or power forward, they might want to give you money for being a good student, philanthropist, artist, etc. And before you weep for those Friday nights under the lights, there are always intramural, club, and local teams to keep your skills sharp and the freshman fifteen at bay. 

4. Don't disregard a school because you think it's "too expensive." 

Sticker shock over college tuition can be a major deterrent for prospective college students (and their parents)—for good reason. Adding the equivalent of the entire GDP of Greece to your personal debt at age 18 is a pretty frightening concept.

It can be tempting to just pick the cheapest possible school to "save money," but there are a number of factors you should consider. 

• Where is it going to be easiest to graduate on time?
  Low cost of tuition often makes obtaining the classes you need to graduate much more competitive. That can make earning your degree take more time, and you are exponentially less likely to graduate each extra year you spend in college.   
• Where can you get the best financial aid?
  Often private schools have larger endowments and are able to offer better institutional financial aid and merit-based scholarships than their less-expensive public counterparts. That big tuition figure looks a lot less scary when there is a nice chunk of free money deducted from it. 
• Are you getting what you pay for?
  It's always best to take a sober look at what you can expect after graduation and make your college choice with your future financial health in mind. Accruing a quarter-million in debt for a degree that earns an average of $20,000 a year is probably not a wise decision. Conversely, paying more to get the best possible education can make you more competitive in the workforce. 
• Are you planning on attending graduate school?
  If so, shelling a ton of money out of pocket for your undergraduate degree might make the debt your accrue during grad school unbearable. On the flip side, completing your bachelors' degree in a timely fashion from a respected school means that you'll be able to earn your advanced degree—and reap the subsequent salary benefits—much earlier in life.

5. Don't pick the school your parents wish they were attending. 

I adore my Alma mater. I saw someone wearing a sweatshirt from my college the other day and I screamed our battle-cry at him (he was terrified). I loved my time in college, and I will undoubtedly want my children to have the same experience that I had (well...maybe not exactly the same), but that doesn't mean that my best choice will be the best choice for them. Like an edition in Goosebumps, they should be free to choose their own adventure (except for our cross-town rival. That will never be a choice). 

Your parents will likely be helping you pay for college, so they should have some say—but the ultimate decision should be yours. So, if you want to attend a different institution than their favorite, listen politely to their pitch, nod a lot, and then let them know exactly why they're wrong. It will work best if your argument doesn't contain any of the preceding points.