Purdue University-Main Campus Top Questions

I think the most important factor in finding the right college for you is visiting as many schools as possible. The school I decided to attend felt like home to me as soon as I stepped onto campus. I can't even explain why it feels like home, but I knew that this was the place that I should attend. There should be some people there who share the same interests and goals as you, and have some who are completely different. Diversity is an excellent way to learn about other people. I think the best way to make the most out of your college experince is to get as involved as possible. Finding things that you love to do, and others who love to do it is critical. Whether it is a club, or a sorority/fraternity, or sports, people who love the same things as you can end up being lifelong friends. Your college years are supposed to be the best years of your life, so make the most of it! Don't get too stressed out with classes and forget to have fun!

Choosing a college is a very personal thing. If you want to find a college that fits you, you are the only person that can find it. You have to go out, tour the campus, look at dorms, and meet the teachers. Talking to students who already attend the school can help you get an idea of what it is like to live there, but always keep in mind that your experience won't be quite the same as theirs and that things they hate about campus may be things you would like. Cost is a big factor, but you shouldn't let the high price of a school stop you from attending it. There are always ways to get the money you need. Finally, friends are also a factor. If you go to a university because your friends are going there, there is nothing wrong with that. It will help you adjust to campus life to have people around you that you are comfortable with. And when it comes down to it, a degree is a degree, no matter what college it comes from.

I work as a campus tour guide, and I believe that the most important part of the college selection process is going to visit every campus that interests you. Even though a place may sound perfect on paper, there is no way you can tell unless you visit and get that feeling that you can call the place home for the next four years. Once you choose the right college, I highly recommend attending any freshmen orientation programs run by the university, living in the residence halls, and I also highly recommend getting involved on campus. These are great ways to meet people and make the best out of your college years.

The main advice that i would give is to choose a place that feels most like home to you. College is the place where you will spend 4 or more years at, and it is the place where your life essentially begins. This is the place where (most of us) we will make life-long friends, choose our career paths, develop unbreakable friendships, learn the most valuable life lessons, and probably find our future spouse. Any person is going to need to feel at home in order to feel any of that. In order to know which campus feels mostly like home to you is to visit college campuses. There is a school for anyone and everyone. my second advice is to get involved. Take advantage of the hundreds of different students organizations that are offered in your campus. Those exist for a reason; others students, like you, did not want your school to be a dead place, so they started an organization that would bring togehter students with the same interests and passions. This way, it is much easier to make friends and get involved in other activities besides studying.

go where you feel at home

Figure out what you want to do first, then find well known schools in that area and apply. Once you're accepted, work hard and remember, you're there to learn. You also need to have fun and meet new people though. Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.

Advice that I would give to upcoming freshmen, is that take as many college classes as you can that was your first semester can be kind of easy. I took college english and speech in high school and it really freed up my time my freshmen year. Because of this I was able to participate in marching band and I was able to have a pretty easy semester. This made my transistiom to a new school that was far from home a lot easier than what it could have been (6 hours). Also, I would tell freshmen to choose their roommate carefully. My roommate my first semester was horrible. So, make sure you answer the compatibility questions carefully. Don't make qualifications on your answers. If it asks Do you mind if your roommate comes in late? Answer truthfully. I answered No, as long as she is quiet. And that was my mistake. Ithought that my roommate would have courtsey for me. She didn't and it was a horrible first semester. So, just be careful.

The best advice I can give prospective college students is going on several campus visits. Visit as many schools as you can to decide on what size, programs, and general atmospheres you prefer. After deciding on a school, go in with an open mind. Try different clubs and sports that you might not have pursued before in your life. Take classes that actually interest you for your elctives, not just the classes that are easiest. Most of all HAVE FUN, it will go extremely fast. Then it is all work, work, work.

Start early, go to as many places as you can, apply to them all. Take the ACT and SAT both starting sophmore year.

There really is no best school. It is all what you make of the time that you are there.

Parents should not pressure their kids to go where THEY want their child to go.

One thing you really need to consider is the distance from home. How far away from your family are you willing to go? College is all about learning to grow up and live on your own but you never know when you might need a little help. Being located far enough away to feel like your on your own but close enough to drive home if you need to is key.

Visit the school and pick a school that is most valuable in all terms of the word. Remember that an undergraduate degree is sometimes not worth the extra out of state tuition for some families, but keep grad school opportunities in mind. Finding a school that offers a good "college experiance" can often be also linked to the student's perception and ability to create a positive environment around them; for example if the student is a fun person, good times will often come to them. Also, students should surround themselves with friends who will help them suceed; the best friends are ones who are part of neither extreme (always studying or always partying - a healthy balance will provide the best experiance). Parents should freely share any experiances they had in college that helped make it one of the 'best times of their lives.' While students might seem to turn a deaf ear at first, they will probably be listening anyway. Don't be too judgemental, but provide enough support to create an environment of sucess in the mind and lifestyle of the student.

Go and visit as many colleges as you can and see what they have to offer. Look at the doors, the classrooms and anything else that might interest you. Get involved with things that are going on at college.

Make sure you visit a college numerous times throughout different seasons. Also, be sure to attend seminars on the major area(s) you are considering to get a first-hand idea of what it will be like. If you know someone who already attends that univerisity or college spend a few days with them. I think it helped a lot to see what housing/social life was like on campus and also to attend classes and observe what the work load would be. You need to make sure to walk around the entire campus and get a feeling for the property as well as the people. Also, go with your gut instinct. I thought for years I would go to the same university as my parents and other family members had because I had been on campus many times for football games, etc. Once I finally toured Purdue and spent more time there I fell in love with it and knew it was the perfect fit for me.

Look into extracurriculars as well as majors and minor when looking at schools. You want to know that you'll feel comfortable and safe on-campus as well as off-campus. Don't choose a school according to partying or drinking, whether you want that or not - most schools have it.

Make sure you visit first.

I would say that when you walk on campus if you are excited and feel like you would have a blast here then that is where you need to be be. Bottom line that is where you're going to meet all your friends and where you will graduate from. So it needs to be somewhere where you know you will have fun!

The people who tell you to visit lots of schools and you'll just know which is the right one were correct in my case. When I went to Purdue for the first time I felt at home even though I was 2,000+ miles away. Yet, that did not happen for all my friends. My advice pick the school that is best for you academically, financially, socially, location wise, and your other criteia. Do not pick because your friends are going there pick the school YOU want! It may not seem like it now but you will meet new people and become great friends with them AND keep your old friends at home. So if you want an adventure far away, go for it! When you get to college the way the make the most of your experience is simple, GET INVOVLED! Join a club, a greek house, an orgainzation, whatever you want just start joining and meeting people the rest will take care of itself. However, most importantly GO TO CLASS; if you go you'll remember something even if you can't focus it helps, I promise! Now go find the college of your dreams too!!!

Above all, you have to remember that you are chosing this school for you, and no one else. I think it is crucial that you go on campus and see if you could imagine yourself among the student body, and you will really be able to find a good fit for you. Statistics are important, but only a very small part of the college itself; you have to make sure you look at the bigger picture. If you feel like you could call the college home for the next four years of your life, then it is probably the one for you! The true test of whether students are happy or not can be found by walking up to students on the campus and asking them how they like their experience. You will (hopefully) get an honest, uncandid answer that can help make your decision.