What’s in a Location?

How do you describe where you live?  City?  Suburb?  Country?  What aspects of your current location do you like or dislike – and how far are you willing to go from home?  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 the terms and definitions used in college “locations”:

• Major City: Population 300,000 or more: or within a 25-mile radius of a metro area.
• Small-Medium City: Population 75,000-299,999 or within 15 to 25 miles of a metro 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.

Things to consider related to location:

• Distance from home
• Nearest airport
• Nearest large city
• Nearest outdoor experiences (beach, mountains, etc.)
• Popular student gathering places on campus
• Popular student gathering places off-campus
• Nearest tourist attractions
• Movies, shopping, restaurants, or other entertainment nearby
• Employment/Internship opportunities
• Your faith community, on or off campus

Be sure to explore all the options.  View the college website for virtual tours.  Check for info on the surrounding community.  Most importantly, look it up on a map.

Take Action

Explore the location of colleges you are interested in.  Also, check out:

• How many freshmen live on campus?
• Fiske Social Rating
• Fiske Quality Rating