Before you start your application process, the first question you are faced with is what universities you should apply to. Choosing a university can be a tough and tedious task especially because there are so many options available. This article is to help you streamline that process and make choosing your university a simpler task.

• The first question you should ask yourself is: What do I want to do? 

You could be completely sure of what you want to do or be undecided. In your application when you have to choose your major, most universities offer an option that says ‘undecided’. This option is mainly for students who are completely unsure of what they want to do. Having said that, choosing ‘undecided’ as an option is not very promising, therefore you should try to choose a major in which you might be mildly interested in or a major that your resume is a good supplement to. Your decision is not binding and you can take a year or more to decide what you want to apply for once you have gained admission to any university in the United States. 

For those who are absolutely sure about what they want to study, they should look for the best universities for those specific subjects. Ivy League universities are great but so are Stanford, MIT, Amherst, Northwestern and Duke, so you should definitely pay heed to non-ivy schools as much as you do to Ivy League schools. If you are unsure about your study area, it is best to apply to universities ranking well in the few areas you might be interested in.

• Your second step should be: Talking to relatives, friends, or seniors studying in universities you want to apply to. 

Talking to students from the universities you want to apply to can prove to be very insightful. They can tell you the nuances of the university that you might miss out on while looking at the website. If you don’t know anyone studying in one of the universities you want to apply to, you should try looking at student reviews for those universities. Most of them point out the best features in those universities which can prove to be kernel while you are choosing your university. You can also talk to mentors from UniRely so are students at the universities you are interested in. 

• The third step is to look at universities that are within your budget.

Applying for financial aid lowers your chances of getting into those universities. If you are a student who is looking for a good percentage of scholarship, you should try applying to universities that are generous with financial aid. If you feel you can afford a certain university but are skeptical about your chances of getting in, it is better to apply without financial aid. However, a few universities including MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Amherst are need-blind. There are one of the best universities in the world and select students without considering their ability to pay the tuition fees. 

• The fourth step is to look at the college you are interested in within the university.

Where a university is based, what accommodation it offers and what its culture is like can also influence your choice and if not your choice, it can probably affect your university life, so it is important to research about the university. Again, student reviews, online webinars and information sessions can be informative (making a list of wants and needs can be helpful too). Lastly, you must find out what college you want to apply to within the university. For example, NYU has the College of Arts and Science, Stern School of Business and several others. Make sure to find out which specific college offers you your potential major and apply to that college. It is possible to change your college within the university, say from the College of Arts and Sciences to Stern School of Business; hence this decision is not binding as well.

• The fifth step is to look at the opportunities the university offers to help you build your career. 

Lastly, before choosing any university, delve into its job connections and placement opportunities. Those can prove to be crucial during your undergraduate degree as a university is the stage where you begin preparing yourself for your career or at least look at jobs or internship opportunities related to your field of study. 

Talk to mentors and counselors from your dream universities to get an insight into the life there, sign up at UniRely.