The first graduating class of Southwest Career and Technical Academy has already begun outlining their plans for college.  Students are now occupying themselves with college research and arranging appointments with their counselors to discuss post-secondary choices, scholarships, and more.

“I worry about other seniors who still don’t know which college they want to go to. I spent my last two summers researching and deciding. It’s a long, arduous process, and planning is the most important part if you want to go to your dream school,” Charlene Hinton said.

Many factors are involved in the college research process. Seniors must evaluate the school’s reputation, majors, classes, school size, location, tuition, and other significant information to make solid decisions.

“First I’d check the college’s location, then I’d visit the college’s website and check if they offer the majors I’m interested in.  After [doing research], I started having a more thorough review process. What classes do they offer? Where are students getting jobs, and how much are they making? The good thing is that I was able to actually visit many of the colleges I was interested in, and the college in real life is completely different then how it seems on a screen,” Victoria Cana explained.

Some seniors, however, are considering local colleges and universities, such as UNLV or UNR, as opposed to out-of-state schools. The most common debate focuses on whether in-state schools provide better opportunities than out-of-state universities.

“I think out-of-state universities may provide more opportunities, due to the fact that many studies may be based in certain locations, such as marine biology, that are not available locally.  Other opportunities may be reached through certain cities outside of your own, such as research facilities at UCLA,” Katlyn Douglas said.

Early decision deadlines are in November, while the more common deadlines are in December and January.  For college application tips, check out “College Application Season Has Arrived” in the Features section.