Juniors: What is Your Learning Style? Another Important Factor When Choosing Colleges

Remember, the students who get the attention of admission officers are those who know who they are and what they want. So in the last couple of weeks, we've been providing you with some questions so that you can "research yourself" -- the first step in creating a preliminary list of colleges. Most recently, we asked you to think about yourself in the classroom. College is a learning environment, so you need to honestly evaluate yourself as a student in order to figure out what schools are best for you.

This week, we're asking you to examine your learning style, which will influence some of the basic criteria of your college search. For example, if you prefer to enroll in classes where learning takes place in small discussion groups, you will want to pay attention to factors such as class size and method of teaching at the schools in which you're interested.

Here are some more questions to help you evaluate yourself as a student in order to figure out what schools are best for you:

• Are you happiest when you are (a) significantly challenged and must be ever energetic in your efforts to keep up; (b) growing along with the rest of your classmates; or (c) learning while comfortably at the top of your class?
• Are there any circumstances, such as a learning disability, that have impacted your academic performance?
• What has been the best learning environment for you— a large lecture class or a small discussion group?
• Is it important to you to have close relationships with your teachers?
• What kind of schedule is best for you?

For more thought-provoking questions about your interests and activities, personality, and the colleges which interest you, see Chapter 8, "Creating an Initial List of Colleges",  in College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step.