Franklin College Top Questions

Mary, Senior year is hard because you are so ready to leave and you can start to see yourself pulling away from everything around you. Hang in there! College will be one of the best things that have ever happened to you. Before you go off, try to end every relationship on a good note. Your relationships with family and friends will change but you need to let them know they are still important. Get in the study mindset; college is hard work and in order to succeed make sure your priorities are straight. Know your beliefs and values so when you get to college you can figure out who you are and how you fit in. If your convictions are not strong, it will be easy for you to be swayed. Go in with a friendly and open attitude. Be ready to meet all sorts of people, you will find a group you click with but be open to everyone; the more friends the better. Let people know from the start who you are. Be real with people, you are starting fresh so you have nothing to lose. Get ready for the best time of your life.

Get involved with activities on campus. Have fun, but don't neglect the school work. Keep up with assignments as they are given, especially the big ones. Don't put the work off until the final due date.

If I was to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to be more involved. I am only a sophomore now, but I still don't have as many friends yet, but maybe that's part of it, but I would tell myself to go out of my boundaries and talk to people. Not necessarily join a sorority or a club, but go up to people and start chatting. They may not be the type of people that I would get along with, but at least I tried. So far, I'm doing pretty well with transitioning from high school to college. I was a little scared at first, last year, but it wasn't what I expected. It was even better. I wasn't overwhelmed with homework and tests and a lot of stuff being thrown at me I couldn't handle. That is what I expected, but that was not the case. This year, being a sophomore, I am doing a lot more work and I am starting to understand what the real world is going to be like. It's preparing me for the future.

Don't worry so much about the price or the location, make sure it's a good fit for you as a student. Parents, let your kids have some freedom to choose where they want to go, but also make sure they have the knowledge and experience before college to be able to choose the best one for them. Support them in anyway possible and make sure your kids know you love them! Students- have fun, enjoy making your decision and don't let it stress you out. You will find ways to fit in and make new friends, so don't worry about feeling lonely or out of place, but make sure you choose a school that will best fit with your personality!

enjoy the ride

Make sure you visit the campus and talk to students AND Alumni.

Parents and students need to work together to find a school that offers a quality education along with a strong support system, as going away to college takes a lot of adjusting. If a student-athlete is going to attend college, he/she should not choose the school soley on the athletic experience, as they may not end up participating in the sport for their entire 4 years. The student-athlete needs to choose an institution they will be happy at if athletics do not work out for them. The student should find a school that offers a variety of extra-curricular activities and clubs to help take their mind off the monatany of academics. With that said the student should also choose a school that offers assistance in the forms of tudors, mentors, study groups, and simply quiet places to study. The price of tuition should not be the main decision-maker for students and parents, as you cannot put a pricetag on your education and future.

Choose the college that feels right, not the college that you have known growing up or the one that all of your friends from high school are going to. You managed to make friends in high school, so you will be able to in college as well. Pick a school that offers things for you to do that you are interested such as a debate team, student congress, political clubs, etc. School work only takes up so much of your time and you will have to be able to fill empty space with what you want to do. If you pick a school that doesnt offer the things you want to do, then your empty space will make you hate it. Also, look at the people when you visit and see if most of them are good looking or ugly. You dont want to be attending a school where everyone there is ugly and you have nothing fun to look at!

For starters, a visit is a good idea, but it does not give you the whole picture. If the student knows a peer that goes to the school, it is best for them to spend a few days with them to get the "student" feel of the campus. Also, personal choice of a small school over a big one goes a long way. At a small school social life is huge and it is often easier to get to know many people quickly, but big schools also have a different vibe to them. They do not get as boring and there are always many more new people to meet.

As far as choosing the right college, parents need to support whatever decision their children make. The worse thing a parent can do is push their kid to go somewhere close to home simply because thats what they want or to go where they would prefer in general. Let the student decide, it works out better that way. As for the student chosing, be sure to go on actual visits to the colleges and I promise your decision will be easier. There is a feeling you get when you step on the right college campus. When you think about living there for the next 4 years you have no fear. You'll know the minute you walk onto the right campus for you, it simply feels like home. Lastly, don't hold back. Get involved in anything and everything. Don't be afriad to try new things and meet and hang out with all different types of people. These are the "best four years of your life"! Step outside of your comfort zone and take risks, they will pay off and it will make your experience so much more enjoyable. Above all remember to have fun :)