University of Delaware Top Questions

Look for the one that fits you, not one you can fit into. There's many good schools out there, don't limit yourself geographically just so you don't have to do your own laundry. College is a unique chance to define and redefine yourself. It's a time for friendships, learning, adventures, and mishaps. Most importantly, your college experience is and will forever be a time of your life; live it well.

I would encourage students to first determine what it is they want to get out of their college experience. Next, with the end result in mind, choose colleges that offer a variety of social things you are interested in and a small variety of academic majors that you may be interested in. Eliminate colleges that do not fufill both your social and academic wishes for college. Don't be intimidated by the larger schools or the more difficult ones, since the school can really be as small as you want.

As a high school student, I was constantly bombarded with mail from colleges all over the country. My advisors instructed me to attend college fairs. My parents insisted that I buy book after book filled with, supposedly, the best colleges. But when application deadlines arrived, not a single one of these factors influenced my decision. Sure, the books helped me when I was looking up information like tuition and available majors at certain colleges. But the most important factor in my search for the right college was the location of the school I would attend. Compared to choice of majors or housing availability or variety of meal plans, I feel that location is equally important. Consider that climate, availability of internships and job offers locally, transportation costs, and appearance are all dependent on location. For example, a college in rural upstate New York has a much colder climate and a limited availability of internships. However, if you enjoy the snow and already have an idea of where you would like to work after college, this may be the best place for you. Whatever the case, location must play an important role in your search for the right college.

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the child should stay over at the school if possible. dont be overly concerned about what others will think about your school if your happy there don't let other make you feel like it's not acedemically good enough. to have a great college experience be open minded because you will be faced with many new and exciting situations. be yourself and it's a once in a lifetime opportunity so LIVE IT UP!

The one piece of advice I would give to students is to listen to their parents wisdom and advice when it comes to choosing a college. I did not listen to my mother, and my first semester of college was spent at a conservatory that I detested. The saying, "Mom's always right" couldn't have been more valid. My mother knew I wasn't going to like it, but I failed to listen to her and did what I wanted, because obviously I thought i knew more than she did. In the process of transferring, I , unlike the first time, consulted and relied on my mother for help choosing a school. We both picked University of Delaware, and it ended up being the best decision for my educational career. Your parents know you better than you think. Listen to them.

The most important thing when choosing a school is the feeling one gets when they visit the school. Take a look around and ask yourself if you could see yourself actually sitting in the seats in the class rooms and walking around on the campus. Take a look around at the people and ask yourself if you could be friends with them. Those are the things that are the most important while in school, not the prestige a school might have. While in school it is important to focus on what is important to you. Remember that getting an A on a paper isn't worth losing yourself over. Take time to relax and enjoy yourself during this wonderful time of your life.

TO the Parents: Tell your kids that Drinking and partying all night isn't going to land them a job and sacrificing going out with your friends will definately benefit you in the long run. TO the Students: It goes alot faster than you can ever imagine. You get out of it as much as you put in. Don't pay thousands of dollars just to drink every night, when you can do that for free. Actually LEARN, this is the stuff your'e going to need to use for your job and rest of your life. Love and cherish every moment of it, even the long nights you spend in the library. Don't pick a school just because it sounds "COOL" to leave home and pay $60,000 a year for a school that may not even be that academically prestigious. Most likely your state school has the best price and the best academics. Make friends with your professors, get to know them. They will help you out when you need it and believe ME your going to need them somewhere along the line. Try your Best and LOVE every second!!!

Parents and students should take the time to carefully pick out schools based on size, weather, distance, and interests. It is very important to visit these schools and even have an interview or overnight stay if the school allows it. Getting a feel for how the school functions before you get there can be very helpful in picking the right school. Once there, many students tend to focus on a particular career path the whole time they are in university. They only take particular classes and learn very specific things. However, that does not mean that this is wrong. Choosing the right major is extremely important, but one must not forget that "general education" classes are essential for one's education and future. No matter how good your high school teachers were, they only had time to give you very superficial introductions. Being learned in the fields of science, history, literature, and even the arts are essential to becoming an educated member of our society. I would also advise students who has the opportunity, to study abroad. Through shared experiences, I have concluded that it is one of the most helpful and exciting things one can do while in university.

It is very important to get a feel for the school in terms of how it functions, what the students, classes, and teachers are like. You should definitely visit the school while classes are in session. If possible sit in on a class or attend a special summer session for prospecting high school students. The school you pick should not make you bored, and if you like meeting people of different cultures look for that at the school. I would highly reccoment picking a major, and not starting undeclared because at my school, you will be living with and have several classes with other freshment in your same major and this is a great opportunity to get a good start in school. I also highly reccommend living in a dorm on campus (with someone you don't know) for at least the first year so you can really get connected with students and hear about all the great event and activities that are always going on. It is really important to get the full experience of college to participate in sports or clubs or join greek life.

Choose a college that you think you will feel comfortable--acedemically and socially. I would feel bad for anyone who tried very hard to get into a cut throat school, just to spend most of thier time there struggling to keep up with thier peers. And also the 40,000 - 50,000 a year schools don't seem worth the money. You will get a good education at any major university private or public .The school you choose should be a combination of how much you like it with its value.

Don't just pick a school based on a scholarship because college is stressful enough without having to think about maintaining a certain g.p.a. Be realistic about what major you choose, especially for people going into a math or science field. I would say half of my friends who went into their freshman year majoring in math or science changed majors after a year. This could also cause major problems with your credits transferring over to your new major. Picking the right size school is also a major factor that influence's a student's success in a school. I go to a big college and with big colleges there is an inevitable chance that you will be in large classes, which leaves most of the learning on you. I personally do fine in large classes but some people need more individual attention or need smaller classes to actually go to class because many students skip large classes regularly. Last but not least, remember that your academics come first. Don't pick a school in a location/area (such as a large city or big party school) if it's going to distract you from your studies.

Students go to college with the main priority of getting a great education. Of course you need to get good grades and succeed in college to get the job you want but, there is more to college than education. The college experience and the years you spend there are suppossed to be the best of your life. You cannot just focus on school all of the time, although that is what is most important. The ideal college has a balance of both. It needs to have large libraries, plenty of study lounges, and intelligent professors but, it needs to have some life to it. It needs to be in an area where the student can get rid of the stresses of that day's tests and become a young fun loving adventurer. I have learned the hard way that if you focus only and solely on education and working you will fail no how smart or driven you are. You need a college that allows you to stop and smell the roses for a minute. College is a time for you to learn but it is also valuable time of your youth you will never get back.

You probably won't know if a college is right for until you are actually there as a freshman. Although you can get a good idea about what the college is like through tours and advisors, you won't be able to fully understand the atmosphere and campus life until you experience it for yourself. Do your best to find a college that makes you most comfortable during your visit. If you look around and see students that look like yourself or your friends, you're probably in the right place. Also, make sure you understand what the college is good at teaching. Don't expect to get a good liberal arts education at an engineering college just because it has a recognizable name.

When you're looking for a college, take time to see how you fit in with the campus, people, and opportunities. Do you feel welcome? A college that puts noticeable effort into making you feel welcome may be a college to seriously consider when it comes down to deciding. The college I attend was not my first choice, it was the school with the best offer. However, after speding one year there I am very happy. No matter where you choose to go, make sure you're open to try something new. An activity you don't usually participate in may end up being fun. You may meet your best friends where you least expect to. Take advantage of every opportunity by trying it at least once because you may never know what you'll regret. That's what college is...a new opportunity. So take every opportunity you're given and run with it.

My advice to parents/students would be to visit (attend a class) during the college's academic calender. You need to feel like you belong and will be comfortable living/studying in this environment for four years or more. When you have made your decision, visit the college of your choice several times and attend all orientations. I have met the best friends in my two years in college and we will probably be life long friends.

Find a college that you are enthusiastic about. If you get that "warm and fuzzy" feeling when you're there, that's the right place for you! I didn't know where I wanted to go to college, but when I visited Delaware, I saw myself living and learning there. I knew it was where I was supposed to be. I wasn't 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} sure, I never really am about anything, but you just have to go with your gut feeling. Ignore what everyone says about what is a "good" school. It's all about what you make of what is given to you. You alone can make your college experience great.

Student gives her advice to incoming freshmen on academics.

Find some place that will give you a great education that's not overpriced. Good reviews of advisors and instructors are key, the teacher sometimes makes/breaks the class. Make sure you find a place that will be compatible with your comfort level, meaning size of it and surroundings. Most schools offer many opportunities for jobs, sports, and other activities to get involved in so pick some out that might interest you. Joining a group like that sometimes makes it easier to meet people. It's about education, flat out bottom line, but make sure that you have fun along the way because that is what you're going to miss when you graduate.

Try something new. Go to college away from where you grew up, somewhere you'd like to explore and learn more about. Pushing your comfort level helps bring out the real you. I went to college 3000 miles away from home and learned so much about myself by doing so.