For many seniors, college applications are a HUGE deal with getting the correct information and getting them in on time. For others, even choosing the right college can be quite the hassle to study. For those of us here who plan on staying in state to gain those “In-State Benefits,” I looked at five different Maryland colleges that mainly show the different ways one looks in deciding the right school.

What you are taking in college is the number one reason you’re at any college in the first place. But for those who aren’t completely sure, knowing local colleges’ majors and minors can help put you on the path to a great career. If you understand your college path, then the number of classes isn’t that big of a deal. Most would just go  to a more specific college with fewer majors such as St. Mary’s or Goucher with only around 30 classes. For those who aren’t, then the more options will influence from one to another, like College Park or Towson with over 50 in Towson and almost 100 at College Park .

Money is always a major contributor especially when others aren’t in the best financial situations. Knowing how much it costs for your college can affect on how you either can pay, or go into the financial aid. Some people go into scholarships while others take loans out that take years to pay off. With that said, sometimes a cheaper school, for the same major, can help exponentially. Local colleges mainly have resident benefits and therefore, lower tuitions like College park with a Resident tuition of $4,997.91 per semester or even St. Mary’s with $11,195 per semester. Other, more exquisite, colleges might have higher prices for the better quality of the “College Experience” such as Towson University with nearly $25,000 or even $47,060 at John’s Hopkins.

On the bright side of college life as compared to high school life, the class sizes are smaller but the population is much bigger. With this you have the opportunity to meet new people and still get quality education. Expansive universities usually have high populations to support all the different classes and large numbers of enrollments. Even College Park had a large enrollment of 27,056 students. Then again, most of those populations depends on the size of the college. For example, Goucher had a full student population of 2,111 students   

Far after one enters the campus life, the big focus is passing your classes and graduating. Knowing how many people graduate can show how well the teachers and the quality of the education. It can also be seen that higher cost colleges have higher graduation rates from the higher quality of education, like John’s Hopkins with a rate 83%. Many people don’t even graduate and just drop out so knowing those statistics creates this reassurance of your school.

And of course, have fun with college. It’s not all tests, lectures, and books. It’s the beginning of your career path. Learn what you can from it all.