Miami University-Oxford Top Questions

Look for one that feels right, when you walk onto the campus it should feel like home.

The most important criteria for choosing a college is finding one that suits the personality of the person that will be attending. Make sure that you visit several different types of colleges and see waht the atmosphere and students are like. You also need to make sure that you go to a school that emphasizes academics as much as you want them to be. See what colleges will accept you, some people are surprised at the quality of school that they can get into. No matter what decision you make, I feel that there are people on that campus that can you can become friends for life with. To make the most of college while you are there it is important to try and be social and get to know people so that you will have a good time. However, do not lose sight of why you are there, which should be to get a quality education that will help you for the rest of your life. The education that most people think about is in academics, but you will also learn many life lessons that you will take with you and be a better person because of them.

Make sure to spend more than just one day on campus to get a real feel for how the students are and what activities go on.

Look at many different kinds of schools to find out what makes you feel the most welcome and comfortable. Make a list of what is important to you, and rank your schools based on those things. Never be afraid to ask questions- ask a lot of questions. These years are some of the best and most challenging of your life- they should be worth it!

Take your time, get to know people on and around the campus. Know what you want out of a school. If you are a very social person and there isn't much to do around the school, you probably won't like it. Don't jump to a decision because it is late.

When looking for the right college besides the setting and education the atmosphere is also very important. One way to look at this is by the diversity which can be found posted on college surveys if not opening disclosed by a school. Another way is to look at the people on campus and talk to students there. Also their organizations. For instance a school where everyone dresses alike, acts alike, and say has a large amount of anorexic people studying there may not be everyone's first choice. Of course the ultimate goal is getting a job after your time there so knowing what services a school offers to help you find one and advice given on how to obtain them is good. Also how well respected that school is by the industry you're planning on going into helps. Also in our globalizing world a school that has abundant study abroad opportunities available is always a jewel!

No matter what school you choose, your education is less about the appearance of the campus, and more about how motivated you are as a student to make it worthwhile. It is important to remember that as students we are customers. It would be unacceptable to be served spoiled food at a restaurant, just as it would be unacceptable to receive a lukewarm education. If at all possible, leave your campus and enter the surrounding community. This one sounds easy, but it is easy to get caught up in campus activities and academics. By volunteering at a homeless shelter that was 1hour away from my campus, I was able to get a weekly dose of reality. Once you start volunteering regularly, your professors and classmates alike start to notice... and they will be interested, and sometimes join you. My personal volunteer work lead me to write my senior thesis on Service-Learning, because I came to the realization that I was learning more from the people I met while serving in the community... than from my peers or professors.

Work before play, but don't forget to enjoy your time here. Go somewhere you love for all of the right reasons, academics and the environment, don't make any sacrifices when choosing where to go to school, somewhere there's a campus just right for you. Be open to new things when you arrive, at least give everything a shot once, it's a time to learn and mature, so come out of your shell, meet as many people as you possibly can, do what sounds fun, take care of all your schoolwork, pick a major that will keep you happy and secure, and don't look back.

The advice I would give parents and or students is make sure you pick the right for the student. Go and visit schools make sure the school has what you are looking for in academics and socially. Please do not pick a college blindly it will be bad for the student they won't like and the parents because the parents will be wasting money. So make sure its a school that parents and student can agree on. Happy hunting!