Worksheet for Organizing Important Factors

The following is an alphabetical list of factors that can be used to narrow your college choice. We suggest you print this worksheet and use it to identify, rank, and group the factors that are important to you.

Rank	Factor	Description
	Academic programs	Majors, certificates, degrees, courses
	Athletics	Both intercollegiate and intramural
	Cost/Financial Aid	Is it affordable with or without financial assistance? How much financial aid is available?
	Extracurricular activities	Clubs and organizations
	Facilities	Modern or outdated buildings? Art studios, libraries, athletic facilities, laboratories and other school activities?
	Friends	Are you likely to be with people you like? Are any of your friends going?
	Housing	Availability of on- and off-campus housing. On-campus requirements. Style: dorm or apartments
	Intangibles	How does it feel? Are there qualities, services or other factors that are attractive?
	Location	Where do you want to be? How far from home, big city, small city do you want to be?
	Recommendations	From family, friends, teachers, counselors
	Scholarships	Do you qualify?
	Selectivity	How difficult is it to get in? What are the academic qualifications of students who have been admitted?
	Size	How big is it? What are typical class sizes?
	Specialization	Liberal arts, technology, arts, business...
	Technology	Are computers accessible at lots of locations?
	Weather	Hot, cold, sunny, rainy