University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

As a high school senior, I was really only worried about graduating. I cared about my school work, but I wasn't doing anything extra in any of my classes. I could get by (like most of my classmates) with just going to class and doing the homework. Now as I look back, I realize that I should have gotten into better habits that would have helped me prepare more for college. You don't have to read the textbook in high school and you don't really have to study that much to do well on a test. However, in college that is completely the opposite. You have to not only read the textbook, but understand what it is saying. This change has been the biggest adjustment for me coming from high school. So, some advice I would give to current high school seniors is to get into good study habits early so you know how to when your college years roll around!

Some words of advice to anyone filling out college applications and stressing about their first choice school... check it out..

Finding the right college is all about what you want to accomplish by going to college. Its pointless to go to somewhere really prestigious if you arent going to be a equally commited student, and on the otherhand you shouldn't limit your choices based how smart you think or are your are not. College is a totally new beginning, which is a really good thing, but more importantly it somthing really different and something you can screw up really easily if you are not careful. It moves really fast, so always keep up and try to have fun with what you are doing.

Be open to colleges other than your top choice. The more you explore other options, the higher your chances that you'll find the perfect school for you.

Make sure you know what the kids want. Truly choose college on how happy they will be to attend the college. Happiness can bring a lot of motivation to a brighter future.

I would tell student to visit all the campuses of schools that they were accepted to no made how far away or what the cost is, because that is the only way you will ever really know where you truly fit in.

Finding the right college takes a lot of personal reflection. You have to think about what will make you happy for the next four years, as well as facilitate you learning to the best of your abilities. High school is a transitional period where you learn about yourself as a person and as a student. Taking this knowlege and applying it to the next level is important. You have to decide if you want to be the small fish in the big pond or the big fish in the small pond. Do you want to be at a larger school with higher average numbers in terms of gpa and ACT or do you want to be at a smaller school where your intelligence is on the higher end comparatively. This is a personal choice for every student. In order to make the most of your college experience, you just have to be honest with yourself. If you want to spend four years having fun, that's fine. But if you want to develop the skills necessary to be successful in the real world, then you have to keep your priorities in order from the day you step foot on campus.

I would tell parents and students to choose the school that has the best of both worlds: academics and pleasure. I have learned through first hand experience that unless you have a strong friend base and a release from the tensions that surround the academics, you will burn out quickly. While one school might be the best in the academic perspective, if it does not have a good amount of extracurricular activities and social outtings it will be easy to burn out. I have had multiple friends switch schools sheerly due to a terrible social life. In addition, money is a factor no matter what anybody says. I personally had the option to attend the premier aeronautics university in the U.S. and ended up enrolling at the University of Illinois almost entirely based on price. And for those of you thinking about engineering, I would tell every prospective student to not jump in as fast and as hard as possible; take your time. Your freshman year will set the pace for what is to come, and getting in over your head is far from the reassurement that you will inevitably want. Good luck, its one hell of a ride.

Making the correct choice in choosing an institution of higher learning is massively important. But it is also a choice that you will never know you made correctly until you have made it. I would recommend visiting the campuses of your choices to get a glimpse of life would be like. Look into what fields of study your choices have to offer, which coincides with your dreams and personal aspirations, as well as, potential endeavors. College is about learning who you are and the person whom you aspire to be in the future. College is the place where dreams are formulated, shattered, reformulated, and finally actualized. Having more than one choice is a great advantage. One last piece of advice: being a social being and a scholar can coexist. Have fun.

In order to find the right college I would first look to see which have the major that you are hoping to pursue and then i would go visit each one. Once you've narrowed it down to two or three, I would go visit for a day. Don't simply take a guided tour, visit a current student and see what classes are like, and then see what college night life is like. A big school can be daunting but it's important to look around and see if the school has activities you'd be interested in and people you could see yourself getting along with. Making a huge school seem small can be scary at first. Don't jump into college life and join every club or make plans to go out every night. Pick two extra-curricular activities first and get really involved in them-it'll help a big school seem smaller. Also, try and pick a few classes that aren't huge lectures.