“I’ve talked to hundreds of seniors in college who have told me that they didn’t realize how important college location was until they got to school. But it should be one of the top considerations for students and parents,” said Todd Hoffman, a college researcher and consultant.

The best place to go to college ultimately comes down to personal preferences. Do you need city life to feel happy? Do you need to be near family? What are your post-graduate plans? All of these things should weigh heavily when choosing a college.

Moral of the story: don’t choose a college based on reputation alone. Some of the best colleges are in bad locations which make it harder to get a job after college not to mention contribute to depression (lack of contentment, no access to favorite activities, too cold, too hot, not near family, etc.) during school. the best place for college comes down to your career goals. But you can’t go wrong in choosing a location that offers low cost of living, abundant job opportunities, and high earning potential.

In a tough economic time people are looking to specialize a lot more. When looking for colleges people are looking at these things which I find really interesting.

1. Availability of Financial Aid

2. Educational Programs

3. Location and Nightlife

Something I hadn’t considered is how the economy will effect high schoolers going to college. If College Financial Aid dries up then we can expect to see a lot of folks not attending college and attending more trade schools, and thus seeing a decline in programs at big schools as well.

Western State College

Fort Hays Community College

University of Northern Colorado

University of Montana

Looking back on it all any one of these schools would have been a good selection.  When selecting a school I believe not only what courses they have to offer but the basic community compatibility plays a huge role in whether it will be a good fit for you.