Civilian College
About
Palauans have the opportunity to apply to both public and private four-year colleges across all 50 states. Public universities are funded heavily by the local, state, and federal governments. Students pay the remainder of costs through tuition. Private universities rely on student tuition, endowments, research grants, and alumni contributions for funding. There are general differences between public and private universities that hold true for, not all, but the majority of schools. We encourage you to explore the differences between these two types of colleges whether it's tuition cost, acceptance rates, student to professor ratio, campus diversity and size, research opportunities, majors available, reputation, and more. Identify advantages and disadvantages for each university type as it applies to your situation and aspirations.
Some Considerations
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Georgia Institute of Technology
What colleges offer majors that interest you?
What colleges are you interested in that are within your reach for acceptance based on known data?
What colleges are you interested in that are not within your reach for acceptance based on known data?
What is your desired class size or student to professor ratio?
How large of a campus do you prefer?
What environment do you want to live in for your time of study?
What extracurricular activities, hobbies, and opportunities interest you?
What universities are financially feasible?
What kind of scholarships or work opportunities are offered?
What is important to you as a person?
Stanford University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
LARGE CITY. SMALL CITY. SUBURBAN. RURAL.
Location
Population
Weather
Culture
Transportation
Cost of Living
Prioritizing Opportunities
A method to compare schools and see a more clear picture of your college experience interests is weighted scoring.
See the example below. Values associated with colleges are not accurate. Only used to demonstrate the example.
Rank factors that are most important to you.
Low Tuition Cost
Small Class Sizes
City Location
Reasonable Acceptance Rate
Assign factors a percentage of importance to you.
Tuition Cost = 50%
Class Sizes = 25%
Location = 15%
Acceptance Rate = 10%
Assign a scoring system based on your priorities.
Tuition Cost
1 = Not Affordable, 3 = Expensive, 5 = Affordable
Class Sizes
1 = Large, 3 = Medium, 5 = Small
Location
1 = Rural, 3 = Small City, 5 = Large City
Acceptance Rate
1 = Highly Selective, 3 = Selective, 5 = Not Selective
Score colleges of interest against one another.
University of Kentucky
.50(5) + .25(1) + .15(3) + .10(5) = 3.7
Notre Dame University
.50(3) + .25(5) + .15(1) + .10(3) = 3.2
Harvard University
.50(1) + .25(5) + .15(3) + .10(1) = 2.3
University of Arizona
.50(5) + .25(1) + .15(5) + .10(5) = 4.0
Create a List
Safety Schools - High likelihood of acceptance.
Target Schools - Most likely will be accepted.
Reach Schools - Small likelihood of acceptance.
Balance your applications between these types of colleges. Keep your options open. Play it safe while also aiming high.