Carnegie Mellon University Top Questions

The best school for you coiuld be one that gives you a good feeling the minute you step on it. But don't rely solely on feeling! Unbiasedly scrutinize that school as you would others. If something makes you uncomfortable, don't rule it out but keep looking. You might find a school you like more. Once you've found schools you like, visit some classes. If the professors and facilities are lackluster, you'll probably have trouble learning as much as you could. Don't go for the name/money. A name doesn't always mean anything. Many schools guarantee financial aid so pick one you like. This is precious time to explore new experiences. At school, join fun-looking clubs. Don't be afraid of ones you are unfamiliar with. You might discover something great and can always drop the club if you don't like it. If you need help with your schoolwork, don't be afraid to ask your professors or classmates (unless expressly prohibitied). If you want to learn more about something, research it at the library. The librarian might have some good suggestions. If you're overloaded, you should cut back on classes/clubs.

The most important thing is to decide, as a student, what you want out of your life. Don't go into college expecting to meander your way through. Find what you want, and strive to get it with everything you have. Parents need to let the student get a feel for the college without putting in their own opinions. What the parent and the student want could be, and often are, completely different. The other important thing to do is to go to the college. Take a few hours away from the tour, away from the information sessions, away from all of the school's propoganda. Wander the halls, get lost, and see the school as it really is. If it is the school for you, you will feel as though you had always been there, as though you were meant to be at the school. If, as you wander the halls, you feel distracted, concerned, cramped or simply uncomfortable, then leave and do not go back. Overall, you simply need to find out for yourself. Ratings, surveys, and books are all well and good, but you have to decide what is it that you want out of college.

Finding the right college is all about the student. Parents need to take their students to their desired universities to get a feel for the setting and the people there. The best colleges seem to be the ones with the highest diversity of programs offered to help entice different people to attend that school. To make the most out of any college experience is to get involved and remember that college is not just about learning in the classroom, but learning life lessons. By being involved in clubs and organizations, you enjoy your time in college, build friendships, and learn lessons far beyond academic learnings. By building good relationships, not just with friends but with professors, one can create a network that will be extremely valuable in the future. After all, networking is one key to success, and college provides an excellent opportunity to do just that. The connections you make with professors, students, business professionals, whoever, will prove to assist you and help you assist others throughout your own careers. Even the networking skills you obtain in learning HOW to network are great lessons to learn. My advice: have fun, meet people, make good impressions, be successful!

When thinking about choosing the right school, actually, physically, do sit down and make a pros and cons list. This may sound silly, or it may sound like something you can do fairly well in your head-- but sitting down and committing to paper the benefits and negative attributes of all the schools you are considering can potentially give you clarity about your choices in a way simply being "blinded" by the flash of the schools' websites and/or college tours-- their way of marketing-- will not. Think of the school's ability to give you a valuable education vis-a-vis the dollar value the school would be demanding of you. But most importantly, consider what you are really looking to do in college. Would your best fit be a place where you can focus on training for a specific field, or ripening as a person, a citizen of earth? Could the community around the college be an important aspect of your time on and off campus? Give the facts a chance by seeing them unfold in front of you in an actual list. And choose with both your head and your heart!

Visit the schools you are applying to before you decide, and make sure you pick the school that's right for you. Remember that college is a great time and you can have a lot of fun in these four years, but your schoolwork is the reason that you're here. Make sure you get your work done before you have fun.

Choosing a college is a though process. This is a time where being a bit thin-earred can pay off. Get advice from people around you and do your research. If you do that, a college that you may not have even thought about may pop up into your list of potential colleges. Also, don't limit yourself to only the "name-brand" schools. There are hundreds of universities throughout the country and perhaps a less known one may be the perfect fit for you. Once you get into college, try and meet as many new people as possible. Not only can those relationships bloom into full friendships that can last a lifetime, it can also expand you views and perceptions of the world around you. And it never hurt to have more friends.

Do all of your homework before deciding on a school and make sure that your heart is really into going to that scool.

Make the best decision for you...not pigeon hole yourself my applying to very specific schools or programs. College is the best time in your life to grow and find out who you are so take advantage of that opportunity and choose the institution that best suits your needs.

Take them to go see a couple schools and have them talk to students at those schools, freshmen and seniors. That way they can get a younger perspective, closer to their own, and an older perspective of someone who has been through 3 years.

Most students who go into college feel like they know what their career choices will be. However, a lot of times the workload in college makes them re-think their career choices/majors. Therefore when choosing a college, prospective students should choose a school that excels in the general area of study that interests them - such as business, humanities, science, etc. - so should they choose to change their major, they are still getting a great education in something that they are interested in. Its also important to remember that having balance is key to succeeding. Make sure that you are able to access things that you enjoy, such as sports, video game clubs, volunteer organizations, sororities/fraternities, etc. I think it is also important to get a sense of how comfortable you are on your campus. You will be there for four years and most likely away from home, so it is absolutely necessary to be yourself because if you have to conform to what others want you to be, you will find yourself very unhappy. If you feel that you satisfy these criteria at a school that fits your budget, its probably the right fit for you. Good Luck!