As Ryan Rothkof walks into the college fair at Griffin Hall, she looks around to see tables set for colleges at each corner of the room. As a senior, the days get closer and closer for her to decide on a college. She spots many booths that interest her, but she has her mind set on New York University.

“I like a really welcoming atmosphere, at a really big college like NYU it’s really nice to have little niches that you can fall into. I did look specifically into the college and they have a really great smaller program so that you can find your community,” Rothkof said.

College admissions advisers talked about what was the drawing point of their schools. Click on each point on the map to see what they thought was great about their school.

Students that come from different places across the country may prefer to choose colleges that have a similar setting to what they are comfortable with.

“I come from a small town in Illinois, and I was looking for a college that would give me a home-ish vibe. Not a college that’s massive, but a place where I can do a bunch of things and not be caught up in the big city life,” senior Kyle Whitely said.

Merit scholarships are an available outlet for college costs. Quill and Scroll, an Honors Society for high school journalism students, choose six to eight high school seniors each year that offers them from $500 to $1500 in scholarship money.

“Our goal is to help students along their educational path. One of the things that we look for is what their high school journalism career has been like. How active have they been and have they competed in state or national competitions?” Quill and Scroll adviser Judy Hauge said.

Colleges look for students that have the potential to not only meet the standards but exceed those that are set in place.

“We look for students that have the willingness to do the work, and put in the hours that it takes to be really good. Everybody has the opportunity to be ‘okay’ or even ‘good’, but it’s those who work hard at it that have the opportunity to be great,” University of North Carolina admissions adviser Charlie Tuggle said.

Ultimately, colleges and students work together to find the perfect fit. University of Southern California admissions adviser Kurt Clements talks about how students fit into USC, and vice versa.

“Most importantly for the four years of undergrad it means that your gonna be in a place where everyone supports you, and you’re gonna be in a place where everyone is just as excited and passionate about being as USC as you are,” Clements said. “They’re going to those people who is there for you in whatever stage of life you are in.”