Melanie
Look for a school that fits your 'scene.' If you're social and have good means of balancing school and social life, try a bigger school; if you need a school with smaller classes and less social scene, try a smaller one. Choose one that represents you as a person and focus on a school that has a great program in what you're looking for. These are the best years of your life!
Antonia
I think all students should go to school away from home. Even if the school is 10 minutes away from their house, they should be living on campus. My mom told me this when I was applying to college and I never understood why until I came home and looked at all my friends who decided to continue living with their parents. After that first year away from home I had grown so much as a person. I had to manage my school work with my social life, as well as making sure my laundry got done and my finances were in order among many other things. Students who stay at home are not forced to become independant and although their lives are different they are still under their parent's care. As a senior now, still living away from home, I have become completely independant in every way except financially. My friends from home still feel as though they are in highschool. Another reason to go away is the culture that you will experience. Being in your home town will keep you sheltered from amazing things and people that you can't experience at home.
Margaret
You need to go with your gut and find the program that suits you best. I picked a school that was slightly out of my comfort zone because of location, but the program and the people I have met more than make up for the fact that I am 4 hours from home. Go for your program, major or whatever, but not because of friends. Go outside your comfort zone to grow
Courtney
Take you time to explore your options. If you can (as a student) do an overnight visit. Don't be afraid to ask ANY questions you might have and consider EVERY aspect of campus life and academic life. But, don't forget that you can transfer if things don't feel right. It's not a sign of failure to make the wrong choice on the first try. It's a big decision, but it's not the end of the world. If you need to go party for a couple years, do so and then transfer to a more serious school when you're ready to be serious about your studies. I know that's hard to hear for parents, but what you have to remember is that this is about more than classes. This is a serious formative period in life. Take your time, make it count, listen to yourself and feel it out.
Nick
Selecting the right college can be challenging and overwhelming, as we all know, but don't let it get you down because the possibilities are more than rewarding. First, use the many helpful online-based resources that make available at the click of a button the best colleges and universities for you to consider. Talk to other people about it and feel free to call the ones that seem best fit for your needs. Most importantly, I strongly encourage you to plan a trip to visit and tour the campuses and talk to as many current students as possible, asking lots of questions. See them in action. Most of all, work hard and prepare yourself for your own future. These steps led me to the best university and career I could have asked for.
My advice to new college students is a tricky one, but when I finally got it, it made all the difference: "don't take it too seriously." By all means, be serious about your studies and your future, but not too a negative end. Life is short. Enjoy the ride. Have fun. Make tons of new friends. Enjoy every day. Good luck!
Madeline
It is important when choosing a college to take advantage of free online databases that provide information about different colleges. Decide on college characteristics that are most important to you like areas of study, size, location, athletics, etc. Use them to narrow your search and visit/tour as many of those colleges as possible. Your experience at each college will help you decide which is best.
In order for a student to make the most of their college experience I believe they must take as few hours as possible so they can reduce stress levels, and allocate more time to studying and making better grades. If the college requires 12 hours of classes to be considered a full time student, then it is good to take between 12-14. In order to keep that number down, students must complete as many APs as they can in high school, even in subjects they do not feel are applicable to them because colleges require students to have a large variety of classes, and it is surprising how much random AP classes can help. Taking fewer elementary classes frees up a lot of time and money and makes student life significantly more comfortable.
Georgia
Make a list of your top schools and research them online. Apply early. Take college placement exams early and ahead of applying. Go on campus visits and college tours. Even if you have not made a decision about a career, try to narrow down your choices. You can start college as an undeclared major, but it's good to have an idea to get started on major requirements. Also, apply for tons of scholarships, even ones you think you won't get. Submit a FAFSA online as well to see if you are eligible for financial aid. Ask questions of admissions officers and academic advisors. When you start college, don't be shy to make friends. Join clubs and other organizations, but it shold not come before academics. Be active on your campus and give back to the community. Volunteer often. Study, study, study. Build close professional relationships with your professors. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Form and participate in study groups. Apply for internships and part time jobs within your chosen field. Volunteer within your field as well. Network within you socail groups. Be an active alumnus! Love your school. Keep in touch with loved ones.
Amanda
Pick the campus that you fell in love with because it will be worth it, because you will spend 4 years of your life there....
Whitney
My advice is to think not only about the prestige of the school, but also whether they provide an enviroment that when your not studying is you still feel at "home", because forthe next four years or more it is home. If you need a more culturally diverse town that provides constant events and entertainment like than a big city college is probably more for you, but if your not into concerts, musicals, plays and world class dining, that kind of metropolitian living, then a small town is probably more your style, and theirs always gonna be a school that a happy median between theses two. The best advice I can give is to visit that school so you get the feel, and see if it meshes well with you.
Ricky
To Parents: The only advice I can give to you is to always encourage your children to follow their dreams no matter how silly you may think they are because an elbow of support is one step closer to their success.
To Students: The only advice I can give to you is to always follow your heart and shoot for the stars because there is no dream to big or no star out of reach. Do what makes you happy because you are the only one who has to live with your decisions. Make the most of your college experience and pick a college that best suits your needs because once you graduate you are in the real world where it is a lot harder to recover from mistakes and change is risky. So, I leave you with this, in college: make mistakes, change your mind, dance all night, take a music lesson, volunteer at a homeless shelter, tailgate at homecoming, make many friends, and call your Mama or Dad everyday because life is short and I do not want any of you to live with regrets. In other words, just remember to have fun, dream big, and study hard.