Albion College Top Questions

Make sure to visit as many schools as possible and check all aspects of the program of the major you intend to have.

The most important thing is how you feel on campus and fit into the community. Academics are important, and obviously you should choose a school related to what you hope to study, but sometimes your field of interest changes. The reality is that this school is going to be your home for the next four years, and choosing a place you feel at home is important. Get involved in as much as you can, and study abroad if you get the chance: it's worth it. Take in as many different experiences as you can: it only comes around once.

Be VERY selective. Never settle on a school. Make sure it is exactly right for you. Meet as many people as you can before you enroll in order to get a feel for the school. Check the course catalog. Make sure interesting, exciting courses are offered, courses that you would be EXCITED to take. Make sure you are the right distance from home. It's easy to get absorbed in the college atmosphere, so it's important to know where you came from.

Go to the place you feel most comfortable and at home. Do what feels right. Don't be afraid to talk to new people.

Choosing the right college does necessarily mean choosing the school that is the most rigorous academically or the best-rated school in a book or on a website. It is about choosing the school that is right for you. I would recommend not only meeting with faculty and students, but trying to stay overnight and possibly attend a couple of classes at colleges you are interested in attending. Although this may seem like a costly process, it is worth it to try to get a sense for a school before you decide to spend four years of your life there, not to mention the significant amount of money you'll be devoting to this experience. I think that the faculty and administration's relationship to students is particularly important and can greatly impact your academic and later professional success, so try to get some insight from students about this. To get the most out of your college experience, make sure you try new things and push yourself personally and academically, but also be sure to ensure that you have some time to relax and build relationships with the people around you. Work hard and have fun!

Really, the best advice I can give is for the student to see every size school. You may go in thinking you have an idea, but unless you expand your choices and see all that is out there, you can never know what college is right for you. There may be a student you stay with that you enjoy, or the facilities may hook you, but no matter what you need to see it before you can really decide. In turn, when you go to college the best thing you can do is go with an open mind. It is a chance to start over, to build from high school or just change yourself completely. As long as you go with an open mind, and view it as a chance to expand and grow, you will find yourself enjoying every part of your college experience.

Make sure to visit the campus and see if you're comfortable with the surrounding area as well as to figure out what going to that college may require as far as transportation. Definitely make the most of your social life and your academic life at the same time without spreading yourself too thin. If you have ambition or a goal, do everything you can to meet it, you'll only be rewarded in the end. Don't be afraid to be yourself when interviewing with potential professors and advisors, they need to meet the true you as soon as possible. Don't waste a minute in college on worrying, just have fun!!

The best advice I could give from my experiences is for students to stay overnight at the school they are investigating. Determining what a campus is really like is one of the most challenging aspects of choosing a college institution. Students and parents simply cannot afford to take the words of a tour guide or other school representative at face value, for higher education is a essentially a business, and a very lucrative one at that. Student tour guides may not always be completely truthful about campus life or their institution, and are often paid to present the college in a positive light. If a prospective student is able to experience campus life firsthand, as well as real college classes, they may be able to take a more objective approach in discovering what the college has to offer. No pamphlet, cheerful tour guide, or impressive presentation can truly divulge to a prospective student what it is like to live and study at a particular institution. Firsthand experience is essential, and a prospective student should have the chance to experience college life and chat with current students without the sometimes influencing presense of parents or guardians.

The advice that I would give to parents but more importanly the student about finding the right college and making the most of the college experience is fairly simple but very useful. Do not base your choice on were other people are going. I had a friend who did just that and did not return to my college for her second year. Do not base your choice on were family wants you to go just because they are alumni. I have a friend who did that and I thank God she still loves it. Visit as many colleges as you can, visiting a school and crossing it out because you did not like it is better then putting a question mark beside it because you just don't know. And when you do find the right college you will know. The best way to make the most of your college exsperience is to get involved and find things you have a passion for but just never knew it before. Go out and make friends, many programs are put in place for you to do just that so take advanatge of them. Enjoy It, it goes by to fast not to!

College is a place for a higher education so I would recommend to parents and students to make sure you find a school that you know you will get a great education. Sit in on a class or two and see how the teachers and students interact. Talk to students about the school and classes that they have taken. What really attracted me to Albion College was how welcoming the people were in the adminastration building. I felt like, already, I was a part of that school. Activities are also a very important part of a college experience. Find out what the school has to offer in extra curricular activities. These are the points I looked for when I was searching for the right college.