Picking a college can be overwhelming. Typically, choosing what college to go to is the first major life decision you make in your life.

Here are some quick facts about popular universities in our area:

For in-state, full time students (12-18 credit hours)

*information not available or non-applicable

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI

Greek Life: YES

Dorms/Residence Halls: YES

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI

Greek Life: YES

Dorms/Residence Halls: YES

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Greek Life: YES

Dorms/Residence Halls: YES

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, MI

Greek Life: YES

Dorms/Residence Halls: YES

Northern Michigan University

Marquette, MI

Greek Life: YES

Dorms/Residence Halls: YES

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, MI

Greek Life: YES

Dorms/Residence Halls: YES

Oakland Community College

Royal Oak, MI

Greek Life: NO

Dorms/Residence Halls: NO

You can visit the career center at the MHS Library to get even more information. Pick up a College Comparison Worksheet that lets you review schools side by side in categories like location, size, admission requirements, cost, etc.

Milford’s college expert and career center coordinator, Brenda Granroth, is ready to help kids find the best fit for their future. Granroth feels that lost people’s choices choices would be better made if they were more informed.

“So many people look at friends when deciding [where to go]” Granroth said, “but you need to look at is the school had what majors you’re looking for.”

Her advice would be to select a school that not only had your primary major, but also your backup. If you’re going in undeclared, meaning without a specific major, you should go to a school with a variety of options. A huge percentage of students change their major once or several times within their first year, so don’t feel overwhelmed if you haven’t narrowed down a major yet.

Also, consider size. Granroth recommends visiting one large, one medium, and one small sized school, saying

“Everyone has a different learning style.” The size of your school can determine the class size you’ll be in.

A third thing Granroth urges students to consider is the cost of the university or college. While many offer financial aid and some scholarships, college is expensive. While it may be fun to dream of attending a large out of state school, they are typically more expensive, and can cost two to three times as much as an instate school.

Even then, referring to the chart above, instate schools have a hefty cost.

A financially wise option, according to Granroth, is to attend community college. Especially if you’re going to get your masters, you can save massive amounts of money by going to a community college for your first few years.

The only issue there is that community college doesn’t offer the traditional college experience of dorm life, campus strolls, or Greek life. Many young adults are seeking the college experience of getting away from home and attending Saturday night football game-something community colleges can’t provide.

All in all, choosing a college is a very personalized decisions Granroth shares that the goal is to eventually find a school and think “Yes, this feels like me.”

If you want more information and are still struggling to find a school right for you, there is still time! Many schools don’t have scholarship application deadlines until November 1st or December 1st, and some colleges are still visiting MHS.

Go to the career center in the library to get more information and to find the right school for you!