SUNY at Albany Top Questions

While financial aid is a large determining factor, pay attention to classes offered within your major and make sure there are plentiful electives in which to chose from.

Find a place that makes you feel relaxed and at ease. Not being comfortable in the city where you will be living for at least 4 years is not a good thing and will not help enable academic success. Be happy with who you are and remember that there is always next semester to turn things around. One bad grade is not the end of the world. Embrace the change and just enjoy life.

Consider: interests (research schools that offer programs that excel in that area), the resources available for placement after graduation (or internships, etc., prior to), the availability of applicable extracurricular activities, an appropriate degree of academic difficulty, availability of financial resources (financial aid, jobs, etc. ), campus size to best benefit learning experience, importance of social makeup of school (diversity, religiosity, etc.), location and housing, etc. Once enrolled, prioritize; balance academics, extracurricular activities, and socializing. To do this, one must assess what they hope to get out of college and allocate time to each outlet appropriately. As a result of hoping for a future in law, necessitating lawschool acceptance, my main priority is academics and raising my 3.7 GPA to qualify for graduating summa cum laude. Reducing the burden of tuition would assist in my ability to focus, as less hours would have to be dedicated to work. Thanks! :)

Choose a college which will help you direct yourself to your career choice in the future.

My advice for prospective college students is to go someplace where you will be the most happy. It is definitely hard to get through a new school being dissatisfied with your surroundings, so do what you can to stay interested and occupied with things that you enjoy doing, and being happy with where you are. One thing is for sure, and that is being happy is how one can start their success- it's always easier that way. College is also a time for experience, so it is okay if you are confused about what field to study. First, you will learn about yourself, then later you will find what you want to do when you graduate and are ready to start your career. A school with many opportunities and available choices for you is ideal, because they are perfect for a young adult to share experiences, especially with other students just like yourself.

I've always said that if I could offer any piece of advice to freshman students it would be to go to office hours. Professors are always glad to see students outside of class and they remember that you came to their office. It might benefit your grade, and if it doesn't, at least it shows that you care about their class. Also, it's important to know your limits as far as your social life and how it affects your school work. If you don't, it can be easy to get caught up in doing this or that with your friends and neglecting things you have to do for yourself. You have to remember that in the end you are the only one looking out for your success at college.

Ask in depth questions about class size and class selection process for underclassmen. Ask if the underclassmen's choices for general education/core classes are limited due to majors or other factors. Ask about availability of tutors and involvement of academic advisors.

It is extremely important to do your research at home however you really get a feel for a school when you visit. Narrow your selection to a few top schools and plan to visit those schools. It is important to get a taste for the campus, student life, dorms, food, classrooms, libraries and extracurricular activities. Sit in on a lecture, then talk with students in the campus center. Most students are willing to give you the student perspective, good or bad, because they live it day to day. It is important to ask several students, remembering that it is their personal opinion. Students will be eager to talk about the social aspect of the school, information not in the handbook, which are important to know. Lastly, if a school that you were set on does not give you a good impression, go with your gut. It is important to find a right fit for you, and just because your parent or sibling went there doesn?t mean the school is right for you. Go where you feel comfortable and feel like you can grow as a student and person, because after all that is what college is really about.

put time into it....huge decision!!!!!

I would advice college students and their parents to analyze what they feel as ideal characteristics in their college of choice first before exploring specific options. It's best to perhaps make a list of these characteristics such as financial aid, location, housing, transportation, social activities available, and academic focus. It is important for the student to make an informed decision early as to what their academic focus will be before choosing the best school. Its smart to have a college that has career exploration programs and will help you obtain that job when school is done. Many colleges just care about getting paid and having you graduate then leave the career search up to you. It is extremely important to discuss funding options before hand as well to make sure the student does not get in over his/her head and have no job in that field on top of it. A college focused apredominately social life and no academics is no place for a serious student. These ideas should be discussed as early as the students start of senior year of high school and the application process started early to allow for the best shot at financial aid.

To any student considering college, I strongly caution going to school at all until you have a purpose for going. As I observe those around me, I am able to distinguish clearly those students who are driven towards a goal, and those who are listless in the word of academia. Yes, people with no vision often get *somewhere*, but I propose that it is not where you get, but also how you get there which matters. Dealing with the various pressures of the college atmosphere is hard enough as it is, but without a goal in mind, it is more than likly that you will find yourself waylaid with drama, academic issues, and depression than those with a clear cut path. This is not to say that you need your whole life planned out, but that you have a general idea where you want to go. If you can't answer the question "where do I see myself in five years?", then you should not be in college. As for finding the right college, look first for a college which has a good roster of alumni and good professors, and look second for setting. Success is mental, failure is physical.

visit every single campus that you can! talk to students there, ask away. just make a small or long list of things you want to be included in your college experience, and as you visit different campuses, check them off your list, wherever you feel most comfortable, that's your school. remember that you can always transfer if you are unhappy, it is not the end of the world. go to suny albany!

Look at every college campus that you are applying to, do not go by pictures, there is a certain sense students can get by standing on the campus. Schedule tours during a weekday if possible, that way the campus is alive with students who should/will be more than happy to answer questions. Try to talk to someone who is part of the department of studies that the student is interested in, determine whether, one, the student can do the classes required, and if the person that they talk to is interested and excited about their research topic, this way the student knows if the department is good enough for what they want. If the student likes the campus, go back a few times in different times throughout the year, basically the college search should start junior year, or at least the visiting, because college campuses have different feelings at different times of the year, if more than one trip is not feasibly, talk to a student, not necessarily the tour guide, because the tour guides job is to sell the school, ask a random student about the campus at different times to get a less biased point of view.

Go visit the college/university and talk to the students their.

College is all about getting a little bit of everything. It's an opportunity to experience a vareity of things that you might not have been able to in high school. Be yourself and get involved in whatever you enjoy but never forget about your studies. Work hard, but play hard too--employeers like to see rounded individuals who went outside the classroom to get a complete education. The classroom can teach you skills but it is really the extra activities available in college that define your education. They're the lab portion of school--the practical use of all the skills and knowledge you learned in the classroom. Meet as many people as you can and build a network of connections that will empower you once you graduate. College should be the best time of your life and it will be, providing you invest the time making the most of it.

Don't be afraid to try new things. Don't start a serious relationship freshman year. Visit campuses and choose the one where you feel most at home. Take a variety of classes. Every school has bad dining halls. Make friends. Don't work too much, but make sure you get a part-time job. Internships, internships, internships. Learn how to write a good resume. Learn how to interview/act at companies properly. Don't badmouth your school to employers. Take advantage of campus feedback systems. Go to office hours. Go to at least one sports game. Study. Stop procrastinating. Visit the library, but not too much. Have fun!!

Find the college that feels right when you visit. If it doesn't work out you can always transfer to a better school. There is no perfect school, but there are quite a few good ones.

Finding colleges is easy, finding the right one is not. Start looking early and give yourself plenty of time. Make a list of things to look at such as the athletic department, the weather, the cost, the avalability of jobs, or diversity on campus. Knowing what you want out of a school and finding the school that provides that is the easiest way to pick a school. When you get to college, DO STUFF! Never in your life will you have the change to try so many new things and have so many amazing experiences. Try something new at least once a semster, try out for the play, join the slasa club, or maybe take a class in something you always found intresting but wasn't in your major.

My advice to students that are looking to find the right college and make the most of teh experience would be to visit the campus beore hand see if it is a place where you could see yourself spending lots of time there. Talk to students who attend the college you are considering to get a second hand opinion, althought keep in mid everyone is different. As a student make sure the schoool has a well developed curriculum in teh field your interested in, and what check what resources are available to you to advance your carreer once your done with schooling. Never hesitate to ask questions, whetehr to advisors or alumni thats always helpful. Above all make sure the schools goals and practices are things you can relate to. Lastly keep in mind when your starting your freshman year, that everyone is going through the same thing, your not alone. Just because you feel lonely or miss home dont go home all the time try to particpate as much as you can with others it will help you grow as a person.

check out the 4 year graduation rate, the success of the graduates later on in life. check out the activities that the student that are there take part in. check on how much the students there drink (there are anonymous surveys about drinking and drug use.) you would not want your children to be around drugs and alcohol. peer pressure is real and is alive and well.