The College Search During a Pandemic

I cannot truly understand how hard it is for current seniors. As seniors, you lost out on a lot of your lasts: last homecoming, last trip with your school, last time hanging out with your friends at school. Some of you even lost out on the opportunity to take the SAT or ACT, a test you have been preparing to take since you were a freshman in high school. The college search and choosing a college is the biggest moment of your senior year (maybe aside from graduation), and this decision will define the next several years of your life. From one pandemic grad to another, this is how to find the perfect school for you.

The first thing you need to consider is location. This is especially important during the pandemic because travel is getting harder, and you might be in more circumstances where traveling home might be necessary. The fact that travel is harder also brings up how close you are to your family. Realistically, how long can you go without seeing them before you get homesick? Location will also play into how at home you feel on campus. Would you prefer a more urban environment or country, where there’s a lot of agriculture? Is nightlife a huge deciding factor for you? All of these things are important when deciding where you pick your college. You shouldn't go across the country if you want to visit home every weekend, and you shouldn't go to a rural area school if you want to go to the mall often.

Community is a big part of college, and the community and the way that it interacts is more important, now than ever. Community is what will keep you connected to your college campus if you decide to commute or work fully online. On the opposite side of the spectrum, it will keep you entertained and involved if you decide to live on campus. A few things you should consider about community include: clubs (how many clubs they have that interest you/how easy the process is to create a club), events (how many events does the university hold per month/how many do student organizations hold), and diversity (how many diverse students are on campus & how does the university foster relationships between students of different backgrounds). With these things in mind, you can make sure you’re getting the most out of your college experience.

Financial aid is an important part of making sure you can even afford to attend college. The most important part of the financial aid process is to complete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). This is to qualify you for need-based financial aid. You should also compare tuition costs, housing costs, and potential travel expenses into your financial aid. Many schools, including Eastern, do this for you already. While financial aid is important, sometimes picking a school with a slightly lesser package will be worth it for the experience.

After all of those things to consider, you may be wondering, how can I possibly know these things? Well, there are a few options.

Going to virtual events will be your best bet during this time. Although you may not currently see the worth in them, these will be an opportunity to meet other incoming freshmen, your future professors, and ask questions about anything you want! Virtual events will give you the unique opportunity to watch how professors interact with each other (and technology), as well as, potentially current students. You will also have an opportunity to learn about resources the campus has to offer (such as tutoring, support programs, etc).

Go on a tour if it is available! This includes both virtual and in-person tours. You may think a virtual tour would be boring, but they are an amazing time to ask questions to tour guides and advisors. Many schools, including EMU, have opened up a limited amount of in-person tours as well! If you find neither of these options are best for you, there are also self-guided tour options. These will enable you to explore the campus on your own. No matter what tour format you choose, getting a tour will help you feel more comfortable your first few weeks on campus, and will make sure you are comfortable with where you will be living/studying.

*Although our in-person tour slots have filled, click here to join our waitlist

Asking current students about their experiences with a school is one of the best ways to find out more about the school from different views you wouldn't normally. When doing this, do your best to seek out positive and negative experiences from students so you can be aware of what you’re getting yourself into. Many people have either extremely positive or extremely negative experiences with a school, but it is important to seek people out in the middle ground (think like you're reading 3-star reviews). Some people’s complaints may be a plus for you, and that’s okay!

There are a lot of things you can do to make sure your college experience will be positive, but while applying to college and choosing them, these are the ones that worked best for me. However, the most important thing when considering a school is that gut feeling you'll get when you know it's right for you! I was able to get it after immersing myself in EMU’s culture, and I hope you are able to as well! Remember, despite it being past Decision Day, you can choose E at any time, so don’t feel pressured to make a decision right now.

Your Tour Guide,

Daira