Courtney
make sure you find a college within your budget. dont worry about the social aspect of the school, worry about the academic aspect.
Blake
Simple. In three words: visit the school. You'll never get a true feel for a campus just by looking at flyers and websites. The only way to really know if you're going to enjoy a college is to truly experience it. Stay the night in a dorm, walk around the campus, attend a few classes, and meet with professors and students, not admissions offices. Their main goal is to get your money, so all of their opinions will be biased.
Dayna
Just make sure that you take your time while researching schools. Decipher between the pro's and con's. I am almost done with my college career and I would say to make the most out of it, STUDY! There are semesters I would love to take back because I know that I could have done better, but unfortunately I took advantage of my freedom and didn't study like I should have. Remember, it's YOUR name going on the diploma, not your friend's. You are going to school for you, don't forget that.
Melanie
To both the parent(s) and student(s), the student is the one who will be spending all their time at this institution, so make sure it's mainly the student's choice because if they aren't happy, they won't be given their fair chance to succeed. Go where you feel you'll enjoy learning, not just enjoy being in college and partying. Making the most of your college experience is not about going out every night getting drunk, it's about making friends and memories that will last a lifetime. It's about being able to love learning and aquiring a job that you love with the help of your earned degree. As long as your happy with your choice of college, the rest is pretty easy. Go, live, learn, and enjoy the amazing person that your college will help you to become!
Tommesha
To make sure your child or you, the student are making the right choice about finding the right college, visit the campus to get a feel of what you instore. Maybe you don't have a car and you don't like walking, you might want to know if you campus is fairly spread out.
To make the most of the college experience, get out and explore your surroundings. Don't be a person that just sits in their room and study all the time. I'm not saying there is nothing wrong with study, but the old saying "all work and no play, makes it a dull day," something like that, is true. If you can balance studying, play and optional work, then you will be fine.
Monica
Sit in on lectures. Make sure you are comfortable with the setting of the classrooms. Take a tour of the campus. You know what school is right for you when you feel like your "at home." Look into the programs they offer for the degree you are seeking. Make sure those programs live up to your expectations. HAVE FUN while you are there, but make the most of your time!
Ericka
Make sure it is the college that the student wants to attend not the parent.
Eric
Students and parents should find the college which best suits them. They should base this off of the cost to attend that school and the style/type of education offered there.
Travis
Find a school that has a strong belief in your chids individual career goals
Heidi
I would personally say to apply to all the places that you want to apply to, visit all the campuses you can, and get as much information as possible because where you go to college, in the end, is a big deal and you dont want to leave any stone unturned.
Kendra
I would advise anyone searching for a college to visit!
Mallory
I would look for a place that has a program that is really established in the major you want to persue. Do not just go to a place because your friends are planning to attend it, or because the location looks fun, but because you believe that you will recieve the best education for what you want to do professionally from that that university. After all, you go to college to set up your life in a career, and going somewhere that you do not really learn much will not aid you much in the future.
Daniel
Pick a college and stick with it and knock it. Pick somewhere away from home and don't commute.
Nicole
I think that students need to find a univeristy that fits them, not their parents. Make sure that it's in an area that they feel comfortable in, that they like the faculty and classes that they would be taking in their major. For parents, make sure the education is affordable beucase that is the biggest challenge.
Pamela
Finding the right college is about choosing what feels comfortable. Don't go somewhere that scares you unless you're ready for that next big step. Take your time choosing a field, and experience everything about that school fully by getting to know a variety of people. Bury prejudices and have an open mind about everything, but know where you stand on major issues. Don't be afraid to look for yourself in college, and don't ever settle for being a replica of someone else.
Matthew
There are many who look towards finding the "right college" for themselves, and for their children. The real truth is, however, any college can be the "right college". Most colleges have a good mix of social and academic areas that people can take part in. Anyone looking for academic challenge will find it, and anyone looking for a party will find it. The problem with success in college has little to do with the colleges themselves, and more with the people who attend them. You could be provided everything you need by the school, and still easily fail. Remember, college is not for everyone, and if you find yourself struggling semester after semester it's important to re-examine what you want from life. If college doesn't work out, there's a whole world out there that can be achieved without a degree. In other words, if you think you're not going to be able to graduate in 4-5 years because it's too hard, college isn't for you. It's important for parents to be supportive of their student children in anything they do, even if it ends up they aren't going to attend.
Amanda
Visit the campus you're thinking about. Don't just rely on pictures and internet sources to decide on a school. Once you are able to narrow down your school choice, plan a trip with your family to see the campus and the students. Remember over half of what you learn will not be in the classroom at all, but through your social life, so although a great academic reputation is beneficial, take time to see whether or not you can see yourself in a thriving environment at the school of your choice. Once you appear on campus, you'll realize there are so many other things to picking a college or university than what you can find out on the internet or by word of mouth. Visiting the campus will make your dreams come to life!
alana
The most important aspect of incoming freshman is to be able to have a calm and comfortable environment.
Kim
Spend a lot of time talking to students who've actually been there, not just advisors and orientation leaders. And don't rely on the information just on websites; they're often negatively biased because people who don't like the school generally will find a site to complain about it on. Satisfied students won't go out of their way to say so on the internet. So pick one you're interested in, sit in on some classes, and talk to students who are in your field of study to see if the school's program is meeting your needs.
Jennifer
Do all of your research and don't concentrate all of your attention to just one or two schools.; always keep an open mind. Make sure that you don't just assume that you can slack off for a couple of semesters and fix your GPA later on - it will bite you in the butt later on down the road.
Also, don't just hang out exclusively with one group of people. Part of college is making friends for life!