Northland College Top Questions

After taking classes that I didn't know would interest me, spending a semester in Iceland studying sustainability and learning more about local agriculture than I thought I wanted to know, I'm a changed person (for the better!). I've built great relationships with my professors, who want to see me succeed, and everlasting friendships. The education is totally unique to Northland and helps students connect to the region. If I could afford it , I would spend the rest of my life as a student at Northland College!

I've personally learned that procrastinating is one thing you do not want to do at a college. They teach me that and they also taught me that you can't always just worry about yourself. What we do now will affect the future for our sons and daughters. If we destroy our resources now what will our family have to hope for? Nothing there will be nothing left if things don't change. I personally didn't care about the earth before I came here but they had made me realize that things need to change.

My college experience has truly been impossible to describe. It has changed me and I am extremely glad that I chose Northland College for the last two years of my life. Of course I have learned a lot academically, after all it is college, but my most valuable experiences have been outside of the classroom. The small size of Northland has helped me feel like I can create new things and ideas on campus. In a larger school you may get overlooked, but here I have been able to help form a new themehouse, and I can have my ideas heard by the teachers and campus as a whole. In addition, many of our classes recognize the beauty of the area we are in, right on the shores of Lake Superior, and they integrate this natural world into the classroom as much as possible. This cements my reason for choosing this campus in the first place. I love nature, and want to protect our environment, and I chose a school with many other people who share those idelas. I don't believe that any other school could integrate this love into everything else they do.

Knowing what I know now about college life, I would tell myself that I needed to learn more about time management and practice it before leaving for school. College has a wide variety of activities, clubs, sports and other extracurriculars for students participate in. Students meet many new people and make lasting connections with them, going to get togethers or just hang out in a dorm room. But, in between all that time, there has to be time made for classes and homework. Meeting new people, making friends, and having fun is a great thing to do in college, but only when there is time for it. It can distract many from their studies and make cause for falling behind. So, all high school seniors, in my opinion, should learn more about time management so they can have time for fun, friends, and school. I know now , after my first semester, that homework is demanding and does take quality time to complete for good grades. I am now managing my time better by doing homework in between classes and then finishing in the evening so at night I have time for a little leisure!

If you're going to go pay to go to school, you may as well go to a school that you really feel passionate about. If you focus on how much money you are spending, you lose sight of your education and your dream. But, if you realize that money comes secondary to your passions, then you can get the most out of your courses. Also, if you really love a campus, but the school administration frustrates you, don't switch schools. Get involved! College is a mini-real-world. If you don't voice your opinions on campus, you'll never have the guts to do it in front of a nation. Don't be afraid to question something that seems wrong. Sometimes it is, and when it's not, you learn something. Don't fear learning through your mistakes.

Visit all of the potential colleges you're looking at and be sure to tour the campus as well as all of the surroundings that you are able to visit. Also, ask around locally about students there (hopefully you'll find a student who attends there) and asks lots of questions to people who are a part of the college community!

Different colleges have different feels. The important thing is comfort. If you feel comfortable where you're living, you'll end up being happier, more confidant, and a better student overall. Some colleges might be a better fit for different jobs, but in the end the quality of a student's education is based on the effort one puts into one's classes. One thing I did that I reccomend to everyone is to talk to the students in your major, specifically about the teachers. If they are unhappy with the staff, odds are that you will be too. If you're undecided, ask around and get a general feel of the teaching staff from the students' perspective. Don't judge a college based on its food. Regardless of how good it seems, or how diverse the menu, you will be eating at this place for four years. You will get sick of it. In fact, unless you have special dietary needs, as in vegan or diabetic, don't even check out the cafeteria. It simply does not matter. If you do end up eating, remember that this is a great place to talk to students and ask them questions.

Let the student pick, and always live on campus for the first year

I encourage students and parrents to take a deap breath and relax. As much as the public tells you that going to school right away is an absolute necessity, it's not. If you aren't sure of where you want to go, or what you want to do, just take a break. Traveling and working will help you decide what you might want to do while making money, otherwise many kids end up making a decision that they end up regretting, and it can cost a lot. When people tell you "don't worry you've plenty of time to decide what you want to do," they're quite wrong. Four years isn't much time to decide, not to mention you typically have to declare a major within 2 years, it really helps having a plan right when you enter college and sticking to it. Otherwise you end up staying for longer than you wanted to. Going to college is a great experience and you will learn a lot, but take your time deciding where to go and what to do. It isn't necessary to jump right into college.

I would tell parents and students to keep their options open and realize that people, especially young people, may change a lot during their first couple years in college. I would suggest that they don't stop looking or applying once they have been accepted to a college that may work for them. If the student has any doubt about what they want to do or any doubts about whether the college may work, I would tell them to choose a college with more class/degree options, more extracurriculars, more diversity, etc. so that it will be easier to change your mind and try new things. Do not go into college with your mind set in one way or on one goal. College is almost more about learning about yourself than learning about a certain subject. Be ready to be flexible and open-minded.