Who Do You Think You Are?

13Does It Matter Where You Go to College?

Most kids develop an awareness of college at an early age. Maybe they begin to cheer for the local college baseball team or maybe a parent is passionate about her alma mater.

As they progress through their late elementary and middle school experience, kids become more familiar with the purpose of college. They begin to connect college to career and understand the effect their school work has on their college applications. The conversation turns serious as they enter their first couple of years of high school. The pool of colleges can feel overwhelming, and many kids don't know where to start their search.

As they approach high school graduation, the conversation turns to college fit. Instead of looking at the college rankings and pulling out the top ten institutions to apply to, teens are becoming purposeful in their college search. One college does not fit all, and it's up to kids, parents, schools, and institutions to help them match academically, personally, and socially to the right college. The more (and earlier) that kids investigate fit, the more likely they are to be successful in college.

What Is Fit?

College fit is more than choosing a college based on prestige, proximity, or parent legacy. For kids, college fit is a combination of factors that allows them to be set up for success. And sometimes what fits may not be exactly what kids (or their parents) expect it to be. There are many determinants of college fit, and what constitutes ...