What should I pick? What should I pick? They're both awesome! // Questions to ask yourself and things to think about when picking a school

Yesterday, I got letters from middle schools saying I got into their school. And the only thing to do now is decide which one. I like both of the schools, and it's hard to choose. Here are some questions and things to think about so that I can help myself and you when you have to choose which school to attend. These questions apply to middle, elementary, and high schools (although I'm not sure about high schools because I have no experience with them).

The process you should take:

1. Tour the school (if can)
2. Apply and audition if needed (you can find some tips I did for auditioning here)
3. See where you got in
4. Research more about the school
5. Ask yourself the questions below
6. Talk with family and friends
7. Decide

And here are some questions you should ask yourself:

What are your expectations? Does the school have to have amazing physical grounds such as an amazing new building? Amazing people? Or can it just be plain or old? You have to set expectations for yourself or else you won't get anywhere.

Which magnet program sounds more fun? For me, the two magnets for the two schools (let's call them Birdy and Chickadee) are language (Chickadee) and fine arts (Birdy). To me, fine arts sound much better, or at least a lot more fun. So Birdy wins this round.

But then which magnet sounds more useful? I hate to admit it, but language is more useful in the long run since I don't actually want to be any kind of artist when I grow up. So Chickadee wins this one.

Which one has a better building and grounds? Chickadee has much better grounds and building. Everything is new and there are living plants, which I can't really say for Birdy. So Chickadee wins this one, too.

How far is it from you? For Chickadee, I would have to take the bus which a) I have never done before, b) I would have to wake up early, and c) the bus stop is actually right by my house.  But I could walk to Birdy. So Birdy wins another round.

Well now I have two wins for Chickadee and two wins for Birdy. Just great. Ok, now let's go onto what the school is known for. You can look them up (great schools is a good school reviewing website) and see what other people think about the schools.

Is it academically strong and challenging? In a school, you always want this to be true or else how in the world are you going to learn? In my case, Chickadee is supposed to have better academics.

How are the students? You don't want a school where there are just groups and outcasts. From what I've read (yes I have researched my schools; I'm weird like that), Chickadee is supposed to have small groups exactly like I said above, while I don't know about Birdy.

How are the teachers? That one teacher can seriously make or break the school. Chickadee is supposed to have pretty good teachers, but then a couple people said the teachers there were lazy. But Birdy's teachers are supposed to be rude sometimes.

So it's a toss-up. I don't know which way to go.

Did you like this post? What are some of your tips when picking a school? Should I do more school related things?