Different Factors in Deciding How to Choose a College: Why I Picked Chicago (Part I)

By Karan Goel

The college you attend will shape you in many ways. Regardless of the field you study, the specific classes you take, and where you end up afterwards, your college will influence your opinions, your friends, your thought process, and your outlook on life. The goal of this article is not to stress why I believe the University of Chicago is better than Duke, M.I.T., Rice, and Wharton (thought it may very well be), but rather, why it is better for me and to highlight how I thought about my decision. Also, please take no offense to what I say regarding each school - I am merely stating my own viewpoints. On certain issues, they may be completely incorrect while on others, my opinions may provide you valuable insight. Either way, I am simply seeking to let you understand how I made my decision

You may have read the Newsweek's 2001 How to Get Into College issue article on my quandary over picking between my top two choices: The University of Chicago and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Before I heard back from any colleges, I had devised my own "Karan Goel News & World Report Rankings" for colleges. It is important that we all create our own criteria for evaluating schools. I sat down and thought about what mattered to me and here is what I came up with. I decided in the left column to write specific atributes of a college that mattered to me and why. On the right side [of the table you will see below] I decided to grade and rank the importance of these characteristics (on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most important):

Trait	Importance (1-10)
Urban Delights - access to cultural attractions, museums, nightlife, and a variety of restaurants	7
Overall Academics - strong overall academic reputation in a variety of fields because I want a strong broad-based education	9
Strength of My Concentration - school should be strong in my specific areas of interest (economics/business, biology, computer science, and political science). Keep in mind that depending on which school I would have gone to I might have chosen a different concentration depending on the strength of that area at my chosen school	10
Nice Campus - want to feel like I am at a college, not in the middle of a huge city (I know, I'm picky, I want urban pleasures without losing the feel of being at a serene college)	5
Reputation/Future Job Prospects - how will this college help me in my professional career? How will it help me get into a professional or graduate school?	6
Merit Scholarships - I am fortunate enough not to need financial aid, but a merit scholarship would still be nice in helping my parents afford the cost of college	2
Overall Feel - how did I like the college when I visited it? (I visited all of them except Rice). How was my experience with the students, classes, programs, etc.?	10
Study Abroad Opportunities - I have lived in four countries, traveled to many more, I speak three languages and I would like to learn more. Which university will give me the best opportunities to go abroad to explore other cultures and languages?	6
Special Programs - what special and unique programs does the university offer that cater to my needs? Are there any special programs to support entrepreneurship?	4

As you can see this is an extensive, but by no means exhaustive, list of criteria that one may use. I have just listed the items that were of special importance to me. You should do the same for yourself before you visit the schools and make your final decision. Good luck!

Go to Part II