Spring Arbor University Top Questions

Start your child at a local community college, especially if the student is not certain in what they want to major. This will be a great money saver! When the pre-requisites are finished, your student may have settled on a major, and can proceed to the necessary school program to complete their degree. Consider a Christian liberal arts college, if one is available and you can afford it. The education you will find there will be both excellent and challenging.

I would advise both parents and students especially to visit as many colleges as possible while they still have time. Start in your junior year of high school and don't stop until you think you're found the one you want to go to. Consider everything while looking; and that includes location, programs, scholarship opportunities- everthing. Not only that, but choose the college because it is right for YOU not because your friends are going there too and you're afraid of being alone. As for making the most out of the college experience Ithe best thing that I can say is to manage your time well. If the time that is available is managed correctly then there will be plenty of time during the peak fun hours to get out and do that fun. That way the work that needs to be done is done and a well-deserved reward can be gained. Another piece of advice that I can give is to say that making friends of all walks of life, as well as those in your chosen major, could be the best thing anyone could do.

Finding the right college is like planting a garden. For the best growth it must be a place where there is a common goal and interest, as well as an environment which will help the student to be stretched and tested. The college that is right for a particular student must be one that gives more enrichment, experience, and helps broaden its students horizons. When looking for the right college, it's important to shop around; visit the campus and classrooms. It is equally improtant to talk to the students who attend the college as well as the staff members. It is also important to find a school that has a good new student orientation program, one that invests in the students well being at the school and makes sure the students are well taken care of. Lastly make sure the school offers the career paths the student is interested in taking.

My advice to parents or students who want to find the right college is to go visit the school! I visited every school I applied to, and this made a huge difference for me. You want to make sure that you go to a school where you will feel comfortable and is enjoyable. Visiting the college also allows you to meet with the students and see what they like or don't like about going there. Another thing is meeting with professors. Sometimes the school will allow you to spend the night in the dorms so that you can get a mini version of the college experience. My school allows prospecting students to spend the night in the dorm rooms. They get to hangout with currently attending students and do things that normal college students do. At the very end of the day, in order to find the right school for YOU a person should visit and experience the atmosphere first hand.

When looking for the right college fit, I would tell students to follow their hearts and choose the best fit for themselves based solely on what they desire, and not based on anyone else?s opinion. College is the bridge to future success and it is not to be taken lightly. To make the most out of college, students need attend every class, do all homework assignments, study frequently, and take sufficient notes. Also, weekends are not a time for partying and hanging out with Christmas; it is a time to study, catch up on lost sleep throughout the week, and to study. The library is a great place to do studying; it is not just their for looks. The advice that I would give to parents would be to encourage their children and support them no matter what college they choose. It is not the parent?s job to tell their child which college would be best fitting for him or her, because it is not the parent?s choice; they are not attending college, their child is. With encouragement and support from their parents, students will have a greater opportunity to succeed in college, and later, in life.

Choose the school that makes the student feel most at home. If the student is unhappy then the parents are as well. Make sure the school that the student is choosing has all of the resources one is looking for and can accommodate his needs.

Visit the schools you apply to, and not just for a day. Actually spend some time there. Visiting a school will give you a real feel for what it's like. So do it!

You don't need to fit a college. A college needs to fit you. Don't be afraid to travel to find the right place for you. College is when you discover who you really are. You shed your facades and emotional shells from home and grow again. Never make a college decision out of haste. Know where you are going and why you are going there. But don't be afraid to go in as an "Undecided" Major. Most people change their major 5 or 6 times anyways. Make sure that your college has an outlet for what you're made for. A musician will starve without a place to play his music and a swimmer will decay without her pool. You're needs need to be met. And finally, make sure that you can be proud of the place you decide to go to. You wouldn't entirely trust a salesman about whether or not his product is actually as good as he says it is. You listen to your friends that already have that product. What do they think about the college? Find out from someone who has experienced it first hand.

To the student: I strongly believe that what you put into college is what you are going to get out of it. Don't waste your time by making inappropriate decisions that you will regret later. Choose to enrich your life with the things that will last and shape your character. The choices you make today will define who you will be tomorrow, so choose today to be the person you want to be tomorrow. Do not just choose a college because of the athletic team, even if you get a scholarship. Decide where you want to go that would best suit you and the person that you aim to be. Choose a college that will help you grow physically, emotionally, mentally, and most importantly, spiritually. Go to a college that pushes you to become a better person both personally and academically. Go to a college where you feel "at home." Lloyd Ogilvie once said, "no one or nothing can change your disposition without your permission." Motivation and discipline are keys for accomplishing who you want to be in the future. Desire to live right because your attitudes and choices are a reflection of your character. Define yourself!

When looking for a college it is important to remember not to make a hasty decision. You're college is where you will spend the next few years and it will impact the adult that you become. The college that you choose, shoulc be a plasce where you are comfortable, but you also feel challenged. Take time to visit different schools and interact with the student body. The students on the campus are the best picture of what the campus is really like. Once you've chosen a shcool and move on to campus it is important to make the most of every oppurtunity. Four years goes by very quickly. As a student your number one priority is to get an education. A social life is important, but it comes second to your education. Work hard and have fun. Invest in relationships, the friends you make will be your friends for life.

Pick a school that works best for you as an individual. Everything else will fall into place. Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. Espescially when it comes to finacial aid.

When it comes time to find the right college make sure it is a place that you want to be and that you feel safe there. There is enough to worry about with school work and you don't need to have to worry about being in danger from other things. Also make sure that you go to a school that has what you want to study. It is really hard to feel like you are getting anywhere when you are not studying what you are majoring in. Make the most of your college experience by getting involved. While school work is important (you are paying thousands of dollars for your education!), making friends is important as well. Go to sporting events and dress in the craziest outfit you can find. Join a club and play intramurals. Stay up late and go out to eat at midnight even if you have a class at 9:00 the next morning. These are the things that you will remember the most and that you want to remember college by. You will be glad you did.

The advice that I would give parents and/or students about finding the right college and making the most of the college is experience is that it is very important to make sure that both the parents and the student(s) know what they want out of the college that they are looking for. Set goals that they would like to find in a school. Also, if the parents and/or students are spiritual, make sure that they take that into consideration as well when looking for the right college. As far as making the most of the college experience, I would encourage the student to attend to as many school activities that are being offered. Get involved with the school. Not only does that allow students to meet new students and make new friends, but they are also making memories for a lifetime that can never be taken away.

Financial aid is not everything. You should not choose the school with the best financial aid package at the expense of a quality education. Stretch yourself, step outside your comfort zone. Read the fine print before you're stuck there. Make sure credits would transfer to other universities if necessary, make sure they offer you opportunities such as career counseling, job placement, and personal freedom.

Finding the right college is about finding a place that challenges you academically, socially, and spiritually. You need to focus on learning and finding your vocation--which is a life calling, more than just a job. You need to learn to think critically (analyzing and interpreting and evaluating information, not just "accepting" it) about contemporary world issues and gain a wider perspective on life. You need to grow as a person, too--by finding ways to give back to the community and by making friendships with people from many different walks of life. Don't find a college you can "breeze through"--let your choice grow you as a person in many different aspects of life.

Make sure you select a college that is right for the field you want to go in.

To find the best college and get the most out of the experience, a student should play to his strengths. If he is interested in a certain field of study, then obviously, a college that offers said field will be on the list of possibilities; however, finding only the preferred field of study does not constitute an institution's worthiness for a student. Therefore, the student must also visit the school to see if he feels he could fit in not only to the campus life, but into the role of being a student. He should find the school's website, make contact with professors, academic advisors, and even an attending student or two, if he can manage it. People placed in these crucial parts of a college's framework can give an accurate picture and answer questions better than any ad or paper brochure. Also, by making these contacts, a new student will at least have a reference of well-placed friends should he have need of anything. This will give him a basis from which he can continue in the college experience, as well as his studies.

Finding the right college for your personally needs and preferances. I, for example, was looking for something smaller but still with a lot of oppurtunities for advancment. I also wanted a place that could offer a Masters level program in my field. After a long time looking I found Spring Arbor and it really filled all my needs. Another important thing to remember is to be picky. As a student you will be spending a long time a lot of money so you want a place you can love and grow because of. There are a lot of Universities out there and if you look long enough you will be able to find what you need. Also being involved as a student is key. An student can have an active and exciting social life if they really push themself to get involved. Your level of involvment will really matter in how well you survive socially in college. I know a couple students that just could not handle the lack of social interaction so they quit school. If they would have just got involved a little I think it would have been different.