University of Miami Top Questions

Think about everything. Where you want to be, what you want to study, where you are comfortable, everything. Don't make yourself live someplace you're not comfortable just because the name of a school sounds good. Consider everything in order to make the best of your college experience.

To parents, I have two pieces of advice. The first is to tell the truth. Admit where you can send them and admit where you can't send them. Do not let them apply to somewhere they will not be able to go. Often, the greatest disappointment is getting into the school you really wanted to go to, to find it is impossible to attend. Secondly, not all children can be president or a rocket scientist. Do not send them to college expecting the college to make them into what you want them to be, they will become what they want to be, no matter which college they go to. If they are forced to become something they aren't they will be forever unhappy. To students, do not apply to a college for anyone else but for yourself. Do not go to a party school just because everyone will think you're awesome, don't apply to an expensive school to show off your Mercedes, do not apply to Harvard because your mother said to. Choose what's right for you. You know exactly where you want to go if you look inside yourself. Follow your instincts.

When choosing a college, don't base it on just the name: visit the college, do background research, find out about the different activities offered there, etc. Honestly, I'm at UMiami because I feel at home there and there is so much that I can do not just for myself in order to get into medical school but also to keep life balanced (life isn't just pre-med and Chemistry).

The advice that I would give students is to follow your instincts with college. I wish someone had told me to worry less about the amount of variety in classes and more about the general atmosphere of college. College is where you'll make your truest friends, and in order to do that you'll want to find a place with people like you. Choose one that suits you academically and locationally but within those choices make the one with the personality type most like yours your priority. You'll be happiest and learn best with people like you. Also take the time to join clubs and make sure you do at least one study abroad program. Once you start working in the real world you'll have less opportunity to explore and learn about different cultures. Study abroad will give you a chance to learn more about yourself, and see America from an outsider's perspective. Take a look at the Earth from another angle. And lastly, push yourself. College isn't party time, it's learning time. Have fun but use your brain to its fullest.

Every students has different needs. Be it social, academic, or economic, there are many aspects of college to consider while choosing the college that is best for YOU. Fortunately, we are given a variety of educational establishments that strive to meet the needs of each individual student. While investigating these diverse opportunities to further your education while bettering your life, remember to put you first. Decide what is most important to you: what makes you most comfortable, what you are looking to get out of your experience, what suits your needs best. Once you figure that out, choosing a path for further education will no longer be a daunting task, but more of an exciting opportunity that will indeed change your life. After that, the rest will fall into place. You will meet the staff, professors, and students that will shape your college experience and enhance it to its fullest potential. You will indoubtedly become the person that you stive to be; maybe not while in college, or directly following it, but when it does happen, you can be sure that because you have chosen the opportunity that was best for you, your college experience was a major shaping factor.

To make the most of college, you need to be open minded and willing to put yourself out there to meet new people and do new things.

The advice I would give students in order to make the best college experience is to choose a school that represents not who you are but one that reflect who you want to be and what you want to accomplish. College is a time to make sence of the mess you made of your self through highschool and find out who you truley are. Once your there completely immerse yourself academicly and socially because remember in this world it's not only what you know but who you know as well. Most importantly be proud of your colors.

Try anything the school offers with staying overnight.

Devote your entire first year to meeting as many people as possible; these will be the people you make great memories with. Spend freshman year indulging in the college experience, even if it comes at the expense of your grades. You can play clean-up next year. The most important part of college are the experiences you have, not the classes you take. In fact, most of the knowledge you'll attain will not come from textbooks, but from the people you meet.

In order to find the right college you should research colleges and if possible visit them. I was not financially able to visit the colleges of my choice. The first time I visited campus was on the first day of orientation and luckily the University of Miami is perfect for me. I recommend parents to save, plan, and visit colleges with their sons/daughters before their freshman year, because college is only the most important decision a person can make towards their education. I advise students to get involved in college. There are millions of life changing experiences offered via your college/university. College is very different from high school and home. In order to make the transition easier, I recommend finding friends you identify with morally! You would want to share the same interests. If you have friends that don?t take education seriously, you will find yourself putting other things before school. The key to succeeding in college is time management. The A students doesn?t necessarily party lesser than others; they utilize their time to their advantage. If you don?t procrastinate and study a little everyday you are guaranteed to succeed.