University of California-Irvine Top Questions

I would save as much money as possible for a child going to school. If you have a good job, its a negative for a student because then they are forced to find other ways to get money besides federal aid.

The best advice I would give to any student is to choose a school that really fits them. You really need to think about what it is you want from a school and what traits about a school peak your interest. While that does sound clich?, not many people tend to think about this. Most students think that going to a "top" school such as UC Berkeley gives you the best chance for success, and that is not true. I choose UCI for all the wrong reasons and while the school is great and helpful to their students, looking back I wish I had followed the advice that I'm writing right now. In most cases what school you graduate from doesn?t have any bearing on what you will do in the future. The school's name on your degree doesn't make your future; it's what you do at your college and what opportunities you take advantage of while attending. The best advice I can give to students is to think not only of "top" schools but also smaller schools that may be able to give you more opportunities.

I was never much of a dancer or a hip-hop enthusiast. In fact, many considered me to be the exact opposite. In High School, I was known as the Entertainment section editor of my school newspaper who wrote an entertainment industry commentary every issue (sometimes despised for our perceived elitism) and playing gigs with my hard rock band during the weekend when I am not too busy meeting story deadline. It wasn?t until college that I found dancing and added onto my already relatively successful academic career with a huge hobby. I began doing hip-hop choreography and eventually into the artform of hip-hop dancing named popping. It would be hard to contact me at nights after class because I would be trying to catch the next workshop taught by the most accomplished choreographers?all while maintaining an acceptable GPA. I do not consider myself a successful student because I balanced a school and a hobby. I consider myself a successful student because I found something in college that I couldn?t imagine living without?a true passion. Finding something you love in college is the one thing I would suggest and hope for every student.

Go to the university before hand and see if you can feel a part of the school. Also, live on the campus dorming for atleast your first year. Living in the dorms, rather than off campus apartments, makes adjusting to school much easier. When deciding what school to attend look into how many past people have graduated in the subject that your are planning on majoring in, this tells you how successful this major is for that school.

visit the schools of your choice before attending or accepting any offers. It might help you a lot especially when college coursework itself can be stressful.

Look for the college you think you would see yourself going to. If you pick colleges only based on their rankings or how well they play a sport, you're only looking at a small fraction of the diversity in the school. If money is an issue, make sure you find somewhere that's affordable, educational, and fun all at the same time. If you know what your career choice is going to be, stick with it and find a college that's willing to offer you that career! If you don't know yet, that's what college is for- to find what you truly want to do in life. Being happy and learning all you can possibly learn is what college is all about.