Boston University Top Questions

Ignore the five year plan. Or the ten year plan. I mean, certainly make one for your own goal-reaching purposes, but ultimately, people change, and you may wake up tomorrow wanting to do something entirely different. Allow yourself to choose a school that you feel will best allow you to reach your potential; that offers options, makes you feel comfortable, and enables you to begin building the person you want to be.

I would tell students to do a good amount of research befor making a decision. The academic options (eg. available majors, internships) are important, as is the size and social environement of the campus. I would stress the importance of visiting the campuses of potential schools; it is impossible to overestimate the importance of the the school that a student chooses feeling like the right place for them. The campus should feel exciting and stimulating, but also comfortable. It will be a student's home for four years and he or she should feel a connection with the campus environment.

As an Admission Ambassador I work with prospective student and parents all the time. I would advise them to start the college process the summer of their Junior year and ask for teacher recommendation forms at the end of their Junior Year. I also highly recommend visiting the colleges and participating in a student-lunch, day, and/or overnight stay program with current students. This will give the prospective student a feel for the school and community.

Finding the right college is difficult for many students, especially those who do not know "what they want to be when they grow up." I changed my major 3 times during college! For those students, a large college is a good choice because it provides an opportunity to explore different fields and allows for you to change your major. A smaller school may not offer the new major you want and then you will need to transfer schools to pursue your interests! For students who do know what field of study they want, they should find the schools that excel in that field. Do a little research and find the top schools in that field, then narrow them down by your other priorities (cost, location, size, religious affiliation, etc). Some students need a school that is close to home, while others feel comfortable traveling further, but want a school with a diverse population. Whatever you want, there are many search engines online that let you search for colleges that meet your specific parameters. Finally, remember to ask your parents, teachers and friends who are already in college for their advise: nothing beats the wisdom of those that care about you.

Please, don't believe what tour guides say. They are TOLD to sell the school, and often times lie or withold the whole truth. Ask actual students--check online boards or ask friends that might have children going to the school. That is THE best way to pick a school.

Spend time at the college before deciding. Also, talking to current students away from the parents. It's hard because the people who really enjoy the school are generally the ones that give the tours, but what you really want is to ask the rest of the student body for their opinion. Mostly, just spend a lot of time at different schools to take it all in.

I would visit as many schools as possible because going on a tour is the best way to get an idea of what a school is really like. Think about what aspects of a school are most important to you and make your decision based on that. To mke the most of the college experience I would not get stressed over academics and make as many friends as possible. This people will truly be your best friends for life.

The right college involves not just a lot of research into the colleges but into yourself as a person. It's also about challenging yourself to try a setting that you might not have thought of before. I left Florida and a small town life for a big city and a university of 15000 students. For me it helped me grow in ways I would never have thought possible, and when I go home everyone is amazed at the changes. This is not necessarily the prescription for everyone of course but it is important to consider. Lastly, I believe that the student should consider academics as the most important partof their decision and that the school offer exactly what they need.

Visit as many campuses as possible, keep an open mind and trust your intuition. When I applied to schools during high school I became fixated on two of the first campuses I happened to visit, so much so that I lost interest in looking elsewhere. To my surprise and to the astonishment of my college advisor, I was wait-listed at both and essentially forced to attend a school I knew I wouldn't like. I transferred after two years, and my biggest regret is that I didn't leave sooner. For those who aren't 100 percent sure that they know what they want to do with their lives--which is almost everybody--I'd advise you to pick a school based on general interest and how it feels to you in terms of size, location, and student population. Pick a nice liberal arts college and if you fall in love with a particular field during your freshman or sophomore years, get your grades up and transfer; transferring is generally easier anyway. There's nothing worse then going to a school for a specific program and finding within a semester that it's not for you.

Go somewhere where you know you will love the environment. If you take advantage of the opportunities at any college or university, you will be able to achieve your goals. College is what you make of it; the important thing is to be happy so you can learn and grow as a person. Don't let yourself be pressured into going somewhere because the academics are supposedly better, make the decision for yourself.

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Make sure you attend a University that you can afford. Academics are most important. On campus housing is important. Work study is important.

It is important to really experience college life at a school, even if you are there visiting for a night. Some students base their decisions on solely aesthetics rather than real personal experience. I think it is extremely valuable for perspective students to research their schools as intensely as possible and ask attending students at that parictular university/college for their personal exepriences. Tours glorify their schools and sometimes overexaggerate things to entice perspective students. However, you will really know what school is right for you when you do visit-it should be an instant feeling of comfort and warmth. When I first visited BU, I immediately felt a sense of comfort; I loved seeing students sitting out on the bu "beach." But, it was really during orientation when I met a girl who became my best friend and still to this day is my closest friend. College will be the greatest time of your life, and you will meet people who could change your life forever. Make every minute last, it goes by all too fast. Get involved, do things you would never nomrally do, find yourself. Make yourself apart of the school and leave your mark!

In my opinion, the best thing I did to find the right school was visiting the campus multiple times before and after applying, being accepted, and choosing which school I would attend. Often, I would ask students at the schools questions from a list I had made of what was important to me (they are not "selling the school"; they are often times the most honest people to ask the majority of questions). At orientation, go to all the presentations and opportunity/club desks and ask your tour guide all kinds of questions- don't be shy. It is important to keep in mind that you may not want to stay with your major. Picking a school with many options may be a good decision for most students; too many options, though, can be potentially detrimental. Try not to choose a school based on the sports teams' records; in the long run, they are not important. Lastly, know how much you are prepared or able to spend on your education (if your school of choice is far from home, plane/train/bus tickets can get expensive). Apply for as many scholarships as you can from outside your university. Good luck!

When it comes to choosing a college, it seems that there are so many things to think about. Do I like the city the college is based in? Am I OK with the number of students at that college? Do I like the weather? Am I prepared to be this far away from home? Although these are valid questions, one of the most important ways of choosing a college and making the most of that college experience is actually going to that college and listening to what your heart is telling you. If, for any reason, you do not feel comfortable there, then you should listen to your intuition; you must realize that although you've answered all the above questions correctly and it seems like there is nothing wrong with the school, that is not where you feel you should be. So take college trips, visit schools, and listen to what your heart and head are telling you. Chances are, they won't be wrong. After you've figured that out, making the most of your college life will be easy.

Although every parent wants their child to succeed and go to the best school possible, don't pressure your kids to go Ivy League if they have the grades. Make sure they are going to be somewhere where they feel comfortable and mesh with other students, are in a setting where they can enjoy their surroundings, and can take classes which they believe will set them on their path to happiness. It is THEIR college experience, not the parents, and they are the ones who are going to have to deal with it for four years. I know lots of kids who were forced by their parents to shoot for schools like Harvard because it was so prestigious...but the students hated it there because they felt pressured all the time and couldn't have a normal college experience. Even if the student goes somewhere that might not be as well known it is what they get out of their education, not the school they go to. If they go somewhere they hate, I guarantee you they'll walk away with nothing.

Do plenty of research. Visit the ones your interested in. apply to a variety of schools in terms of size, location, diversity. Try to talk to students beforehand. In college, you can re-invent yourself. Take advantage of everytrhing that interests you, and get involved. You dont realize how much free time you have until you graduate, so fill it up with stuff you like.

In order to find the right college you (the student) need to find where you fit best. Do not think about where people think is the place to be, or where you should be according to your parents. You really need to find where YOU fit. Not every school will match you, and that is o.k. Just be confident that no matter where you end up, college will not determine your life path. Everyone is in the same boat in regards to making friends so you really just have to put yourself out there. The college experience is really just a name, a period in your life where you get to branch out from what your normally do, try new things, and most importantly fall flat on your face- a lot. The only way you will move forward and firgure out what direction you want to go in is if you take risks and make mistakes, and college is the safest place in your life to do that. Take advantage of a time with the greatest opportunity to make the craziest career, social, and life plans and then change them! Change is what college is about.

Make sure that the college you are interested in attending is really worth the money. Try your best to apply for as many scholarships as possible.

Make sure that you know everything about the school. Make sure that your kids are going there not only for an academic education but also to build social relationships. The only time social relationships are built at B.U. is while drinking and doing drugs. You are either a library rat or you are a binge drinking druggie. There is no middle ground at Boston UNiversity.