If you've already decided on your major*, and that you want to go to school, the first thing you should do is find out what schools offer the courses yo are interested in taking. To do this you need to either call the schools, pick up a course catalog (from your school counsellors office or the university/college), ask your school counsellor or look on the internet. If you want to find out which school offers the best courses in your subject area the best thing you can do, if you're looking at Canadian schools, is pick up a copy of the Macleans Magazine University/College Review. It comes out once a year and they review the best schools from across Canada in different areas of study. They don't list how all the schools perform, but they do list the best. If you have the grades, and the money, it can be well worth going to the school that is rated the best.
If you're clueless
Most people don't know what they want to be, or even what they want to take, when they first start thinking about university/college. If you fit into this category, don't panic. We've got some ideas to help you figure out what you might want to take.
First, talk to you teachers at school, preferably the ones that like you, and see if they might be able to suggest something you hadn't htought of. Teachers have been through university and know what's out there, plus they have a good idea of what your interest are. Next, ask your friends (and maybe your family) what they picture you doing in the future. Maybe your best friend thinks that your outgoing personality and love of rock climbing would make you a great Outdoor Recreation Instructor. Try looking through a course catalogue for subjects you might be interested in. Different schools offer different courses. Finally, sit down and try to figure out what you like to do most, what you're interested in and if you are ready to go to school now. Determining for yourself what you want always makes a difference.
College or University?
Making the decsion between college or university can be a a tough choice. On the one hand you have people telling you that you can't get anywhere in the world today if you don't have a university degree, but on the other hand it's not worth getting a degree if you don't know what you want to take or what you want to be. So what do you do? For a lot of people, college n be the best option. The classes are small so you get a lot of personal attention (this usually means your grades will be higher), it cost way less money, you can upgrade your high school grades there an , in most cases, you can transfer your credits to a university when you are ready. University has it's benefits too, like residence and more course options, but if you're not sure what you want sometimes the best options is to start out at college.
Ambience*
For some people, what a school looks like, smells of or feels like doesn't matter. For other people, it will make or break their post secondary* experience. If you're someone for which ambience matters it's imporant that you check out the school you want to go to BEFORE YOU REGISTER. Written material, like catalogs, will give you the stats, and maybe some pictures, but it won't tell you how a place really feels - the diversity of the student body, the quality of the housing, the tree-to-concrete ratio. All campuses offer tours, usually given by students. Take a tour and ask your guide if they've ever stayed in residence*, how they feel about the school, what they like and dislike about it. Find out where most of the students live, is it on campus or in the surrounding area, what kind of activities are held by the student body and what do people do for fun. Pick up a campus newspaper, eat lunch in the cafeteria, check out the library (and library staff), and ask as many people as possible really dumb questions to see how they react - are they pleasant and helpful or do they make you feel like a total loser? You'll be asking a lot of questions your first year and how they answer you now will reflect on how they'll treat you then.
What not to consider when making the choice
*ambience - the look, mood or atmosphere of a place. The feeling or vibe of a place.
*major - the area of study you choose at colllege or university. The subject you will receive your degree in. For example, English would be your major and a Bachelor of Arts would be your degree. Most schools require that you take a certain amount of credit hours in a certain subject area in order to receive your degree.
*post-secondary schooling - any schooling, whether university or college, that you take after you finish high school.
*residence - housing, usually on-campus, provided by the school you are going to. Usually very expensive.