University of Colorado Boulder Top Questions

Kids are greatly influenced by thier first year in college, and CU is mostly full of people who party; so make sure you prepare your student for disapline, and prepare yourself for what is to come.

the advice i would give to parents and students about finding the right college is to start early. you need to figure out what location and size you want, along with the education it has to offer. Second, go and visit the schools. you will know when you set foot on the campus if it feels like home. Visting the campus will allow you to know if you want to go to a small school or large or what type of school you want to atttend. Visit some schools twice and try to stay over with a student. choosing a college is very important and you want to take as much time as possible to think it through. You need to be comfortable and proud of your decision, therefore, you should start early! good luck!

Make sure you visit the city first. Learn of the weather patterns and the basic philosophies of the people who live there. See what campus is like in the winter, not necessarily just the pretty summer. Also, make sure there's a way to connect to other people.

There isnt just one perfect college for anyone, just like there is not just one perfect person for everyone. It is a search to find the best match. Parents will likely place the academics highest, and although it should be a high priority a school should not be chosen soley based on this. I had a friend who chose a school this way and was so unhappy due to other issues that she did not do as well in academics. A student who is enjoying themselves is more likely to work hard and play hard which is what college and life in general should be like. Make sure that the school you pick has a good academic program and extra curriculars of some kind that interest you. Also, though small liberal art school sometimes have a science specialty that is deemed to be very good, dont choose it solely for that fact unless you are certain of what you want to do. Chances are your interests and therefore your major will change somewhat as you go through school, and it is nice to be able to explore some other similar areas that are only offered at larger schools.

Know that you're in college to get an education! Manage your time well and get to know those around you and make friends at the same time. Don't just miss home or high school, enjoy the new experiences

Stay open-minded and don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone!

From my experience, choosing a college is an extermly difficult thing to do. I chose my hometown school, and for me, that was a bad decision. By choosing to live somewhere with a built in group of friends, I made it very difficult for myself to reach out to new people and make new friends. My advice to students would be to take the chance. Don't decide to go to a school because it is close to home, and definitely do not go where all you friends go. If you do it will be very hard to meet new people, and that is one of the greatest things about the college experience. My advice to parents is to let go. Your son or daughter will be much happier if you let them take control of their future. It may be hard to see them off, but in the long run this will be a good decision. Overall, college isn't just about the education, and if you are not happy socially school work will suffer. Even if you are nervous, the decision you make will be a good one.

The name of your school really doesn't matter so much. The quality of education you're going to get will be directly proportional to whatever you put into it. So find a place you love and can be happy for four years, because at a D1 level, the quality of instruction is pretty even across the board.

Picking the school to attend for the best years of your life is not always an easy process. Having gone through it, and relating to the stresses that come along with picking out a college can be a very over whelming experience. I visited every school I applied to, and eventually choose an out of state school that fit best with my desired major. Turns out at the end of my freshman year that I was no longer satisfied with that major, and very homesick. I was so determined to get away from home, until I realized how much the state of Colorado was a part of who I was. I ended up transferring to the University of Colorado, and could not be happier. Sometimes you may not know what you want out of a school, and the only thing you can do is test the waters. Don?t go somewhere just because of your major, because as you mature, so can your interests. When you find that school that fits you best, try everything, meet everybody, and do what makes you happy.

Make sure to participate in as many things as possible the first year, even if they don't seem to be all that fun initially. You may end up liking it, and you'll definitely meet a lot of new people. It's important to build up a sense of community and friends the first year.