Brett
You need a school that fits your beliefs and it foccused on what you want to acheive. Look for a school with a good student to faculty ratio. The faculty at these schools will be more orientated for the students to learn and you will get a better education.
Shannon
The greatest piece of advice I would share with students? searching for the right college is to not be afraid of a challenge. Attending college is difficult because it requires one to leave the comforts of home, take on a grueling schedule of classes and extra-curricular activities while attempting to maintain an acceptable social life. It appears scary so the temptation will be to choose a college that makes you feel good, comfortable and safe. Although those reasons sound appealing at first they are the mark of a college that will leave you disappointed, unfulfilled, lacking your full potential and to be quite honest-bored. Take into consideration what kind of person you want to be, what unique experiences you want to have, what exhilarating adventures you want to embark on and allow yourself to step out of your comfort, be challenged and discover exactly who it is you were created to be.
Megan
I believe the most important thing to remember when choosing a college is to follow your heart. Now, you have probably heard this advice often and might disregard it as being too emotional. However, I disagree. How can you fully enjoy your college experience if your heart is not in it? Your heart is the core of your body and your soul. It is the life in you. No choice for a college will be the right fit unless it matches your heart.
Find a college where you feel like you can be an active part: physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. Listen to your heart, for it knows who you are better than anyone else. Does the physical space make you comfortable? Can you see yourself walking around, attending class, and hanging out with your friends in this environment? Consider the college emotionally and socially, does it match who you are? Do you like the people? Consider the college spiritually, does it match your beliefs and values?
Choosing a college can be an over-whelming and scary experience. If you want to make the most of choosing your college and your college experience, remember one thing:
Follow your heart.
Tyler
When it comes to finding the right college you should visit multiple different kinds of colleges, whether it be a big college or small college, public college or private college. You should pick a school that you feel home in and that feels safe. Also you should pick a college that offers courses that you want to take and that has a good job placement rate. To make the most of your college experience you should find a balance that works for you between you academics and your social life. If you focus on one more than the other then you will feel that you are missing out on something. In your academics you should not try to overwork yourself by having a heavy class load it will only stress you out and make things worse. You need to have a work load that you feel comfortable with and feel you can manage. Making friends is probably one of the best things you can do because with good friends they will help you and support you. Friends are what make your college experience worth it because if just focused on academics and not having any friends you will regret it.
Dale
To get a good insight on the college that best fits you or your children, definately research it. The internet is available to everyone so why not use it to your advantage. Look up the colleges your interested in on the internet, go to their college website and do a little research about the college. Try to find out what students say about the college, either by surveys like this one or other means. The best view of the college you are going to get is from the students. You could either visit the college and talk to some students, or look it up on the internet to see if that college fits what you or your children want. The biggest thing you can do is research and look up the colleges you are interested in.
Alli
The most important part of finding the right college is finding a college in which you fit well. It is important to find a college with the kind of community that is friendly and encouraging and in which you can get involved. It is also important to visit with some of the professors in the major which you intend to study because they can give you crucial information about programs, requirements, and how to get involved with different organizations that correlate with your major. Finally, it is very important to talk with current students (and possibly alumni) who can give you information about how they see the college, what they like and dislike about the college, and can answer any other questions you may have.
Peter
You need to go and visit the college and stay in the dorms.
Joel
The most important thing that I would tell you parents in the college search process would be to visit several colleges. Once you have narrowed your choice down from the visits, have your student schedule a visit where they can stay with a student at the prospective college for a few days. I found from my visiting process how different colleges could be. This is not to say that one is necessarily better than another, it just means that you might fit in at one school better because of your background or the layout of the campus. My college was not the only one I visited. In fact, it was the fourth campus I looked at. The first three were all similar in size to Dordt but I just felt unsure about the campus layout and dorm policies. It took only one visit to Dordt College however for me to realize that it would be a perfect fit. The community was accepting and I was made to feel very welcome by the students and staff alike.
Visiting several colleges was the best thing I did during the entire process. I would recommend that you do the same.
Abby
The advice that I would give to parents and students about finding the right college and making the most of the college experience would be to find the place where you feel most comfortable. When making a decision about which college to attend, it is important to visit that college to see if you feel comfortable in that environment. When visiting a college you are also able to meet with many students and professors and are able to see if it would be the right fit for you. You want to find a place that will allow you to grow and achieve your full potential.
In making the most of your college experience it is important to become involved in various activities around campus. By joining a club or participating in intramurals you are able to meet more students and participate in activities that you enjoy. Also, never put off doing your homework. It is best to get it done right away and then go have fun with your friends. Doing this will take a lot of stress out of your life. And lastly, just have fun - college goes by way to fast so enjoy it while you are there!