Albright College Top Questions

Choosing the right college or university to attend is an important decision and therefore involves doing your research. When choosing a college that best fits you as an individual it is important to consider the size, population, location, and learning environment of the schools that you are considering. Make sure you figure out whether you prefer a large campus with a large population of students or a smaller campus with a smaller population. Also make sure you choose a school that is in a suitable location where you will feel comfortable living for the next four years of your life. Once you have figured these things out take into consideration student/professor ratio, extra-curricular activites, and sports. With these things in mind you should have a pretty good idea on the school that is best for you.

For finding the right college, I would recommend that students actually take a good look at the school they're applying to. Visit the campus. Take a tour. Talk with some of the students there. If you're going to be interviewed by someone in the school administration, financial aid, maybe, prepare for the interview beforehand so you're able to give clear, well thought out answers (yes, even if you're great at improvising). Look through the application. See what the social life on campus is like. Are there many opportunities to study abroad? Basically, know the school inside and out before you start attending. Once you're at college, and especially if you're attending a liberal-arts college (as it's one of the graduation requirements), take a few courses that aren't required for your major...that are in a completely different field FROM your major, in fact. Who knows, you might be surprised.

Students should keep a few things in mind when they are looking for the place to further their education, prepare for a career and most likely to call their home for the next two to five years. Make sure you apply to both large and small schools. This is important because you may think small campus are narrow-minded and expensive or that large schools are too spread out, but some schools have a personality that will surprise you when you visit yet feel like it is the right size. Make sure to visit and sit in on a few different classes so that you know what to expect as far as class size, teaching styles, note-taking, etc; your first experience in a college classroom can be a little scary. Learn the ins and outs of the housing situation, meal plans and public safety issues on each campus and be prepared to ask questions. Once a freshman, make sure you familiarize yourself with your campus all of its resources. A good, diverse social network, whether large or small is crucial to your success and health, to help you learn who you are and to develop and strengthen that person.

Make sure to visit the colleges you are considering, and, if possible, do an overnight visit. It gives you a much clearer viewer of life on campus. And always ask questions!!!!

relax, its all easy

My best advice in choosing a college is to know exactly what you want in each aspect of the school. You should base your decision on the size of the school you want, the majors they offer, the social life, academic support, and definitely the financial aid that's offered. Especially if money is an issue, you should make sure to talk to someone in financial aid before choosing a school. I also strongly suggest going on a tour of every school that you may have the slightest interest in, because you will be surprised about how different a school is compared to what you expected. Once you choose a school and enroll yourself, definitely make sure to check out the social activities that go on at your school and get yourself involved immediately. This gives you a greater chance of eventually holding leadership positions, which is one of the most rewarding aspects of college life.

My advice is to take your time to visit each school and after each visit write a few things down you really liked about the school and some you didn't like. Also if you get a chance take a couple pictures or grab several brochures and file them away with your pros and cons. At the end of your college visits, pull all the info out and eliminate the ones you know you don't want. Then while you are sitting there pondering over the colleges you absolutely loved think about three things, one will I be happy at this school based on who I saw when I visited and how friendly the campus staff and students were?, two does this school have the absolute best program for what I am interested doing career wise?, and lastly, is this a school where I can be myself and be proud of who I am and be known on campus or will I just be a number in a large crowd? Once you figure who you are and who you want to be your hopes and dreams will fall right into place..... :)

I suppose the only real advice I could give to students and their parents for finding the right college is to shop around. Whatever your interests are, find a college with most of your likes, as well as similar morals and values. Visiting the campus and seeing how students interact with each other, as well as getting a feel of how classes are is another excellent way to help find where you belong. As for making the most out of your college experience, pick one, two, or three organizations you really like and join. Do not try to join every single one you like-- it is painful and stressful, trust me. Also, go with your instincts: if a place doesn't feel right it probably isn't for you, whereas if you feel like "this is it" then try it out! You will never truly know until you try: "the difference between try and triumph is a little umph" (I wish I remembered who said that). Most importantly, just be yourself. You are the world's greatest gift if you are simply and truly you. So be you and grow as an individual, and may your college experience be amazing!

When you visit a school, you need to feel at home. It has to be the right atmosphere for what you're looking for. You need to take a tour, have an interview with an admissions counselor, spend the night on-campus with a student, visit classes, talk to professors from the department of your interest and make sure it all fits for you. There is no exact formula to find a college. As you look, each student is going to tell you why they loved their school, and it is your job to analyze that response. Not every school is going to "fit" every student that comes to visit it. Sit back, take a deep breath and follow your heart, because the fact of the matter is, if your heart is not there, it will be very difficult for you to put your money forward to that institution to pay for your education. Most important thing to remember, ask the questions that you want answered; don't be afraid to ask!

Schedule a personal tour with the admissions staff, take a day off of work and school, and travel to the college as a family. You will experience an excellent tour without having 20 other people sauntering along with you on open house days. Come prepared with a list of questions regarding financial aid, housing, dining, and extracurriculars. Many of those questions will get crossed off during the tour, but be sure to cross the rest off before you leave campus! Don't be shy about your questions because you or your child could very well attend that school for the next four years. Oh, and quick tip, when financial award packages have been awarded and you have taken a seat in the incoming class, be sure to stop by the financial aid office within the first few weeks and ask VERY politely if there happens to be any floating financial aid from the students who dropped out. Students, you just might get lucky. If not, don't be afraid to take out loans. 99.9{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of people take out loans. Work your butt off and get a great job and pay them off! Now enjoy your four years!