University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

The college experience is a very personal experience for students. Students need to choose a college that gives them a ?good feeling?. When I first visited my college, I instantly felt at home. I was comfortable and safe and excited for the future. Once that feeling ensues, it remains with you throughout your college days. There is so much more to the college experience then academics, whether parents want to see that or not. Academics must be supplemented with extra-curricular activities and supportive people. Activities and people enhance a student?s time in college. Both motivate and educate students. Whether activities include school sports or participation in plays and whether people include dorm buddies or professors and teaching assistants they are crucial. The balance of socializing and studying, experiencing life on your own is the educational part of college.

Don't just consider academics; consider the people that go to the school.

Pick a college that has a diverse student population. There is the obvious advice, like going to class regularly and staying on task, but you also need to go out and meet new people. It is okay to party, just do not let it take over your college experience. Meeting new people and getting to know about people from different backgrounds is a very important part of the college experience. I have learned so many things just from talking to different people that I will hold dear to me forever. Another important thing about going to college is not to be afraid of change; embrace it instead. Going through changes and realizing who you truly are will help you become a stronger, more confident person in the long run. My suggestion is to go to a school that is not to small, this way you will have more room to grow. Be very friendly, because in college you will definately make friends you will have for life.

Pick a school that you can afford and has the most opportunities for you. Think about your future as well as the here and now.

Understand that each college has a group of people that you or your child could fit into. Don't rule out big schools just because you think they're too big. There is always a way to make a big school smaller through clubs, activities, and classes, but it's much more difficult to make a small school bigger. Also, by joining activities freshman year, you make it easier to make friends with similar interests and beliefs as you. \

The advice I would give to parents and students on finding the right college and making the most of the college experience is when selecting a college, you should know what type of environment you want to be in. A lot of traditional colleges with may come with extra distractions that may cause a new student to stray from the main focus which is the studies. Students should also know how to balance school work and social life. No one wants to sit at the library constantly studying and miss the entire college experience. Students and parents should realize that college comes with a lot of freedom that the student probably didn't have at home. So, students need to know how to be responsible for their actions but parents also need to trust students to make the best decision for themselves. Choosing the right college takes a lot of research on the college but you also need to know what you are looking to get from that college whether it is a degree, a good experience, new friends or all three.

Visit, visit, visit. Walk through the busy quad on a schoolday, spend a night out on the weekend and stop in a class of your interest. Do not solely base it on the level of academics. It needs to be a place that fits you. Also, do not be intimidated by size. Usually in large schools there are many different places to find a smaller community that fits you even better because the vast amount of choices. More money does not mean the degree is worth more in the long run. If you are determined to succeed almost any school will get you there. College is a time to learn and grow to who you want to be for the rest of your life. One last tip look at some of the professors backgrounds and see if they attended the school as an undergraduate. It is always great when they have, you know they love the school!

My advice to students about finding the right college and making the most of their college experience would be to choose a college where they feel they would belong. If one does not feel comfortable and satisfied with the college that he or she attends, it is likely that he or she will suffer academically, emotionally, and socially. Also, I advise students to pick a college that will offer the most achievements and support towards their future and careers. This can be accomplished by researching about the different colleges and visiting the college as well. My advice to the parents of the students is to take the time to talk over the positive and negative aspects of each of the possible colleges with their children. Not only should they give their opinions to their children, but they should hear out their children's reasons as well. Overall, parents should be supportive, patient, and respectful of their children's decision.