University of Mary Washington Top Questions

First, start by making a list about all of the things that you enjoy about going your school now. Then make a list of all of the things which you consider important to have in order to enjoy your college experience . The select a number of prespective schools with these traits and go vist their campus to get a feel for what it is like. If you have any freinds or aquantences who go there ask them what they like and dislike about the school. If you pick the school that seems the closts fit to your wnats and needs then you will ave an increadbly enjoyable college experince no matter where you go.

Go to the college and listen to your heart.

It's very important to visit the schools in which you are interested. Nothing is more honest in determining the size, friendliness, and pride of a school. A visit will show you whether or not you need to plan your classes around how fast you can walk. Touring the academic buildings allow you to see where the school invests it money most: in the theater department or science department. Make sure to like the environment and feel comfortable. Generally, it doesn't matter where you earn your undergraduate degree. If you have no idea what you want your major to be, make sure to visit schools with a wide variety of majors. If you finally decide your major while at one college, you can always transfer to another school with a better program. To limit yourself by what's available at your current school denies you get the best out of college.

Check out the school first. Talk to current students about what it's really like. I really regret choosing UMW.

When looking for the right college, definitely have an idea in mind of what you would want to study and find the college that has the best to offer in that field. When I decided to go to this relatively small liberal arts university, I thought going to a small school would be the bes choice, and in reflecting I don't think a larger school would have been a bad decision either, communities of interest form easily thus making it less daunting. In order to make the most of your experience get involved in what you find interesting, it is much easier to do at the beginning, and then weed it down to what you find will continue to be important to you in the future. Never be afraid to take chances, as they help to make you who you will become, and this is a huge time where the importance of taking a chance will give direction to your future. Be open-minded, and if the going gets tough, don't transfer unless you are in a bad place for your major. I knew a lot of freshmen transfers who transferred back soon after, its a transitional difficulty.

There are so many things about college that are difficult to predict or even fathom before getting there. In today's heavily competitive college application process, it's easy to lose sight of one of the most important things in choosing a school: it needs to be right. So many will do anything to get into their "reach" school, will over-commit in extracurriculars, will live and die by who and what institution accepts them. Always keep in mind the end result. Barely making it into a competitive school means you may feel overwhelmed your entire time in college. When looking at a school, most people take a tour and walk around. While this is important, there are places people don't think to look at that will matter much more to you, should you attend that institution. Check out the campus career center. After all, college is your gateway to employment. On a similar note, try to find statistics on attendace of students at graduate schools and programs. Dig deep to find out about campus clubs. Some of the most active and biggest campus clubs are often neither recognized nor advertised by the school. Most importantly, talk to professors!

When choosing a school, the size of the school is the most important aspect that shapes all college experiences. I am so glad to have chosen a smaller school with great relationships between professors and students. When students feel appreciated and their hard work is noticed, they are more motivated to work even harder, verses being just a number. It is crucial to know the school size and the students preference, as it is the factor that can make a student like or dislike a school and their entire college experience. Another important point is to know about the college town; as grocery stores, boutiques and malls make the college experience much more enjoyable. Also, the town surrounding the college hints as to what the college experience may be like at that school. It is crucial that the students visit the campus before making a final choice. The online pictures and brochures can make the school look like a dream come true, but actually getting a physical feel for the college's environment will allow for the student to make the important decision.

Unless you know what you want to major in, just pick a college. If it turns out that they don't offer what you want to major in, you can transfer.

Make sure that it has a variety of classes to be able to have a diverse education. Also, always keep in mind how the student learns best, whether in bigger class settings or in smaller ones where there is more of a relationship between the teacher and the student. Be honest with yourself in regards to how much studying you want to do vs. how much of a social life you would want. Also, always think about what type of environment one wants and sees oneself happier in (in/near a city to be able to go out and have more culture, or a more rural area where people mainly stay on campus).

I would suggest that students spend a lot of time finding out about extra cirricular activites that a certian campus provides.

You should go to the school and see if they allow you to observe a class in progress. Don't rely on what the tour guide says, or how the buildings look from the outside. Tourguides are paid to say that the school is a wonderful place for every single type of person known to man. You should research the schools you are very interested. Talk with real students, on campus, don't just read the messages the school releases saying "these are thoughts from real students!" They have had editors select the essays that make the college look the best. Above everything, go with your gut feeling about a school. It will usually lead you in the best direction.

I would advise students to narrow down their college choices alone or with the help of a guidance counselor before discussing sticker-shock with their parents. If the student is pretty much set on what he or she wants to do, choose a school with a well-developed program for that career (i.e. pre-med or pre-law). Consider the size of the school, the teacher-student ratio, the type of campus (urban, suburban, or rural?), financial aid opportunities, scholarships, campus diversity, research opportunities, the social scene, and location (think weather and distance from home!) when researching schools. Once you've narrowed down your search to 8-10 schools, VISIT THEM! This is SO important! You learn more in a day or overnight visit than you can from all the college search books and college websites combined. Once you've chosen your final schools, be sure to tailor your applications to each school. Pick up a college newspaper during your visit, and understand the ongoings of that campus. If you search for what you want, and choose a school that is good for YOU, you will have no trouble with that first semester away from home!

Visit the school, talk to current students.

Parents, want to know what you can do for your baby who is preparing to enter the big, bad world of college? The answer is to sit back and leave the anxiety up to us. After all, the college experience is about us, not you, and that includes the long and wonderful college-finding process. The most important thing you can do when we say that we want to attend a school far away from home and in the middle of a crazy city is smile and say, "That is wonderful, dear. We support you 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}." We may not be the brightest at the naive age of eighteen, but we will learn soon enough that being 500 miles from home does not work when ill with the flu. We do know ourselves and what we want, at least, we will soon enough. As for the college experience, call us every few hours of our first days until we get annoyed and claim that we never want to hear from you again. Then wait until we realize how much we really miss you; we will come crawling back to you...asking for edible food and more underwear.

The biggest mistake that I made in my college search was not looking at or applying to enough schools. I only toured five schools and only ended up alpplying to two schools, my first choice and an alternate. I ended up being waitlisted by my first choice and had to settle for my safety school. While I have found a place for myself at this school and love my major and department, I had a really rough freshman year as I dealt with being at a school I didn't really want to attend. I would also say not to limit your college search to just public or in state schools. Private schools or out of state public schools, while usually more expensive often give competitive scholarships based on merit. There is also something to be said for moving far away from home and living in an exciting new place. Getting involved in clubs and other student run organizations is really important in order to make the most of the college experience. These organizations help create a sense of community and an attachment to place that can be lacking if you never get involved.

When you take your tours of campus, take a minute, stop and look around. Decide if you think you could be there everyday, for 4 years. Don't be distracted by all the bells and whistles that the school brags about, most of the time it's not something that you'll really use or be involved with anyway. When choosing to attend my college, I felt completely comfortable taking the tour and being on campus. Although I had my gripes for some things, overall, I enjoyed what I saw. Don't be stubborn either, no place is going to be 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} perfect, so weigh out your options, and choose accordingly.

Visit the school! Even if you don't think size matters, it definately can. And environmental factors such as setting and the people are so important, it can't be stressed enough. Just check it out!

I feel that students should have the most say in the decison on which college is right for them. College is not only a time to grow academically, but also to mature as an adult. Choosing the proper atmosphere and place where you can feel comfortable helps aid in that process significantly. On the other hand, students should also find somewhere they feel like they can also have fun and savor the chance to meet new people and try new things. Students should definitely consider if the location is suitable to the activities they would like to pursue, should check out a few majors that interest them before agreeing to attend the college, and also see if they would feel comfortable being a student in the class sizes that their prospective colleges offer. Most importantly, students should strive to choose the college that they feel can be their "home away from home," and have a sense of pride in telling others that that is the school they attend!

Choosing the right school is a very personal thing. Don?t just rely on what your friends or family think what you should do. Don?t just pick a school because it?s prestigious. There are some really great schools out there (like the University of Mary Washington) that are just as good (and you?ll be just as happy at) if you just give them a chance.

Tour all of your prospective colleges when there are students on campus. If possible stay overnight with a friend or a campus-buddy student to really get a feeling for the school. Don't make your choice upon the school's stats or which has the craziest parties- choose which one feels right to you and you feel comfortable. Thats whats most important.