In order to find a good university for yourself, you need to be absolutely clear about the degree you wish to take up. Once you have made up your mind, you can proceed with the process of applying to the universities that you are interested in. You will need to search online for the most suitable options, depending on the program the college is providing as well as the facilities offered by them. Most colleges offer all the necessary information through their individual websites. Through these websites you will find out if your score and your achievements are sufficient, to be a suitable applicant. Most websites also provide information about their tuition fees and other added expenses. How to Pick a Good University Keep a Tab on Your Score A low SAT score is bound to create impediments when it comes down to the number of colleges you'll be eligible for. Therefore, make it a point to try to keep your scores above average. Many well reputed colleges do not accept scores below B+. In order to get into a good college, you will need to keep your score card up throughout your academic year prior to the inception of college. Select Apt Courses Make it a point to find out about the various colleges that offer the degree course you are looking for. The program you choose will probably help you in pursuing jobs at a later stage. For instance if you wish to study anthropology, then you must apply to a university college that offers specialized courses in this field. This will enable you to dedicate all your attention towards one area of education and will thus sharpen your knowledge. Consider the Admission Requisites Go through the admission brochures of each college and check if you fall within their ambit of necessary requisites. The reason being, some colleges require a specific percentage or score so as to be eligible to apply, while others look for well-developed personalities, students who have fared well in all categories of academic life, including education, sports as well as extracurricular activities. Therefore apply to a college which you think is suitable for you. Pros vs Cons Try to chalk down the basic requirements that you wish to derive from the college of your choice. Find out if the quality of education imparted is up to your expected mark. Find out if the overall expenditure of the entire academic session is within your planned budget or not. If it's expensive, find out if the college offers a scholarship, tuition installment plans and other financial aid. If so, your expenses will reduce drastically. Though if you do qualify for a reputed college, then taking up the offer would be a wiser decision. The reason being that, with a good degree at hand, your job prospects grow substantially, therefore allowing you to be financially more stable over the years as and when you begin to gain professional work experience. See if the colleges you short listed fulfill certain needs, such as hostel accommodation, library and messing privileges. Pursuing sports activities, part-time jobs, external research as well as internships. The college which satisfies your needs and expectations the most, must be made the first preference of enrollment. Mission Statement You will be required to write an essay or a mission statement, which has to be addressed to the college you are interested in joining. This letter should ideally contain a few things about yourself and it should clearly state out the reason as why you are keen about joining their college. Your admission application can be sent either through email, personal application or through postal mail of the hard copy. The application must be attached with the copies of all your past academic records. These records must authenticate the schools you attended. You may even be required to send samples of your work, though this rule applies only to subjects wherein a certain level of personal skills can be exhibited. For instance, fields such as science, literature, performing arts, political studies, and anthropology. Send in the copies of research papers if you have any, and if you feel it necessary so as to increase your chances of admission approval. You need not get into one of the top 10 universities in the world in order to gain quality education. Nor is it a prerequisite for success in your later years. Always keep backups of colleges that you are sure you will get through. These colleges will be categorized as safety colleges. Though, do remember that your safety net must include only those colleges which you wouldn't mind joining, in case you do not get selected by the others. Many unforeseen circumstances can arise, which can make you deviate from a prior decision of joining a particular university. Therefore keeping a likely backup would be a very prudent choice.