Picking a college is one of the most challenging and life-altering decisions that students have to make. The amount of pressure and stress that is put upon you to make to the right choice can cause you to make the wrong one and commit to a university that may not be best suited for you, no matter what your family and friends say. The decision needs to be made solely by you because it could set you up to work in the career of your dreams and encourage you to love what you do, or it could set you up for failure, misery, and even financial hardship.

You can quickly become flustered with the many options presented and the different colleges contacting you, offering great deals, and making big promises. While these are great to consider, you can’t take everything at face value. To help you out in the decision-making process, here are the top five mistakes made when choosing a college – hopefully, this will help you avoid them:

1. Ignoring the statistics for your desired program. Colleges love to show off their statistics, especially good ones when trying to attract new students. The tip to remember is that not all statistics are relevant to you. Focus on the ones that will make a difference for the program or major that you’re aiming for. If they have a 98% degree completion rate in science, but you’re attempting to get a degree in liberal arts, that 98% doesn’t make much of a difference.

2. Getting wrapped up in the brand. There are tons of schools out there with well-recognized names that have an abundance of graduates, the “brand name” schools. Alternatively, there are also a lot of top-quality schools that you may have never heard of. Don’t pick the school because you can recognize their name, choose them because of their quality. Look at their retention and on-time graduation rates, and often these correlate to good quality schools.

3. Following friends or chasing convenience. Yes, sometimes you don’t know where you want to go, or you don’t care, you want to go to any college. Following your friend or going somewhere close only because its easiest is not the best decision and can end up costing you in the long run. Ignore these feelings and evaluate the campus, academic program, and the finances to figure out which college is best for you.

4. Finances. 51% of college students drop out due to financial issues. Many colleges don’t reveal the actual costs or cover up the costs of attending their university. Understand the actual cost of attending before making your final decision.

5. The “vibe” of the campus. It is always a good idea to visit the campus of any college you are interested in, but don’t let this weigh too much on your decision. How a campus looks, or feels, won’t guarantee you a job after you graduate. Find somewhere that feels comfortable to you and make sure that the academic standards match what you need before committing.

Big Decisions Can Lead To Big Mistakes

Always take your time when making your final college decision; if you end up picking the wrong one, it can lead to years of attempting to make up for it. If the college you choose is not the right one for you, you will end up transferring, dropping out, or just not performing your best. This leads to a waste of money, a waste of credits, or both. Evaluate all aspects of a college, otherwise, you might end up regretting your decision immensely.