Narrowing down your college search can be difficult because there is so much information thrown at you at once. What makes a school great to one person, and what makes another scratch it off their list, is completely personal, making college searches complex. Depending on what exactly you’re looking for, many factors play into where you’ll end up. I chose to enroll at The University of Kansas next year for many reasons.
One of these reasons is location. Lawrence, KS is about three hours away from Omaha, NE, which makes the drive very reasonable compared to other colleges on my list. I’ve known since the beginning of my college search that I want to get out of Nebraska, the question that remained was where? Some of the schools I had in mind ranged from eight to 25 hours away (driving distance). The biggest factor for me was locations because I’m not the best driver, but would like to frequently come visit my family. KU is also located somewhat in the center of all the surrounding colleges my friends will be attending such as: University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Mizzou (University of Missouri), Missouri State University, Kansas State University, University of Arkansas, Oklahoma University, Truman State University, and a few more. The University of Kansas is an easy point between all these schools that will hopefully allow me to stay in touch with highschool friends. Generally location is important no matter who you are, so I would first take into consideration how far you’re willing to travel.
The next factor that determined where I was going was cost. The University of Kansas is nearly $30,000, which is not cheap at all. However, they have exceptional scholarship options that are solely reliant on GPA instead of ACT scores. I didn’t score very high on the ACT, so this was nice because I’ve always had a pretty good GPA. I got the KU Distinction scholarship upon my application (which is $56,000). This was a direct result of my high GPA and required no essay or separate application. In the long run, this money will be very helpful, making cost a determining factor for me.
Another factor that led me to choose KU was student life. All students I’ve talked to that attend KU have only good things to say, which was very encouraging for me. They have a strong Greek life, something I definitely want to be a part of and exceptional sports and traditions. The University of Kansas is currently ranked number one for national basketball and their games look very fun for students. Many student-led activities and clubs are available and I really look forward to making new friends. Finding roommates was super easy for me, via the KU instagram pages that are designed for finding roommates. Along with this, rooming was a determining factor because they have a multitude of housing options and you’re almost guaranteed to find a right fit for you.
There are obviously some more factors that can play into your college search depending on who you are. These are just some of the most prominent things that swayed my college decision towards KU, and I am really excited and looking forward to the next four years I’ll spend there.
