College. University. Grad School. Med School. Law School. AP courses. Exams. After school tutors. SATs. GCEs. MCATs. LSATs. GMATs. No matter what part of it you look at, higher education and planning for it is a source of angst for many. While we can't always choose the highest-ranked school on the many lists we find knocking about, we can usually find somewhere that's an ideal fit for us as individual students. Here are some concise dos and don'ts for choosing your dream academic destination at any level of your education.
Do's
Do be sure to do your research.
Do keep an open mind at Open House.
Do ask as many questions about your first choices as possible.
Do consider alternative avenues.
Don'ts
Don't let the rankings (or emotions) dictate your every move.
Don't believe all the media hype about the popular schools.
Don't underestimate the power of out of state (or out of country).
Don't forget to look at the bigger picture.
For now, I'll leave it at that. Feel free to ask for elaborations on each point. Hope these wise and potentially cryptic words help some of you out there.
Happy Scouting!!!