With college tuition prices high and students more worried than ever before about loans and financial plans, it is becoming important to carefully choose a four-year college or university.

Stacy Ramsey, ISU director of admissions, is adamant on educating students with all components of the decision-making process to ensure a productive and successful transition into higher education.

“Now, with technology, students can do lots of research about particular schools in advance of the application process and should visit every school they are interested in to narrow down their options,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey advises perspective students to apply to at least two schools that they feel they will be likely admitted into, based on the profile and admission requirements of those schools.

“Students should apply to a reasonable number of schools that they would like to attend,” Ramsey said.

Within the past few years, high school students have been encouraged to apply to schools that fit more of their needs and wants, rather than applying to colleges to apply or compete with another.

“In the final moments of deciding a school, students can make a list of pros and cons for each school; ultimately, the college they choose is their home-away-from-home for the next several years, so students need to find a good fit,” Ramsey said.

Many concerns of both parents and students relate to how successful students will be once they arrive to ISU in the fall and the likeliness of finding a job after their four years working toward a degree.

ISU collaboratively incorporates a variety of departments and offices on campus to help create a smoother transition for all students.

Suzy Baker-Bachman, assistant director of the Career Center, works collaboratively within the university to ensure that students are able to look inwardly to generate a career path that works best for them.

Once students choose a college and decide on a community that best fits their needs, it becomes crucial to recognize the resources, information and programs that are available to them to further enhance their success.

“A lot of what we do relates to myth dispelling and providing students with a chance to find a major, career or both,” Baker-Bachman said.

Many departments on campus work collaboratively to ensure that incoming freshmen and transfer students are maximizing their potential to smoothly transition into being advocates of their educational experience.