Decide what type of college you want to attend; There are public and private schools as well as two- and four-year institutions in the southwest. Know your budget and how you plan to pay for college and determine whether you can afford a four-year education up front or whether you want to attend a community college for two years to earn credits that you can apply toward a four-year college degree.
Factor campus size and student life. The southwest is filled with large public colleges, such as the University of Arizona, which has more than 35,000 undergraduate students, and private universities like Colorado College, Sierra Nevada College in Nevada or St. John's College in New Mexico, which are private liberal arts colleges with fewer than 5,000 students. Think about what features are most important to you in a college experience; small class size, a specific degree or program of study, athletics, drama, Greek systems and research funding are all important factors to consider. Use these factors to narrow your search to colleges in the southwest that match your interests.
Decide which state you would like to study in; the southwestern region includes California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Look for scholarships and consider tuition costs for in-state versus out-of-state students.
Narrow your list to a handful of schools that you are very interested in attending and apply to enroll at those schools. Wait for decisions from the schools as to whether or not you are admitted.
Visit the schools to which you are admitted to and tour the campuses. Meet with an academic counselor to find out what your experience as a student might be like there. Evaluate how you feel while you are there and try to envision yourself attending college there.
Choose the college that is the best fit with your financial situation, academic goals and extracurricular desires. Select the college that most appeals to you from a location as well as overall perspective.