The University of Texas at Dallas Top Questions

Visit it before attending it

Make sure it is a place you really want to be in everysense of the word. You need to be excited when you visit it and more excited when your done visiting it. Weigh in everything you think will matter to you in college.

I would visit any college you have in mind. They all look great in the stages photos on brochures. But you need to actually go to the campus, walk around, check out the classrooms to make sure it is a good fit for you.

Any college could be the right fit; the trick is to find a place where you will be sufficiently challenged and happy. Rather than getting too obsessed with faculty-student ratios and other statistics, try to imagine yourself at the campus, where you would be living. Ask random students that are attending the school what they think - just pull aside a stranger rather than asking those that are giving campus tours. Ultimately try not to stress out too much because any school has the potential to work for you.

If your looking for a fun and easy time at college, UTD is not the right place for you, (UT). If your looking for being the best in your field, having a good reputation, being involved in the community, and working quite hard and having the sense of achievement and later on having fun as you rip the benefits of your labor, welcome to campus.

Go somewhere away from home, meet new people. Figure out at least a few general areas you wish to study and take some classes from each, just to see if you enjoy the classes or not. Talk to your professors about what careers are available to you after completing your degree, and ask them for general advice. Don't abandon your old friends, but do not cling to them either. If you spend all your time chatting online with your high school classmates you will regret not spending that time socializing with your new classmates and forming new friendships. Don't worry heavily initially about your major, most students don't know what they REALLY want when they first start off at college. Similarly, don't JUST take the core classes. Make sure you take at least a few specialized classes in your first two years so you can get a feel for what that particular major is like. Above all, be relaxed, take it easy, and have fun. Just make sure you attend all your classes and do a little work every day rather than cramming right before the test. Tests for various classes seem to come in groups.

The students should have more say in what college they would liek to attend after all they are the ones attending it

Variety is key! It is very important to attend a college that gives you a wide variety of majors even if you already know what you want to do, because chances are you will end up changing your mind as you begin to discover all the possibilities available to you. To discover your true self, you need to expose yourself to a diverse and stimulating environment, with different types of people and opportunities to try new things.

I would suggest to parents and students that no matter where you decide to go, make sure that it is balanced. Try not to find somewhere too heavily weighted in one area and not another, unless you are absolutely sure that is the area you want to pursue. Then, my next tip would be to find a campus with great employees, professors, and administrators. I have found that one of the most commonly stressful things for students is determining, not what to do in college, but what to do afterwards. If you have professors who really care, which is sometimes easier at smaller universities, then those professors will push you onward to something great. They will see where you are passionate and skilled, even when you may not see it yourself. In the minds of most, people college is a stepping stone to the "real world". It is. So choose wisely, so that you have great people showing you the way.

Try your hardest, it's your money.

make sure your priorities are set, find a school that reflects your personality in an area that reflects your interests, it is good if the research the school is doing or plans to do is in your area of interest, or it offers a variety in case you don't know where you want to go yet. make sure the professers are accessible, especially for upper level courses

?Never give up on your dream? is an encouraging bit of advice, but always make sure that your dream is what you think it is. I had a dream of being a psychologist when I entered college, but after a couple years of classes I realized the field simply wasn?t suited for me. I wasn?t sure how I could change my major so late in my academic career, and more importantly I had no idea what I should change it to. I had placed all my focus on psychology, so I never got a sense of what else the world had to offer. My advice to students is that when you find the answer to what you want to study in college, never treat it as a final, irrevocable destiny. It?s hard for a high school student to get an accurate idea of what his or her desired field consists of. Don?t ever end your search for the perfect career path once you get to college. Fill your electives with diverse fields, sit in on a variety of classes, find professors and students and question them about what it means to do what they do.

Visti the college you want to attend first.

I would definitely check out collegeboard.com because it allows you to compare the schools you're considering and gives you a great illustration of those schools. When considering a school, I belive you should consider what kind of things you really care about. For example, would you like to live in a dorm? Would you like to live on a large campus, or a small one? Would you like to live in a city or in a suburb? These are questions you should consider before making your choice. Finally, once you choose your school, you should consider how to schedule your classes based on the kind of person you are. If you're not a morning person, don't take an 8:30 class because I did that, and trust me, you probably won't be waking up to go to it much. Also, between your classes, you should plan study breaks so that you can have a break between your classes to do your homework. Finally, try to find something you love, and join an activity based on that in order to make some new friends.

find a college that's focused on what you like to do. don't be afraid to go far away. do well on the SAT and get lots of scholarships. study what you're interested in.

Visit as many places as posible and talk to students about their views of the school dont just let the visit be your judge. Some school can make their school seem like the place to be socially, academicially, and athletically when they really werent. Take your time do your research and find a school that fits your personality. Some school have very friendly social students, some tend to have withdrawn, quiet, students that are somewhat afraid of social confrontation. Just take your time and pray to be guided to the right place.

I would tell them to find out the qualities that they like about there current school and look for some of those same great qualities at the schools that you are looking at.

Find what career suits you best, then research universities that best accomodate your choice in major. Then check costs and housing options, followed by accessibility to grocery stores, restaurants, drug stores, parks, etc. Find a university that suits you; don't make yourself suit your university.

I would strongly advise students to visit various campuses and speak to students who are currently attending the university. There are many things, such as the focus of the students or the aura of the student housing, that can't be understood from simply looking at the stats or reading blurbs. Visit the dorms, sit in on a few classes, and hang out for a while in the student union and study areas. That should give you the best idea of what the school is all about.

Make friends - they may help in the future. Have fun - life is short and you're only young once. Be brave - take chances and make mistakes. It's okay. It's college.