Choosing a college is one of the most significant decisions high school students are required to make, and it is a decision no one else can decide for them because only they know what college is right for them. The students themselves are responsible for deciding what they want out of college and what colleges offer that; yet still have an atmosphere that ensures them feel comfortable, and a tuition they can afford. In order to make an informed decision students must consider a variety of aspects such as the school's academics, cost, extracurriculars, and overall atmosphere. With countless factors to consider finding the perfect college can be extremely overwhelming, but the best way to start is narrowing down the search and comparing colleges …show more content…
Everyone’s ideal environment is different depending on their personality and preferences, and it is important to find a college with the right one. Although it may be hard to judge an atmosphere without attending the college, some typical factors that help to make up the environment of a college are its size and type. Missouri State University is a large public school with about 26,000 students attending (About Missouri State). Indiana University-Purdue University is also large public school that has a student enrollment of over 30,000, so even though IUPUI is slightly larger, the colleges are fairly comparable in terms of size (About IUPUI). Likewise, both of these universities are considered to be urban since they are located in sizable cities (Indiana University-Purdue University). Yet another component that the colleges have in similar is their distance from Freeburg. Distance away from home can vary in importance for the student depending on if they want to stay close or go far away, and how strong of feeling they have about staying or going. With these two colleges, though, no decisions could be made based upon distance considering both are just a little shy of four hours away from Freeburg. When looking for colleges it is easy to be swept up in the numbers and scores without taking the time to consider if the atmosphere is right, which would be a tremendous mistake because feeling comfortable at the place you will be living for the next four years or more is imperative. The atmospheres of Missouri State and Indiana seem to be fairly similar on paper with just a few minor