High school graduation is definitely one of the most memorable moments in one's lifetime! After four years of hard work and hanging out with the same group of friends the time has come to say goodbye and go separate paths. Up until now high school sounds like a dreamy situation almost like a fairy tale but it does have its rough patches; the final exam and the most stressful part deciding what college you want to go to (that is if you want to go to college). If you are one of the lucky people, you might already have a pretty good idea about what you want to study and where that would be. However those lucky people are very few, most high school seniors take a very long time to pick a college. Having recently undergone a college search I have a pretty good idea on how it feels to be choosing the right university. As a little kid you always get all these crazy idea about what you want to be when you grow up. A Barbie, an astronaut, a singer, constantly changing your mind as if you could do everything at once! As we grow up we realize that we start picking a few subjects over others and kind of have a basic idea as to where we are headed; whether it is a science oriented career, artistic or literature. Once we have that as a sort of guide we go on to decide where we want to go. After that the real stress begins to settle in as there are thousands of universities all over the US and it seems like it would be very hard to find the perfect one that fits you! The easiest way to start the search is by googling “top colleges in the US” hoping that one of the top results is just the one. However, there are several factors one also has to consider; the safety, the cost, the quality of the education and even the atmosphere of the university. Some people may find it extremely comfortable to be in a very competitive atmosphere, others want it to be more relaxed, some want there to be a majority of local students and others may want a more diverse student body. There are so many things that vary from college to college that it seems like the choice could not get any more difficult! The main thing one has to focus on when trying to find top colleges in the US; is that these top colleges can be put into several different categories! One should not just get carried away by a name and a supposed reputation one of those top colleges is meant to have as this can be very different from your own experience at college! A few things to consider before immediately using a Google search of top universities in the US as a guide: - a visit to the university can help you get a better idea! - just because the college is at the top of the list does not mean it will be at the top of your own college list!