by Michelle B. Smith

Created on: September 08, 2009   Last Updated: September 09, 2009

The junior and senior year of high school are often seen as the beginning to adulthood and self sufficiency. Perhaps choosing a college, which can effect the next few years of your life, has something to do with this common belief. When applying to various schools there are many criteria and options for every type of educational institution. While some things to keep in mind during your application process seem obvious, others are not.

Cost Means Nothing

The price of college tuition especially during a recession seems to be the deciding factor for many high school students when choosing a college. If you do not have $50,000.00 per year to pay for school then why bother applying? The reason you should apply to a college based on factors other than price is because most schools offer generous financial aid packages in addition to other student aid available. University endowments, partial academic scholarships and federal Stafford loans are just some of the funding options available to many students.

Another reason to not focus on college price is because schools often factor in every expense into the tuition fee. If you do your research, you will find many ways to cut back on college costs. Tuition estimates on college websites are often a compilation of room & board, travel expenses, books, supplies and tuition. Depending on if you will be living on or off campus, the tuition price might be cheaper for you. Also, many students have taken advantage of sites such as Amazon and EBay for gentle used college textbooks often 50% less than the original. If you decide to spend smart you can easily decrease this over estimation of tuition by many universities.

Follow Your Own Path

Starting the application process with others in mind is one big step in the wrong direction. The last thing that you would want to do is to force a fit and be unhappy for the next four years of your life. Even if you go to Harvard, being unhappy will greatly limit your chances at being successful there. When starting your process make sure that you are applying to schools you truly want to go to for the right reasons. If you are looking for the best party school, consider saving your family and yourself the time and money. If you want to major in art, do not go to a polytechnic school just to please your parents.

Following your own path can be difficult at times especially when hard decisions must be made. This is apart of the college experience. Finding yourself and making choices is

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