State University of New York at New Paltz Top Questions

When picking your school, weigh every option possible, and never limit yourself. When I applied to colleges, I was a little bit safe in my choices. I am very happy here at SUNY New Paltz, but I definitely am curious as to what other schools would have accepted me. Consider every option. Location is very important if you are close to your family. Make sure that the programs you want are available. Make sure you are happy as soon as you get on campus, because the time you spend there is going to be so important, such a vital part of your development in life.

Advice I would give to students and parents looking to find the right college is to make sure its somewhere you can see yourself being. Make sure you visit the campus and talk to as many people as you can. Make sure it's the right size and that the people are friendly. When I visited I made an appointment with the school of business ( I'm an accounting major). The dean was the nicest person I ever met. He introduced me to students of the same major and they took me to an accounting club. Everyone there was friendly and welcoming. I knew from that reason on that this was the school for me. You just have to have a great experience and feel comfortable somewhere. The key is seeing that you could belong.

Students and their parents need to sit down and have a serious talk with each other. It is important for a parent to give their input and opinions of the school's their child applies to, but they do need to understand that in the end, it is the child's choice. Students need to decide how big they want there school to be, and how far away/close to hom they would be willing to go. They should also look at the majors offered, social activities, class sized, diversity, academic/personal help offered on campus. I would seriously advise doing major research into each school, because that's the place you will be calling home for 4 years, if all goes well. You want to be happy, satisfied and comfortable in that enviroment. And you want to be able to make the most out of your college experience! If you're in the right place for you, it will be an unforgetable 4 years!

Make sure the school has at least two personal interest outlest, like frats or clubs, and two academic interests, like clubs and majors

To pick a school that makes you feel at ease and one that has all of your interests as majors because you will probably not stick with what you wanted. And don't go too far from your parents, you'll need them more than you'll think.

To parents: allow your children to live their lives the way they would like to. Allow them to explore different schools and choose the school they woud like to go to, on their own. You can help steer them in the right direction, if they know what they would like to do for the rest of their lives, but do not force them into something they do not want to be a part of. Let them make decisions for themselves, they are adults now. Students: Choosing schools can be very tough, but you should research everything you can about a certain school that you are interested in. In order to make the best of the college experience, you need to work hard in your classes: do you work on time. College is different than high school - teachers do not bug you and remind you when assignments are due, you have to keep up for youself. Join clubs in order to meet new people and make new friends. Do not stay in your dorm room all day, and for first year students, I suggest living in dorms and keeping your doors open- SOCIALIZE! Finally, HAVE FUN! and be who you are.

To visit all colleges and then make a decision based on how at home you felt there.

It's important to decide what enviroment you want. Big school, small school, city or village, athletics and clubs... its all just as important as the academics when it comes to fitting in. Make sure you think about who and what you want around you before you decide where to go. Find clubs you're interested in and make friends; be out-going and remember no one knows who you were in high school. College is a fresh-start, a chance to make changes or to be completely yourself (and not who friends and family think you should be). And it is important to remember that the decision isn't final. If you end up somewhere you don't like, make the most of it. The first few months are always tough. But if you really hate it, you can always transfer somewhere else. And finding the wrong college can be just as much of a learning experiance as finding the right one!

look around and ask students/formenr students/faculty about the schools

Make sure that you're going somewhere that you're going to be happy. College is going to be the best time of your life, so make sure that you don't waste that time at a place that you don't want to be. You'll find your best friends, and they'll become you're family. College is time to grow up and be yourself... so even though you love your parents, go far enough away from them that you can develop into your own person. Weekend visits are always nice and appreciated, but never leaving high school doesn't make for a good college experience. I wish you all luck, and hope that you choose the best college for you; I know I did!