Finding a university: where do you start?
There are a lot of decisions that have to be made if you are going to go to university. The biggest is obviously which school you are going to attend. There are a lot of factors that you will need to consider and what is important to one person may not be to another. Therefore you are going to have to decide what is important to you so that you can find a school that meets these factors.
The first thing that you are going to have to decide on when you are choosing a university is how much you can afford to spend on tuition. Harvard may be a great school but the reality is that a lot of people will never be able to afford to attend. You are going to have to decide on what you can afford to spend on school. If you can afford a high profile private university it can be a great option. However if money is tight you are probably going to want to stick to your state schools.
The next thing that you are going to have to think about is what schools you can realistically get into. While you may have a school that you really want to attend if you have mediocre grades you probably won't be able to get in. Most university websites will give you a profile of previous entering classes that you can use to see how likely it is that you will get in. This does not mean that you shouldn't apply for a school that you want to go to but you should have a backup plan in place.
The next thing that you are going to want to think about is what you want to study. Most large schools will offer the full range of subjects but some of the smaller ones will only have limited offerings. Obviously you are going to have to choose a school that has the program that you want to take. You may also want to consider whether the school has a good reputation in the field. Some schools are better known for certain subjects and it may be a good idea to choose a school that is well known for the subject that you want to study.
It also a good idea to spend some time exploring the city that the school is located in. You are going to be spending a good part of the next four years there so it is something that you should not overlook. Make sure that you like the city and that it is a place that you could see yourself living. Most people don't really pay that much attention to city and instead focus on the school but you should at least make sure that you like the area that the school is located in.