How to Choose the Right School for Your Health Care Education

It's hard enough to narrow down what type of career you want to have for the rest of your life. Most students struggle to determine which career path is right for them, though there are a few who know from an early age what they want to do later in life. Regardless of how you first figured out that you want a career in health care, the challenges don't end there. Now that you know what you want to do for your career, you'll have to do lots of research to come up with the best school for you. If you're up to the challenge, here are some great tips to help you along the way as you navigate the rocky road to college.

1. Look for schools that offer the exact academic offerings that you want.

When it comes to searching for a college, there's nothing more important than finding a school which has a program that perfectly fits your needs. All of the other factors in a college search - location, tuition, size, etc. - should come after this. Remember that college is only a few years of your life, and your focus should be on getting the best education for your future. Talk to professors and students in your program at the top schools you can find. Find out what nearby hospitals and medical facilities accept students for clinical assignments. Look over the class offerings and make sure they have everything you want, including classes in a particular specialty. If a school can't fulfill all these needs, they shouldn't be on your list.

2. Factor in the rest of the items on your wish list.

Although academics are your focus in a college search, you'll want to consider other aspects of the school as well. Narrow down your list of top schools according to the size and location that you want. Think about the college social life, extracurricular offerings and career planning services. Choose three or four schools from your list which best encompass all of the extras that you really want from a college experience.

3. Find financial aid.

There are several ways that students can get financial aid for their college education. Check out possible federal and private loans, and apply for scholarships and grants. Health care students are at a special advantage because the health care industry is growing so rapidly. Jobs in this field will be in high demand, so extra funds may be given to students who plan to study for a health care career. Check with the schools on your list to see if their sciences, medicine or health departments offer scholarships to students based on their intended career path.

4. Visit your favorites.

College visits are absolutely essential to the college search process. Get together a list of all your top questions, including those that relate to your health care education. For example, you can ask about their labs, the experience of their health care professors and the quality of the clinical assignments. Use your impressions from your college visit plus your extensive research on each school to make your final decision about which college to attend for your health care education.