DePaul University Top Questions

Plan ahead and make sure you can afford the college.

Make sure you are picking the right school for you. Look at it academically and also socially when making that final decision. This will stick with you for the rest of your life and will determine how you spend your future. Make college the best experience ever!

The most important thing in finding the right college is to know what you are looking for and know the type of people you are going to be around.

One needs to explore as many options, so that they are able to choose a school that best suits them. Parents need to encourage their child to explore their options and evaluate whats important. Once they have chosen their top picks, students must find out as much information on the school as possible in order to see what the school is all about and to better identify things that they may want to pursue. Also, visiting and inquiring about the school regarding any questions they may have. Once they choose and attend, students must keep their minds open to new things and interact with others, becoming involved in their classes and school as a whole to make the best out of the experience. They must allow themselves to open up and build relationships as well so that they may last throughout their lives. In this manner they will have support and motivation.

My biggest piece of advice would be to make sure that you spend at least one year in the dorms. I wasn't able to and it has dramatically and adversely affected my experience at school. The dorms are where you first make all of your connections. It's where you meet your friends, got to parties, learn about different aspects of life, and where you can make some important networking relationships. Not being in the dorms has been the worst mistake of my college experience. I don't feel like I have grown as much as some of my friends at school who stayed in the dorms. I feel like I have missed out on one of the fundamentals of college. My other piece of advice would be to make sure that you get involved in at least one club or activity. It could mean the difference between the best and the worst four years of your life.

Go to community college first. Figure out what interests you really have, then go to a university.

Be honest with yourself. That is a characteristic that will serve you well through your entire life, and definitely will help you as you journey through your college experience. Do what you think is right, and by all means, do not try to do what you think other people want you to do - be it staying close to home, or attending the cheapest university. In almost all cases, trying to please others will leave you feeling disappointed in your decisions.

It's really important to at least have an idea about what you want to do with your life. It's easy to change majors, not colleges. Think about the area that the school is in too. In a large city, there are many options for social activities; in a farm town there aren't as many. Don't go to a college based on it's party reputation. If you plan to go to college to drink, save yourself a lot of money: buy some beer and stay at home. College is what you make of it.

Make sure that the students know what they want and dont' let their parents just tel them where to go. Everyone has a different perpective, a certain vision for college life, and you want to make sure you get the best education in your field while still doing what you want. And have an open mind.

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