Gordon College Top Questions

follow your heart!

Visit the campus and search for unbiased views on the college.

Don't pick a school based on where your friends are going. If you had a million dollars (didn't have to work), what would you do? Find something that has to do with that. If you would just play music all day, find a good music program. If you would just talk about politics or religion, find a school with a good politics major or theology department.

Don't just assume that you like or dislike a college from a brochure of from your friends. Go visit them. I would suggest lots of college visits, and not to be afraid of going away from your friends and family. This is a time to find yourself, so look for the place that is right for you. Even if you are "sure" you want to go to one specific college, check out a few more. That way when you end up at that college, you can positively say that it was for you, and not just think so.

wherever you choose to go, really choose to invest yourself there. if you find that the school you choose is not a good fit, don't be afraid to transfer. make the most of opportunities to meet different kinds of people and study abroad or with internships. invest yourself in your classes, teach yourself how to think. i came into college with a lot of answers and i will be graduating this spring with a lot more questions... i consider this a sign of real learning. college equips you to think creatively about people and problems in the world, and not to jump to conclusions. this leads to a new level of understanding and effectiveness within the community. don't be afraid to play in ambiguity, it's amazing what you can find there. more than anything, college is a great chance to take time to learn yourself before the world tacks on added responsibilities (this has been a hard lesson for me to learn being so close to my family and being the oldest child). learn yourself and be comfortable with allowing yourself to grow change. learn what you love, and pursue it wholeheartedly... it's a great gift.

Find a school that you feel comfortable at. As the economy is struggling, it might seem that finding the cheapest school is the best one, but don't sacrifice a good education or being somewhere that you really want to be for the cost. Attending a more expensive school is definitely worth it. You may have to work a little bit harder, or find yourself at a job everyday after class, but its worth the extra step.

Imagine this: getting accepted to three colleges, deciding to attend one you did not visit, arriving for Orientation, and hating the college. This is what could have happened to my sister. The main thing my family learned when searching for colleges was to visit a school before you decided to go to it. My sister fell in love with a college she had explored online. She was so glad she decided to visit it because she absolutely hated it. That's the problem with colleges: they can be so right for some people and so wrong for others. For example, I love the college I attend, but it is completely wrong for my brother. That connects to my advice for making the most of the college experience. The most important aspect is to do something you love. Find the major and extracurricular activities that will make you happy. It no longer matters so much if your parents want you to major in one thing or another, or if they want you to do this particular sport. Do something that will make you happy because you are the only one to blame for unhappiness later in life.

Pray and ask God to see if the College/Univerisity you choose is the right one. You will know when you step on campus if it is or not. The right college may not be the easiest, but if you stick with it, then something big will come out of it (nice job, a partner, a friendship or whatever else). To make the most out of your experience is to just go out and get involved. Get involved in volunteering, extracaricular activities, the things that are going on at your campus and make friends. Don't be afraid to go out and make friends. If they can't accept you for you, then they won't be good friends and you won't need them. Just be you and let others be them and learn from each other. Don't change for anyone and don't let anyone else change either (unless it is for the better) because people are people and we need each other to live.

PIck a college where the social atmoshpere

My biggest regret about college was choosing such an expensive one before I really knew what I wanted to study. I left school in debt of over $100,000 to lenders (both private and federal). Its tough as a high school kid to not go to one of those "fancy names" and stay at a local college until you figure out what you want to do- but I really wish I had. Once you know what you want to study, find your school then- it saves big bucks (example: 2 years at a state/community school = less than one at most others) Its just a status thing with the name and in the future, no one really cares- a degree is a degree.