Seniors are trying their hardest to find the best fit for them as they’re making one of the biggest decisions: picking a college to go to after their high school career.  

It’s not easy to decide and know where you want to go, especially because it takes up a lot of time and effort. Some of the colleges students may be interested in could be far away, which means traveling for college visits that can be often be costly. Whether the individual is taking long car rides or taking an airplane, it can be exhausting. But before a student decides to travel, they must be intrigued by the school and have a gist of what they’re looking for. It’s all worth it when you end up making a final decision that will lead you to hopefully the best four years of your life.

In fact, students do have to know what they’re looking for in a school. There are many qualities of a college to consider while touring one.

Guidance counselor Ms. Allesha Kenyon describes how to find the perfect school that best fits a student.

“Explore and visit as many campuses as possible,” Said Kenyon. Generally, students know right way if that is the setting for them once they walk onto a campus. Research. Also flexibility.  Going in thinking there is only one “right” or “perfect” college is not a helpful approach.  Know that college, as with education in general, is what you make of it,” Kenyon said.

“There are some schools that are a better fit for each type of student based on size, location, and major/program options, but all colleges have a wealth of opportunities that will help students find a successful path,” added Kenyon.  Students need to stay invested in seeking those opportunities once they are in college,”

Kenyon also gives some advice for anyone conflicted on deciding which one students want to go to. “Visit again,” Said Kenyon. “Also, don’t be swayed by peers.  Ask for your friends’ input, of course, but don’t make your decision based on the plans or opinions of others.  Also, keep long term goals in mind.  Will you be doing grad school after college?  If so, do your choices offer any fast track options?  If you will be doing more schooling down the line, keep costs down, and follow the money. Go to to one that is most economical. Go to the one that can offer you the most rewarding experience for what you want to do in life,”

Senior Jaynee Colberg discussed her experience heading down South to tour multiple colleges. The trip really helped her know exactly what she wanted in a school.“I toured USC, Coastal Carolina, UNC Charlotte, and Clemson,” Said Colberg.

“I’m looking for a college that has a lot of opportunities. I probably want a mid-size college because I like smaller classes but also want to have a lot to do like football games, and having a town or city near campus. That would be ideal,” Colberg said.

“I was always interested in going down South for college and my mom had a business trip in North Carolina, so I checked out a few colleges down there. I just really liked the atmosphere and the warm weather,”

Another one of our seniors here at Triton went even further and decided to travel to California just to look at a school that interested her. Elizabeth Caldwell explained her experience and why she decided to go on this trip, as well as be on an airplane for six hours to find something in a school to further her education even more.

“I looked up schools in California online. One interested me but I found one similar to that, I thought I liked even more. My parents were very hesitant at first to let me go,” Caldwell said.

“The feeling of being there was definitely different compared to here. But don’t get me wrong, the schools are really pretty.”

As for Triton alumnus Parker West, he has been attending Emmanuel College in Boston. It’s not far from where he lives, but he discussed the aspects leading up to his final choice and the stressful process it took to get where he is now.

“It’s a really hard decision because all of these schools offer such awesome opportunities and unique experiences and narrowing it down to one school that I wanted to spend the next four years of my life at had to have been one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make to this day.”

Despite West being conflicted, he discussed what really stood out about his school. “I actually did a shadow day at Emmanuel after I got admitted. I shadowed one of the admission ambassadors and followed her to her classes and to lunch, and just the atmosphere and being in the city really appealed to me,”

After his freshman year, West realizes now what he wish he knew more about Emmanuel.. “I wish I really understood the size of the school. Going in, I knew it was a smaller school but I wish I had a better understanding of how many students there actually were. There were 1,850 students before attending, and I realized that later on,” West said.

“I don’t regret going to Emmanuel. I’ve already had so many opportunities on campus. I just wish I started the college search process sooner so I could have had greater exposure to more schools than I toured. I love this school though.”