Illinois Institute of Technology Top Questions

When I began looking at colleges, my parents bought me a book of all the schools for my major. I had already set my mind on looking at several schools, but as I looked through the book, one more school caught my eye. I visited the schools and realized the one I liked the most was the one I found by accident in that book: the Illinois Institute of Technology. I did not even fully apply to any of the schools I thought I would attend. My advice for parents and students looking at colleges is this: do as much research on college with your major as possible. You never know what you might find out, and you might realize, as I did, that the school you least expect will make the best experience of your life! And when it comes to making the most of your college experience, I have two words: GET INVOLVED! Seize every opportunity you can get your hands on, and participate in on campus activities. You will be so happy if you do!

When it comes to finding the right place to continue your education to a higher level, it is important to have an idea of what you would want to do in your life. Choose a college/university that caters to your desired study or interests. More than anything remember the importance of college. Though you will be having a good time, the most important thing is to remember that you are attending for the sake of your education and future.

Visit the campus before you make your decision.

Apply to as many college as you can because you can always barter with colleges about scholarships, a school will give you more money if they think you are going to go somewhere else, also it is not a bad idea to go to a community college and then transfer in. I know IIT has a $10000 transfer scholarship. Be sure to balance your load and don't get caught up in the worng seen. Make sure what you are majoring in is relevant to what you want to do in life and if all else fails do business. Join a sport or group of greek life or something because it is nice to belong to something. Apply for lots of scholarships even if you dont think youre going to get them or they are small a little bit helps and start when you are a Junior in high school because time passes way to fast.

Take the time to figure out what you want to do in life prior to making the decision of where to go to school. If you enjoy the material or are interested in it, the studies and work will be less stressful and more enjoyable. I like attending a small school in a big city - that way the classes are small enough that you're comfortable asking questions, and also have a large city to meet people since a small school usually has little social events going on. good luck everyone.

Do as much research as possible about any schools you are interested it, if in doubt apply!! then once you have your exceptance letters compare financial aid offered, with school visits(never enroll in a school you have never visited!!!) and talk it over with family and friends. once you have found the school for you, get out there!!! attend orientation events(no matter how lame you think they are) , you will make some really good friends there and learn all about your new school. join clubs and socialize with your peers, once the first week is over you will need thoes new friendships to make it through the year ahead! the goal is to never look back and wish you had joined that club, or attended that class, this is your time to grow into person you will become, and enjoy it!

I would tell parents not to worry, but to still ask questions. Also, parents really can trust that their student has an idea what he wants in a school and often, what he wants to study. The student certainly knows his interests better than the parent! For the student, my biggest advice is to get involved and learn the good things about your school. There are always unique and exciting things at and about a school, you just have to find it. By getting involved, you will get more out of your college experience, and you can still do just as well (or better) in your classes. You'll also develop life-long friendships and helpful networking connections that will serve you well when you reach the "real world" and are looking for the best job or someone with certain knowledge to work with you when your specialties are not the only ones required. Also, use resources provided by your school, whether that is free tutoring for a class you are struggling in or career fairs, a career center, and/or an alumni network for finding a summer internship or post-graduation job.

Do more than contemplate where you want to go in life. Hit the books, talk to your neighbors, friends' parents, whoever it might be that works somewhere you're interested in. If you want to go into engineering or science, read up on the basic fields to get a feel for what they are and the importance of each. For some, it seems best to pick a college where you'll have plenty of friends from high school to help ease you into this new environment. For others, high school seems better forgotten completely. All in all, it's probably better to just leave this problem out of the selection process. College is great either way. Many who have gone either way have had wondeful college experiences. Those who go to a school where everyone is a new face will find new friends immediately if they so desire. It's simply a natural response to a new environment. If it seems intimidating, step back and take a breather. Very often, the people you meet in the first two weeks of college can become your best friends for the rest of your life.

To find the perfect school for yourself or for your son or daughter, figure out what setting you are most comfortable in. Decide what has the opportunities you'd like to have and make a decision from there. It is so important to visit the school and talk to people who aren't just admissions representatives. Also, no matter where you go, college is what you make of it. There are plenty of people on a college campus and it isn't hard to join or even create a group or club that pertains to your interests.

Choose a school by its extra-curricular activities. Anyone can apply themselves to a subject and master it, but the true difficulty in doing that is in how much of your old habits you're forced to give up. You can't go out drinking every night and expect to master brain surgery, but on the other hand, earning your Ph.D won't make you happy if you are forced to give up those hobbies that you truly love to do so. Watch the students on campus and see how they direct their free energy. If they spend every night partying, they probably aren't being engaged by their courses, but if they are totally devoted to their coursework, they are losing sight of the bigger picture. Intelligent leisure, like hobby robotics or any kind of art, that students devote themselves to as much as to their school work is a sure sign that that college is doing something very right.