Most high school seniors are busy starting the college/university admission application process.  Some of you know exactly where you will apply; others of you are still trying to decide.  I think deciding to what colleges and universities to apply is a lot like looking for songs for your iPod.

When I go to download music, I am often overwhelmed.  There are so many options…and too many great ones at that!  How does a person pare down all the options?

Deciding where to apply for admission can be equally difficult.  With hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of colleges and universities, how do you pare down all your options?  Well, think about how you ultimately pick which songs you want to download to your iPod and maybe this will help you.

First, when choosing music for your iPod, you might have a genre in mind.  What mood do you want?  Rock, pop, alternative, classical, R&B, hip-hop, country…you have to choose.  Same with colleges.  You can choose from two-year, four-year, public, private, in-state, out-of-state and more.  Generally speaking, you should pick a “genre” of colleges/universities in order to narrow your choices of where to apply.

Next, look for the right fit.  You don’t want just any song when you look to download one – you’re looking for just the right one.  It’s the same with a college or university.  You want just the right one.  The one that fits your personality and feels like home.  Choose carefully.  Investigate all of the options.

When you pick a song for your iPod, you want to be original.  You don’t want to only download music that your friends are listening to.  You have to pick music for you.  When choosing where to apply, don’t just do what your friends are doing.  Select what’s right for YOU.  You will be much better off for it in the long run.

OK, so now I’m finally getting to the most obvious way to decide:  when you go to pick a song for your iPod, probably the very best way to choose is to listen to clips of the songs you are considering.  That doesn’t mean the music decision is easy though – I mean, you only get 30 seconds to listen!  That’s really not much time, but it helps a great deal.

So as you are deciding where to apply for admission, my best advice is to thoroughly investigate your options by visiting campuses!  It will be a lot like that 30-second song clip.  You can’t know everything about a place in one day on the campus but it’s all you get.  Take advantage of what you have.  You’ll know so much more after you spend time taking a tour, meeting the students, learning about your areas of interest, etc.

Make sure OU is on your list to visit!  To schedule a tour online, click here.  We look forward to hosting you at the University of Oklahoma for “your day.”  I hope you ultimately pick “Boomer Sooner” as your song!