Iona College 715 North Ave  New Rochelle, New York 10801 Phone: (914)633-2502  Toll-free: (800)231-IONA Web: http://www.iona.edu/info/

KeyFacts Institutional control: Private nonprofit Religious affiliation: Catholic Campus size: Medium Setting: A suburb bordering on New York City Number of undergraduate students: 2,975 Number of graduate students: 1,508 Admissions office: Phone: (914)633-2502 E-mail: admissions@iona.edu Financial aid office: Phone: (914)633-2497 Cost of attendance: Undergraduate in-state tuition (full year): $17,835 Undergraduate out-of-state tuition (full year): $17,835 Financial aid: Grants offered: Yes Scholarships offered: Yes  Loans offered: Yes Organizations: Number of registered organizations: 92 Number of honor societies: 12 Number of social fraternities: 8 Number of social sororities: 6 The Save Time and Application Fee Quiz As you prepare and send your applications to colleges, here are five questions to help save you time and money. If you honestly answer these questions, you may end up saving yourself some of both. There are no right or wrong answers, just your opinion, and below, the observations of someone with 20 years' experience in the college selection process. 1. How far away you are willing to travel to attend college?   Commute from home 100 miles 500 miles doesn't matter 2. Do you want to live in the city, suburbs, or country? 3. What roll does class size play in your college decision?   Very Important Somewhat important Not important 4. True or False. I can only apply to inexpensive colleges. 5. True or False. Looking at my prospective major is a good way to choose a college. Observations from the perspective of a college admissions office. At Iona, we believe that when students match their interests with colleges' offerings, they end up happier and healthier, and get far more out of their college experience. 85% of college students in the U.S. attend college within 100 miles of home. It is pretty natural for students to consider and apply to colleges in "exotic" places. Every year, students take the time and energy to apply and consider colleges far from home—warm places, snowy places, big city places, beach places. In the end though, most end up staying closer to home. For them, the ties of family, friends, jobs, or other factors prove to be a stronger pull than life in a new, "exciting" place. Think about it—no matter how good a college may be, it doesn't matter if you won't be happy living there. If you live in a large city, how will you feel living on a campus in a small town? If you live in a small town, will you be comfortable in a big city? Until college, small class size is one of the most important factors used in determining the quality of an education. How do you learn? If you often interact with your teachers in high school, you'll need to do so in college, and you may want to consider a place with classes under 20 during your freshman year. If you learn primarily by reading and listening to your teacher's comments, larger classes may be okay. As you apply to colleges, find out the size of classes during the freshman year, and then decide how it fits your learning style. When you know, you can make an informed decision. False. Financial aid and scholarships change everything, and in the end, students can attend more expensive colleges for the same or even less than a less expensive school. For example, at Iona College (an independent college) in 2002, the cost of tuition is $17,350, but 92 percent of freshmen received financial aid and the average financial aid award was about $13,100. False. In the U.S., the average college student changes majors seven times. Even if you know what you want to study, you may well change to another major. So if you choose a college solely based on a major, you're stuck if you change. You should definitely look for whether schools offer the majors you are considering. But it should be a lesser factor, rather than a major factor. It is okay to be undecided about a major as you enter college and that doesn't mean it will take longer to graduate. Most colleges set up their curricula so that students can explore during the first year or two. Then students work on a major during the junior and senior year. However, if you are interested in certain programs (like education or the sciences) are easier to switch out of than into. For example, education majors have a large number of classes to complete, and in the sciences, most colleges offer sequential classes. If you don't start in them in the beginning of your freshman year, you'll have to wait a full year to start. If you're like most students, you are feeling a fair amount of pressure to choose the "perfect college." There is no such thing as the perfect college; each school is good for some types of students, and not so good for other types. The most important thing is that you find a place that meets your needs. When that happens, you will get the most of everything your college has to offer. It is much easier to be serious in the classroom when you are happy with all the things going on around you. From Iona, we wish you all the best as you narrow down your college choices. And if your answers lead you to a great, medium-size college in the suburbs of New York City, you can learn more about Iona at www.iona.edu/info.