Ohio State University-Main Campus Top Questions

When looking at a college, look at many college. Always have a back up plan or second choice because your first isn't always the best choice once you arive at school. Also don't pick a major right away. Explore all the college has to offer and classes. Once going into college, you will find you will grow up and change as a person. If you don't allow this growth on your own time, you will waste more time later in your life. So enjoy your time in high school but still start looking at your future one year at a time.

I would say go visit the colleges of your choice and interact with some of the students. You never know if you like a college unless you visit it's campus and conversate with it's students!

This is an opportunity of a lifetime to start over and be the true person you are, to find the people, the true friends who will always be there for you. Do exactly what your dreams have always led you to do and let nothing, NOTHING stop you. While this may be a time to create yourself, don't forget that socializing will only take you so far, but it is the things you learn, both from classes as well as from the life experiences you will go through that will take you on your journey. Every decision you make steers your path and takes you where you choose it to lead you. So get out there and let nothing hold you back from making the life you've always dreamed of!

First, be honest and let the student speak about what they want out of college before the parents step in. Then, sit down with your family and work out distance, cost, and possible majors. After you go through those processes you should have a list of colleges in mind or at least a good search criteria to begin looking at colleges. The most important thing you can do is visit the college and talk to a variety of students there to see what their opinion of the school is, especially those in your intended major. These small interviews will give you more information on the school then any book or website. Always keep an open mind and don't cross off schools just because you're friends don't like them or you think the size is wrong. Big schools have a way of becoming small when you get involved and make new friends. Each school has something unique to offer and its up to you to choose which suites you the best.

Find a university where your child feels they can be happy, make friends, and fit in well. If your child is happy then they will earn great grades and in result enjoy the college experience to the fullest.

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When I looked at colleges, I looked for those that appealed to the major I wanted, those that were financially in my range or at least accepted financial aid and scholarships (because those were about all I had), and those that were close to home so that I could focus on classes instead of having to worry about money. I would recommend looking at what you really want when looking at colleges. Is it close or far from home? Does it offer anything I'm even remotely interested in? If you don't know, ask them, and they will tell you. If you don't know what your interests are, you might look at bigger schools, just because they offer so much, and there are so many options and clubs and activities that you'd be hard-pressed not to find something for you. To get the most out of your college, some might say you should live on campus, but I commute, and I think if you want to experience something, you have to go for it, no moping about not meeting friends. If you want it, you need to put yourself out there and be true to you.

Look for strong academic programs all around, in addition to your initial area of interest. Evaluate career/research opportunities available on/through the campus. Look for campuses on the rise, and for students that match your caliber. Make sure the university has a stong sense of community, no matter what way it acheives this (i.e. varsity athletics, variety of clubs and organizations, volunteer opportunities, or the arts). Always best if you can have it all-and thats what I find to be the case at large research universities heading towards the top that are also maintain great traditions and loyal alumni. All of this is hard to perceive during organized college visits. It is best to visit someone that you know currently attending that university and stay overnight with them in an informal manner. Sophomore's are probably the best students to visit with, as they know more about campus and its offerings, but can still relate to the college hunt. Finally, when directly comparing schools that have a different caliber of students overall, consider available honors or major or graduate school-gateway programs for which you may qualify, and the special opportunities and advantages it may exclusively offer.

Explore all your options. There are plenty of schools out there that are perfectly suited to your academic needs and wants. So when choosing a school you need to be positive that that particular school is a perfect fit, in all ways, for you. Don't just check in to academics and job opportunities, students should also look into overall atmosphere, extracurricular activities, and all the other ways that a particular school can help you in your educational endeavors. In order to make the most of your college experience you need to get out of the dorm and away from your studies or a while. Join clubs, make friends, explore the campus, college is not just about doing your school work, it is about learning. And sometimes you can learn more from the experience than you ever could inside a classroom.

Advice I would give to both parents and students about finding the right college would first to start saving money when the student is at a young age. And also to stress this to the student to save for college as he/she gets older. This way the child will not be held back at choosing a college due to his/her lack of funds. Secondly, I would say to start looking at colleges as a freshman in high school, this way you can start to eliminate those colleges ahead of time. If the student has good grades, I would encourage students to do post-secondary. This is where a high school student attends college and gets college credits. This would save the family money and to provide a college experience as a junior or senior in high school. The student can also choose if that is the right college for him/her to continue to attend. Finding the right college takes time and I wish I would have planned more college visits. Visits take time, but it is all worth visiting a college, talking to potential professors, and getting to talk to other students and listening to their advice.