I'm Kimberly Travieso, a Sophomore at California State University - Los Angeles! Kid City helped me get familiar with the college process, but it wasn't until I went through the experience myself that I understood what it meant. It was a bit too late in most scenarios, but I got lucky, so I wanted to make sure others knew what to look for before picking a college.

YAY! Spring is college admission season! Around this time I was constantly checking my emails for acceptances or updates. Before you decide on a college, here is some advice I gathered during that time that helped me choose Cal State LA -- I hope this helps relieve some college decision stress! 

• Financial Aid: Personally, this factor was most important to me. And it might be the same for you! I did not have a preference for which college I wanted to attend - what was important to me was the financial aid opportunities. If your #1 choice is providing a sufficient amount of financial aid to support your education, I say that's a great university choice! There are many scholarships available to help you graduate from college debt free. These scholarships may also pay for the majority of the tuition and fees, if not all. Is financial aid an important factor for your decision making process?

Tip: If you’re having trouble understanding your financial aid package, you can set up a meeting with the school's financial aid advisor. I was confused about my package for CSULA, and the counselor guided me through it!

• What campus size do you want? Do you want a small, medium or large campus? Cal State Los Angeles is a smaller campus. Personally, I was grateful for that because it was easier to navigate the campus when walking to each class. Bigger campuses also mean more students, which means more opportunities for classes and clubs. What do you want to gain from a campus?