Fordham University Top Questions

Consider the financial burden before the academic prestige;of a University. Indebtedness, is not conducive to benefit, as those who attend a "lesser grade University" will inevitably be the same individual's who enter similar professions.Then, the only difference will be the amount of take home pay between employees;co-worker A will be pay-off student loans,while co-worker B deposits pay into an interest bearing account.

It is not just about the schools ranking. Pick a school with the atmosphere that best suits your personality. A complete college experience incorperates academics as well as a social scene.

Get involved. Talk to kids who go to the school.

As a young man or women you may not know what you truly want to do with your life or where you want to attend college; however, there are a few points that should influence your decision. Finding the right college has alot to do with the intensity of the learning environment. If you are a very ambitious person and you love competition then you should select a school that is known for its competitive students and accelerated curriculum. Another factor that weighs heavily in deciding the proper school for you is its proximity to your home and/or your work place of interest. This is a very delicate balance for many students. Some students enjoy being close to home and some enjoy being far away from home and coming home minimally. Many business students tend to want to go to school by a large city so that they can get internship experience in a large corporation or partnership. These two factors should be at the forefront of your decision making process as a senior in high school while your looking and different university's opportunities.

Parents should accompany their children to campus visits, give meaningful advice, share stories about their college experiences, and help with the application processes. The students should research the colleges and apply for ones that seem right for them. The biggest mistake that a person can make is to attend a college ONLY because it has a prostigious reputation. All factors should be considered: available financial aid, majors and minors that are offered, the campus enviromnent, class sizes, study-abroad options, and dorm situations. I have learned that in order to make the most out of the college experience, the student should try to be social, join clubs, attend campus events, and join study groups. Having a strong social circle means that the student has a reliable source of support. Also, internships are beneficial; they bulk up a resume andare an opportunity for career experience and fostering of business contacts. Balancing work and free time is important; academics ALWAYS come first and should not be sacrificed for an outing with friends. Most importantly, NEVER hesitate to meet with professors for extra help. This shows that you have initiative and a desire to learn the material; professors are always impressed by that.

I would say make a list of what you want in a college and then weight which aspects mean the most to you(i.e. your field of study, closeness to home, size of college, etc.) and then rate each college baswed on each of these merits with the aspects with most weight obviously being worth more. Finally add it all up and see which college best fits your standards and noone elses. I believe this is how you'll find the best college for you.

I would just say visit every college you are interested in and speak to the students. Before you visit make sure you outline what is most important to you in terms of diversity, resources, networking, etc.

In addition to reading all the literature, you should visit each college for a full day during the week. After you have narrowed down your choices, you should check into a program which aloows you to stay overnight with a student. Make sure to talk to students randomly, go to a class or two and eat in the cafeteria. Take a complete tour of the campus with your host student. Try to meet with Financial Aid during this visit. Find out as much as you can however you can in order to make an educated decision.

The notion of finding the best school that will accept you is ill-conceived; the trick is to find a school that fits you, not the other way around. Throughout the process of applying to colleges so many numbers will be thrown in your direction: student-teacher ratios, squarefootage of athletic facilities, GPAs/ SATs/ ACTs, tuition, financial aid? However, the final choice should not be based solely on "US News and World Report" rankings. On the contrary, a potential school may look great in Kaplan's "Unofficial, Unbiased Insider's Guide to the 320 Most Interesting Colleges," but seem very different once you arrive for a campus visit. Earning a degree is an investment of your time and money ?a huge investment. Many students will spend four years and $100,000 on tuition alone to earn a degree. No investment banker or stockbroker, no matter the size of the accounts they manage, would make an investment of $100,000 without some serious research. Likewise, you must spend a significant amount of time researching your decision. So, do some serious research and visit your potential schools. And, hopefully, you will be able to successfully find a school that matches your personality.

It is important to for high school seniors to know what kind of environment they want to be in. For example, it is important to know whether they want to be in the city, or on a campus in a more rural area. It is also important to look into what kind of majors the school offers and see if that is what they are interested in studying. I think the most important thing is how comfortable one feels on the campus and in the classroom, and that will determine whether or not the school is a perfect fit.