| Deciding which undergraduate college or university to | | | | affordable online tutor. If you choose to go to a state |
| attend is one of the biggest decisions of a high school | | | | school nearby your home, another way to save on |
| students' life. Should I stay close to home or go far | | | | room and board costs is to be a commuter student. |
| away? What do I want to study? Do I want to be in | | | | Private |
| an urban, city setting or on a park-like campus? What | | | | While private colleges and universities are often more |
| entrance exams and standardized tests do I need to | | | | expensive than a public college, students don't |
| take? Does the school require a high SAT test score | | | | necessarily have to put their dreams of ivy on the |
| or will they accept the ACT? Do they look for AP | | | | back-burner. Financial aid is one option to consider as |
| courses or a high GPA with more extracurricular | | | | are scholarships and grants that significantly cut your |
| activities? How do I choose between attending a | | | | actual cost. Some believe that private universities offer |
| private or public college? Including a mix of public and | | | | many advantages over public colleges such as small |
| private colleges in the initial college admissions | | | | class size and offer more personal attention than |
| application list usually makes sense. There are certainly | | | | public colleges. Students looking for a wide range of |
| many differences to consider: | | | | majors and lots of school spirit may assume a public |
| Public | | | | university is the best option. Post college, private school |
| One of the biggest differences between public and | | | | alumni are usually very active and can be of great |
| private colleges is cost. Public state schools are largely | | | | support in networking and job searching. |
| supported by state taxes and are more affordable | | | | Whether a student chooses a public or private school, |
| than a private university. For many state residents, | | | | if they limit their search to only public or only private |
| public colleges are a good option as tuition is usually at | | | | colleges they can be missing out on a great |
| a reduced rate and students might also be eligible for a | | | | experience. It's important to look carefully at each |
| variety of state funded scholarships to offset | | | | individual college, don't rush to judgment and visit the |
| expenses, especially those with good grades and high | | | | school if at all possible to see and feel its energy. One |
| SAT scores. Students can increase their scores by | | | | might be surprised where they eventually choose to |
| taking an SAT prep course or working with an | | | | be happy spending the next four years. |