Boston University Top Questions

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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.