How do you describe where you live? City? Suburb? Country? As you explore colleges, one thing to consider is the location of the college. Location can make a significant impact on your college experience. Think about where you want to go to school.
Here are terms and definitions used in college “locations”:
- Major City: Population 300,000 or more: or within a 25–mile radius of a metropolitan area.
- Small-Medium City: Population 75,000-299,999 or within 15 to 25–mile radius of its metropolitan area.
- Large Town: Population 25,000-74,999 or within 10–mile radius of a large town.
- Small Town: Population 5,000-24,999 or within 5–mile radius of a small town.
- Rural: Population under 5,000, in or near a rural community.
How do you know what will be best for you? Search for:
- Nearest airport.
- Nearest large city.
- Nearest outdoor experiences (beach, mountains, etc.).
- Popular student gathering places on campus.
- Popular student gathering places off campus.
- Activities available on weekends at the school.
- Activities available on weekends in the community.
- Nearest tourist attractions.
- Movie, bowling or other recreational activities nearby.
- Employment opportunities.
- Your faith community, on or off campus.
Be sure to explore all the options. Look on the college website. View the college facebook pages. Most importantly, look it up on a map.
Take Action
Use the Guided Search to explore the location of colleges you are interested in. GuidedPath offers search on location types. Also check out:
- How many freshmen live on campus?
- Fiske Social Rating
- Fiske Quality Rating
