Stanford University Top Questions

The most important thing to look for is probably the student opinion of the school. If the current students don't seem to like the school, that's a good indication that it isn't an ideal environment. Besides student opinion, I would suggest looking into the extracurricular options. College is about more than just academics, and if you don't have a good social network (often facilitated by joining a student group or a team) you are less likely to be completely happy. That being said, I honestly believe that a student can be happy at almost any institution. There are so many different types of people at every college, and you just need to seek out the people who share your interests. In terms of making the most of the college experience, I think you should try lots of activities until you find one or two that you can love and participate in for the rest of your college career. And remember, college isn't all about the classes. College requires finding a balance between schoolwork and social activities. Sometimes you really just need to ignore the homework and blow off some steam with your friends.

Start early! Explore and develop your interests early on, and by the time junior year rolls around, you will be ready to start looking at colleges that are strong in your respective passions. While visiting each prospective college, develop a relationship with someone on that campus who can give you the insight into the chosen school. This advice has the potential of becoming invaluable when it comes down to making the final decision of where to go to college. By the time the spring of your senior year comes, try to go to as many Admitted Students Weekends as possible, and then make your final decision. Making the most out of the college experience is different for each person. While one person might be contributing to campus life by joining a drama club, another person would be contributing just as much by joining with the American Cancer Society (as an example). Follow your interests and explore them in depth within the context of graduating on time and finding a job in the future.

When it comes to choosing the right college, a first place ranking on the Forbes list is far less important than finding a college that best suits your interests and goals. College rankings change every year, and thus, it would be unwise to make a decision that will impact the rest of your life from information that is unreliable. A college ranked for the stellar research of its faculty may come at the price of poor lectures that do not engage your interest. An extremely high academic reputation may cultivate obsessive competitiveness among students, pressuring them not to actually learn, but to just obtain high marks in class, leading to plagiarism, depression, suicide, and a host of other negative effects. On the other hand, having a variety of academic resources including study space, tutoring and counseling services are greatly conducive to a rich learning experience. Some other important factors to consider are the college?s alumni relations and career counseling services. Apart from providing internship opportunities, these are good resources for planning your life after graduation, making your college experience more complete. Lastly, but equally important are the options your college provides for financing your education. Do not overlook this.

In order to find the right college you must go and visit it. No brochure can tell you more about the environment and everyday life of a college as can a visit and stay there. Making the most of the college experience will require you to be honest with yourself about what you want to get out of being there. Don't listen to what other people like to do for fun, you must decide for yourself what makes you happy and what you want to get out of the experience. For everyone it's different and just requires that you do what's best for you and your happiness. You have to find out who you really are in order to know what makes you happy and going to college to the environment that best suites you makes that happen. College will give you your first taste of freedom and that freedom will allow you to find who you really are or who you want to become.

Don't make your decision based on big names or money alone. Make sure you feel comfortable there, or know that you'll soon feel comfortable there, even if you don't at first. Class size matters more than the quality of the professor if it's a good enough college. And try your best to stay on a sane sleep schedule, especially if you're sickly; it's the best way to stay healthy.

One of my favorite memories is sitting on a stool eating fresh seafood with my dad, talking about his days at Stanford University. We had spent the day touring the school and visiting his old hangouts. From that day on, I knew I wanted to go to Stanford. I was lucky that I knew which college I wanted to attend, and fortunately I was accepted. So I can?t give much advice about how to choose the right college, other than follow your heart. However, I have plenty to say about making the most of the college experience. Remember that college is about discovering who you are. My freshman year was filled with bad decisions and I failed my first class. I was devastated and for a while I was disappointed and regretted my mistakes. Through that experience, I learned more about myself and am working to become the person I want to be. College can be hard, even when you are at your dream school, so I encourage students to experiment, rely on and listen to those who love you, and remember that mistakes show us how we can improve and that no one can achieve greatness without them.

Visit the college and get to know as many people from that college. Picture yourself living there and being friends with those people that you met.

Go to the college where you feel happy, accepted and appreciated. Once you are at the college of your choice, take advantage of every possible resource there is on campus. Do any and all activities you're interested in, seek out tutoring services, talk to career advisors, eat out with faculty, form study groups with people in your classes, get to know your library, take a class you'd never think of taking, play a sport you've never played, see school plays, listen to musicals, go to at least one football game, explore the town the college is in, and never settle. Also, beware of the freshman fifteen- go work out!

Going to college is like getting an invitation to the party. This doesn't mean that college, itself, is one big party, although, for those so inclined, there could be plenty of plastic cups and walks-of-shame. Rather, it means that A.) the party is what you make of it, and B.) different parties offer different opportunities. In my case, it was important to me that, at Stanford, I could benefit from a high quality of life and a slew of research grants for undergraduates. If I had gone to another school, I still would have been challenged, inspired, and empowered, because A.) college is what I make of it. But at Stanford, the Anthropology department awarded me a grant to travel to Guatemala as a freshman, because that's the kind of music playing at the Stanford party. The party isn't easy to get into, and it certainly isn't easy to get through--especially when finals roll around--but it's the kind of celebration you never want to miss; full of color, excitement, and a little bit of fear, but with an expansive view of the world, sprawling before you like a red carpet.

To parents, let your child make the decision about which college to choose - this is a decision he/she will have to live with. At the same time, you can help him/her make the right decision by guiding him/her to look at academics, extracurricular activities, student life, etc.