College: The time in a person’s life characterized by freedom, wild adventures, and no responsibilities. Well, I must admit, college students do have the responsibility to perform well in class, but everything considered, college is a wonderful time in a person’s life.

My name is Niko DeMordaunt, and I am an undergraduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I recently went through my application process for college, and I am dealing with many of the everyday issues I will be writing about. I know that college is a time in one’s life where you will be faced with decisions only you can make, and I hope to help guide you through them. Although college is a time to look forward to, you, the prospective college student, should keep in mind that the road to college is both difficult and twisted.

First, you must first decide what type of school you want to attend. Usually, a student first decides if they want to apply to a four-year college, or split their time between a community (Junior) college and then transfer to a four-year college. Some students spend two years at a community college to earn an Associate’s Degree, and decide not to pursue a Bachelor’s degree. Students that choose to go to a junior college, or JC, do so because they can live at home for two more years, tuition is less expensive, and classes can be scheduled at night to allow students to work day jobs. The student may also feel that they are not ready to leave home. Danny Butler, a student at the JC Diablo Valley College says he chose to go to a community college because he “wasn’t ready to leave home and the tuition is cheaper.”

Students that head straight to a four-year university do so for the college experience. You would make friends to last a lifetime and create memories worth more than money. You would also most likely be more prepared for the upper-division courses taken in your third and fourth year. Freshman Will Moy at UCSB states that he chose a four-year university over a JC because he wants, “a full education.”

Next, you must choose between public and private schools. A private school would certainly cost more money, but, in some cases, a private school offers smaller classes, specialized interests, and a well-known reputation. Public schools, on the other hand, are usually much more affordable, offer theatre sized classes, and have a much greater population of students. One reason you may choose a private school over a public school is that you may be interested in attending a Christian university, or a very prestigious university, such as Stanford or Harvard. Emily Diehl, freshman at the Christian school Azusa Pacific University, claims she chose that school because she wanted to be, “surrounded by people who hold the same beliefs as me.” She also says she has “enjoyed everyday and never regretted my decision to come to APU.”

Still, you may wish to attend a public school because the cost is more affordable, and you are interested in a university with a diverse population. Of course, some public universities offer the traits of private schools, and vice versa, but these are stereotypical descriptions of the majority of public and private universities.