Figuring out which colleges to look at, and then deciding which one to go to, is a big decision for anyone. There are so many factors that come into play when looking at a potential home for the next four years. After going through that same process, and after living here at Naz for the past 3 years, I have come up with a list of some of the most important factors that you should be looking into when choosing the perfect school for you. Some are more obvious, while others don’t seem as important, but affect daily life at college more than you may realize. You can read part 1 and part 2 of my series to get a full, comprehensive list of how to find your perfect college match. Here’s part 3!
1) Connections: One of the best things about Naz is how connected all of the faculty members are to other people within their field. Before I came to college, the connections my professors might have outside of the classroom wasn’t something I was thinking about when I visited campus, however, being here has shown me that connections are a huge part of college and life! If you ever need an internship or a job or just want to talk to someone in the field, Naz’s professors have so many friends in the “real world” that it’s easy to find someone willing to lend a helping hand. It’s also easy to connect with the professors themselves since our class sizes are small. Professors have a personal connection with each of their students and are more than happy to lend any advice or knowledge they have.
2) Food: My first two years of being at Naz, I ate at the dining hall, or another place on campus, at least once a day. Some days, I would eat three meals at a dining facility (second dinner is my favorite meal of the day). It’s important to know what the food is like on campus. I’m lucky because I don’t have any dietary restrictions, whether it’s allergies or lifestyle choices, but I am a picky eater. Because of this, my options were more limited than others. Luckily, there are so many options of food on campus, that it was easy to find something I enjoyed eating, whether it was pasta, hamburgers and fries, a sub, salad, a smoothie, fried rice, or even crepes! Naz is also very accommodating to people with allergies or other dietary restrictions. It’s also important to research the food available off campus. Down the road is Pittsford Plaza, where there are many different places to eat, including chain restaurants (my personal favorite being Chipotle) and local eateries (my personal favorite being Plum Garden, where I get hibachi at least once a year). In the city of Rochester, there are so many places to eat within a small area that it’s easy to find somewhere that will satisfy any food craving you may have.
3) Go with your gut: Probably the most important item on my list is to trust your instincts. When you step on campus, how do you feel? If you’re like me, when I visited a school I didn’t like the vibe of, nothing any tour guide could have told me would have changed my mind. It was easy to cross some colleges off the list because my gut was telling me I didn’t belong there. The same goes for Naz. When I first visited, I was tired from a 4 hour drive, but I immediately woke up once we got on campus. Looking around at the buildings and students gave me a sense of happiness. The tour I went on just solidified my decision. Listening to your gut is the most important factor to consider when looking into a college!
I hope you guys found my list helpful! When I was looking at colleges, I knew certain things would impact my daily life, but I didn’t think about how much other things like the size of a campus or the connections faculty have would impact me as well. This list was a way for me to reflect back on my time in college and help spread the insight I have gained over my years here at Naz and I hope it helps you find your perfect match!
Check out the rest of the series!