Carnegie Mellon University Top Questions

Go to many schools and spend more than a few days at each if possible.

Definitely visit the colleges and talk to professors. You'll find that they usually know the type of students that go to the school you're looking at.

Unless you're absolutely sure about what you're future holds, find a school which offers a variety of academic and career opportunities. Digging yourself into a school with no diversity in learning severly limits your growth potential and the potential to find what you really would like to do.

When selecting a college, students are always bombarded with a ton of information from counselors, family, and friends. They are fed Princeton Review after Princeton Review, US News Ranking after US News Ranking, and this makes the process seem intimidating, so hard. The college process shouldn't be hard, because it's not hard - everyone just makes a big deal out of it, and what ends up happening is that students think too hard about their decision. Choosing a college is simple - go to the one you want to. As a college student now, I look back regreting how I chose a college based on a pro-and-con list and rankings, instead of going to one I felt happier in, that my gut wanted me to go to. When you start dealing with numbers, you lose the emotion and spiritual experience that the college process should be about. I remember completely counting out the looks of the physical campus thinking that I wouldn't care what the campus would look like, but those things do affect you. So, visit a lot of colleges before you apply, find yourself, your spirit and your college. It's just school you know?

dont spend too much money

When thinking about college, make sure you do LOTS of research. When I was a junior and senior in high school, I didn't really think about it that much and ended up at a school that is definitely not right for me. Make sure you find schools that are in areas that you would want to live in. If you love warm weather, it probably won't be a good idea to apply to schools that are up north. If you love city life, don't go to somewhere in the middle of nowhere (although that's a lot better than you might think unless you REALLY love cities). Try to find schools that not only have good programs for what you would like to study but also give you the opportunity to have fun. If you're into sports, apply to schools that have a lot of school spirit and that actually care about their sports. Definitely make sure you visit schools that you're interested in. Every school has its advantages and disadvantages; you just need to do enough research to know which schools are right for YOU.

The college decision process is definitley a very tricky stage in a seniors life. The major problem that arises is the inability for prospective students to accurately "feel out" the school in their short visit there. Even if a student and their parents visits a school campus, it is still quite the challenge to understand how exactly you will fit in there. My advice to students would be to pick a school based mostly on the school's academic rigor. In the end this is what you as parents and a student are paying for. As long as the school is sufficiently large, you will find a niche where you truly feel welcome if you are willing to spend the time meeting people. Most schools will offer enough extra-curriculur and sports programs to make sure anyone has enough to do outside of class for people with any kinds of interests. Everyone's main reason for paying for higher level education is to receive a level of academic instruction impossible to achieve at the secondary school level. My advice is to choose the school that fits you best academically and everything else will fall into place once you get there.

Look around when you visit to see if there are smiling faces.

Find the college that fits your interest of study, social activities, and personality. It really matters.

First of all, know what you want in a university. The university that you choose will determine if you make the most out of your college expirences. I wanted a high powered engineering school, and that narrowed down my focus very quickly. Other factors to consider are the size of the campus, if it's urban or rural, and whether it has the sort of atmosphere that you want. I love the geeky atmosphere at my school, and the large amount of opertunities offered by a medium sized campus. Once you're there, figure out your priorities. At my school, you don't have to try and make school a priority, the high pressure atmosphere makes it be one. People here have to work to make their social lives a priority, otherwise they live in computer clusters and labs and don't enjoy college. At other schools, it can be the opposite, and you have to work to make sure you stay on top of school. Either way, make sure you are making time for the things that are important to you, and that you know what you can give up in order to keep them on top.