Lebanon Valley College Top Questions

Visit visit visit! It is absolutely necessary to look at all different types of schools and spend time there to get a feel for the campus and decide where you want to spend the next four years of your life. Once you make the difficult decision, you need to put yourself out there. Get involved! Do the things you enjoy. Yes, your classes are important but they don't define you. College is a life changing adventure. Don't get too caught up in your studies and miss out other things. College is about finding yourself. It's not the students with the best grades who succeed. It is the students who figure out who they are and what they want in order to accomplish their goals.

It's not about the campus scenery, the amount of activities the college has for students, or the number of world-famous professors. It's about the people. If you want to make the most of your college experience, go somewhere where the people are kind and willing to answer your questions. A college can have a world-renowned academic program, but if the people are horrible, you will be miserable, and in the long run, not learn as much as you could have.

I would suggest that the students visit the college. Reading about it or seeing it on a brochure is not the same as actually visiting the campus and experiencing it for yourself. It's also important to see the community around the campus and to determine whether or not this is where you want to spend a major part of your life. Knowing the size school you would prefer and whether it offers programs and majors that you are interested in is beneficila in determining where you will go.

When applying to colleges, I found that it was very helpful to go visit the campuses. Before coming to Lebanon Valley College for a tour, I was convinced that I wanted to go to a different college. However, as soon as I visited some of the classes at LVC and had a chance to experience the environment that it had to offer, I knew this was where I wanted to go. My other advise would be to make sure that college is what you really want to do. Do not decided to attend college because all of your friends are going to college. College can be a great investment if you come to college to excel in your profesional field.

College is a crucial point in a student?s life ? it?s when you figure out who you are and who you want to be. Choosing the right school means finding a place that will help you in this process both in and out of the classroom. Find a school that offers academic programs and extracurricular activities that you are already interested in as well as ones that you think you might want to try. Get involved and experience new things ? you might discover a new passion. College gives you the opportunity to reinvent yourself. No one there will know who you were in high school, so it?s the perfect chance to become friendlier, more outgoing, more studious, or whatever else you have always wanted to be. Get out and meet people. The friends you meet in college play a huge role in your life. They will be the people you live with, eat with, and spend most of your time with. It might take a few weeks to find that group of people, but if you make an effort it will happen!

Visit the college before commiting to the one. My visit to this campus allowed me to make the choice to go this college.

be prepared to do worse than in high school

It is important that you look for an institution that is going to fulfill your needs physically, educationally and socially. When searching for potential colleges, you cannot simply look at one of these three areas; you should look for a school where you feel comfortable in all three. Parents will likely view the academic quality of potential schools as most important. If a student has an idea of what field they want to enter or what they want to major in, does the potential school have that program and if so, what is the quality of the program? Does the school help get their graduates jobs after college? For athletes, if you think you are going to play a sport, will you still be happy at the school if you suffer an injury that ends your career? Being comfortable socially is paramount for the student, if they do not feel comfortable, they likely will not succeed. Do you see yourself fitting in with the current student population? Does this school give you feelings of warmth and compassion for one another, or are people simply looking out for themselves? These are some of the key issues when beginning the college search.

This is it, folks, the time of your life! The most important thing students and parents can do to make the best college selection is to visit, visit, visit. Getting a feel for how parents and students see themselves as a part of the community they've just entered will tell you more than any figures about demographics, financial aid, job rates or awards the school has won. Be your own judge, and use your gut. Sitting in on a class with current students gives you the idea of course load, student participation, class sizes, professor interaction, student dynamics and much more. These guides will help you make the right choice for you. However, once mom and dad leave for good it is up to YOU, the student to make the most of your college career. Get involved! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to do things you've never done before. DON'T Stay in your room. There are so many people and experiences that are waiting to meet you. But most importantly, be true to yourself. Use the college experience to add and evolve the person you are inside. Work hard and own what you do.

Make sure you visit the campus before you make your decision! Meet with some students and get a well-rounded opinion of where you'll be spending at least 4 years of your life, (and a lot of money!) Then, once you've found your match, get out and meet people! Cliques are for high school, don't hesitate to make new friends of all "shapes and sizes". It's the last step before the real world, make the most of it!