Hollins University Top Questions

If you know what you want to do, for sure, then pick a school that has a GREAT program for that and more so that you can explore. You really dont know what you have to offer to the world until you try new things. Talk to the college seniors to see what they've gone through and ask about their college experience. Take classes outside your major and DO NOT take more than 18 credit hours. You need to enjoy yourself as well as study, so make sure to involve yourself in something that you can really have fun with. Start planning to go abroad when you are a freshman and talk to your advisor often. They help you plan out all of your classes and talk you through some of your hardest choices. Its good to check in with your professor often. Lastly, set aside time for things that are close to your heart, like family. Take every day one step at a time. It's cheezy, but you will get through all of the applications and confusion and you will be sitting in a college dorm wondering where the time went soon enough.

I would tell myself to look very,very deep before you leap into this monster called college. I would tell myself to ask more questions about my financial aid package, find out about the other parts of the city that the school does not tell you about, and ask why there are not any minorities on the school brochure, but they were all here for your campus visit. I would tell myself that although parties and big events is not your reason for picking a school, it would be nice that you ask the students what they really do for fun because the brochure may be lying to you. Also, find out what your is your mom's plan for helping you. Do you know if she wants you to move away? Can she handle helping you with finances if this school won't give you as much aid as they promised? What if your mom becomes sick, then who do you depend on? The hard times will come sophomore year. Learn to understand that people constantly lying to you is a part of life. Determine what is right for you in every situation; you'll be happier that way.

I can hardly think of anything I would tell myself other than to not fear. I remember being afraid when I first went away to college because I was going to school where I would not know anyone. There is no one from my high school here and very few people from the city I'm from. The thought of being so alone in a strange place like that was terrifying. But coming here, arriving and meeting the Deans and the faculty served to ease my fear. I made wonderful friends and everyone is nice as can be. There was no need to be afraid.

I would've told myself not to worry so much about the future. In high school, I never gave myself enough credit for the potential I had, which I wasn't able to see until college. I'd also tell myself to dive right into freshman year at college instead of hesitating. Lastly, I would want to tell myself to be excited because college holds the key to success, my spirit, and happiness!

There is so much to consider. Please look at every aspect of the school and plan visits. Things like social life, professors, dorms, cost, and food quality are very important and can effect whether you will enjoy attending a school.

When it comes to finding the right college, try to visit the campus and get a feel of the student body. If the school lets you stay the night, or take a class, do it! The only way to know if you'll like a school is to actually spend a day or so on the campus as if you already living there. The only person who can make your experience is you. If you're having a hard time, see a counselor. If you want to make friends, join a club. If you're having a hard time with homework, talk to your professor. The school gives you all the tools you need to have a great experience, you just have to use them.

?Start early.? ?Search Well.? ?Be cautious.? ?Be sure.? This is the advice that they?ve told you before. To this I will add, ?Remember to smile!? This stressful search will one day be worthwhile. Remember what college is supposed to mean. It?s not about parties or sports or caffeine. Will your brain hurt after class? Will you like how it feels? Will you blindly follow someone else?s ideals? Will you aim for the stars? Will you go even higher? Will your peers understand or laugh at your desire? Will your school support dreams as big as your heart? Will it put more value on being driven or smart? Will it ask you to think or recite what you know? Will you find where you are, or be told where to go? Decide what you need, and don?t settle for less. Even when the searching brings you distress, keep your eyes set on that day in September, when you look back on all this and only remember the stars on that first night and how brightly they shone when you walked onto campus and said, ?Now I?m home.?

Visit the campus and talk with teachers and students as well as attend a reading or lecture from a visiting professor or someone else. The student should know what he or she is looking for as well, including the social life they want to have, their major, and financial situation.

I would advise that parents let their children choose which college they want to go to. I've met plenty of people who are at certain colleges only because their parents made them go and they hated it. You don't get much out of your education at a college that you don't like.

Make sure you visit the college first before officially atteding to make sure that it is the right school for you.

Make sure you compare the financial aid offices, research the school and its professors, off-campus activites, public transportation, and the food. It's said that when students go to college, they gain the "Freshman 15" but sometimes they are actually losing weight!!!!!

Do your best to get where you really want to be, even if the financial situation is tough. Make sure you choose an environment that you will be comfortable getting involved in and you'll be able to succeed in both sociallay and academically. Find a place you can call your home.

To parents I would say let your child live their own life when it comes time to pick a college. It's hard, I know, but in the end, they will appreciate their success more if it's their own success. And your kids probably won't call every day. Or every other day. But that doesn't mean they don't love you. They're still your baby, but they are just trying to start their own lives now, just like you did not to long ago. To students, be careful. Don't get sucked into picking a college because all your friends are going there. Think about what you like and then look for a college that fits you. Take this time to be selfish and look for something that's going to make you happy. And college is hard. Very hard. It's so much easier to play on facebook and fill our surveys than doing that paper, but that paper is going to help you get to where you need to be in life, so do it. And don't complain. A lot of kids don't get the choice of college.

Choose an enviroment where you will be able to be yourself creatively and mentally fullfilling. Most people only have one chance to attend a university. Make it count.

Look at as many schools as you can, including places you never thought you'd be interested. When I started my college search there were no women's colleges on the list- in the end, I had to choose between two! And I love it! Don't discount schools that seem out of the ordinary or "not your type". You might be surprised by just what your "type" actually is.

VISIT! This is the number one important thing to do. I can't count on my hand how many people who have transfered because they did not like the location of the school. Make sure that you visit, get to know the area, and get a good feel for what it's going to be like when you move in. If you're in the right place, you'll know. It'll feel right.

Don't be afraid to let your children take our private loans. Do the reasearch, but it's their education. If they really want to go somewhere let them pay for it while you pay the interest or even some of the loan! I know too many people who left Hollins because of the fear of taking our private loans, but don't let money keep you away from your dreams!

To find the right college, one shouldn't think to forget an application because the college seems too expensive or too far away. There is only one chance to have a great college experience and it is totally dependent on the attitude the student enters with. If she starts school thinking that she wishes she had applied somewhere else, she will be less likely to succeed. Also, that disregarded application could be to the college that becomes the one that changes her life. She should go to the one that makes her feel like she's always meant to be there. However, difficult first years are common and if she starts having a hard first year, don't give up and decide it was a bad match. If she chooses the right school, it might take some time for it to choose her back. But it will.

Visit multiple times, talk to different types of students, and investigate finanicial aid options.

Have lots of options, do your research, make the best of your environment, be confident in who you are and don't look for others to validate you on or off campus.