University of Minnesota-Morris Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior. I would tell my self to just relax and not to stress or worry about college because it will be fun and being away from home and my friends and family turn out find. I would tell myself to just follow my gut and realize that no matter where I'm going to make the best out of situation. You may be leaving your friends and family that you've had for a long time but there are just some of the people you will be friends with in your lifetime and it's time to meet some new people and have new experiences. Finally I would tell myself that change is good and going away from the place that I've lived my entire life will help me discover who I really am and what I really believe. Don't be afraid to show who you really are or to follow your dreams.

As a High School student, it was my aim to separate from my family - not completely, of course, but to become independent and begin my own life. I have learned the value of parental input into decision-making, and I have come to appreciate all that my parents have done for me as I've grown. The advice I'd give myself if I could re-do my transition into College life would be to allow more parental input into my selections - both of the college, the location, and the courses I've chosen. The wisdom they have gleaned from their life could only benefit me, and I now understand that I don't have to personally learn my lessons the most difficult way possible - by making wrong choices and suffering the consequences. I want to be independent, but I'd also like to be wise. With wisdom so available to me, it's really a bad choice to shun it. There's no one else on the planet that wants the best for me as much as my parents do - no one who loves me more. I was really dumb and prideful not to realize that.

I would tell myself that there is no real need to worry about any of the things that you thought would go wrong. As a senior I was worried that I wouldn't make any friends, and that the friends that I had in High School would grow distant and I would lose touch with them. This led me to become rather intrverted at the beginning of my college carreer. I have met so many wonderful people at UMM that I feel rather sheepish ever doubting their integrity and that I wouldn't fit in there. In addition to that I would make mention to myself that mistakes you made in High School don't follow you to college so you don't have to hide from them. I think in general I would tell myself that you need to be outgoing and not be bothered about the past, because that is exactly what it is; the past. Nothing you can do can change it so there isn't any need to worry about it. Go out and enjoy yourself and meet all the wonderful people that life will throw at you. Just avoid people called Dan.

Don't be scared to leave home. It will be hard, no doubt, but your family will always be there. Make alot of new friends and don't let people who think they are better than you walk over you. Life is too short to be stressed out and let that happen. Get involved with things you enjoy on campus and don't be afraid to join things to make friends. Also make academics a big priority! I know it will be tempting to dink around your first year, but really your education is what your here for. Get good grades, make lots of friends and enjoy college while your there!

Pick a University with many academic options and with a wide range of people and views. Living in a dorm is a great way to exposure yourself to new people and new ideas.

Some advice I give to students looking for the "right" college is to know what they really want. Something as simple as the size of a college can make a huge difference between schools. College is the time to discover oneself, so giving in to peer pressure easily is not the best option. Put yourself out there and try out a new activity, something that you may have always wanted to try- rock climber, newspaper writer, performing artist, radio station disc jockey, etc. Partying or video games are fun, but they can become addictions and take away from one's college experience. My final piece of advice for students and worthwhile college experiences: make healthy choices, build lasting friendships, define yourself, and build your resume.

The University of Minnesota, Morris is a welcoming and extremely friendly school that will accept you as you. The liberal arts feel gives opportunities to express yourself in a number of ways, including arts, theater, or joining one of the many clubs and extra-curricular activities. It is set in a small town (about 5,000 people) which makes it feel like home, even if you are hundreds or thousands of miles from your family. It is easy to establish a new family at this university with peers, community members, and even faculty/staff. If you are looking for a serious, well-rounded education filled with cultural experiences and lifelong friends, this is the perfect school for you. I would recommend it to anyone.

school visits are very important. it made my decision happen, and I am very happy with that decision.

The best advice I can first of all give to parents is, let your kids make their own decisions. It is just fine to give your input, but the decision to go to college is their choice, and the decision of which school to go to is their choice. The most important part of going to school is the experiences you have while you are there. It is very difficult to have great experiences when you are unhappy with the school you are at. The best advice I can give a student about finding the right college for them is to make sure you look into several schools so you know what you like in a school and you know what you dislike in a school. By looking at many schools you will be able to see the good things about some schools, the bad things about other schools, and hopefully find the perfect combination for you. Pick the school you will be happiest at.

My advice to parents and their children going off to college is to the parents, actually participant in the decision making process of where your child goes to school. Yes it in the end is your childs decision but it is to big of decision that needs some guidance. To all paretns just because your little babies are all grown up and going off to college doesn't mean your guidance is not need. Also, take your time and make sure that the school really fits you. Maybe go visit more the one time, just to make sure. Advice to the students going off to college is don't get all wrapped up in the partying. I know some schools have a bigge reputaion then others but every school is a party school. Yes you are there to have fun make new friends but you are also there for an education. So just have fun with caution, there is more to school then just partying, you do have to go to class.

I would advise parents and students to vist the colleges they are interested in. They should set up meetings with the programs and faculty that are in the fields they are interested in.

I visited as many colleges as I could, and applied everywhere I was interested. Many schools have waived application fees (or have the ability to do so), making it fairly easy to delay a choice a bit longer. Take the time to visit the schools you're really interested in, and after a tour and meeting a professor, wander into a student commons and talk to a student or two. See how friendly they are (but excuse them if they have to get to class). Ask them their opinion of the college. Plan your visit around a sporting event. Do students show a lot of school spirit? This might also give you another opportunity to ask students their opinion of their school. Also check admissions standards to make sure they are the fairly high, but not way above your head. You want to get in, but to have classes at an appropriate academic level for you, strive to fall near the 'average' scoers for the campus. Do a little hands-on research, and the right school will sort of find you.

Tour the colleges. This gives the students the feeling of what the campus atmosphere is. Talk to the students at that college. Ask them what life is like, what happens on the weekends, and how the academics are. Finally college is what you make of it. If you have a bad attitude, or don't feel the right vibe then something needs to change, whether it's the college itself, or the student.

Start looking at colleges early (around winter of junior year) but don't try to look at too many. Think about how close you want to be at home, what classes/major your looking for, how large the school is, is it a suitcase campus (everyone goes home on the weekends), what is job placement like after you graduate. There are so many things to think about so if you visit a campus and it clicks with you go with your gut feeling. When in college, make the most of your experience my being apart of many different groups. Don't limit yourself to things that you've already been apart of in high school. Widen your horizons and meet new people. Also, don't go home ever weekend because this is the time that you bond with your floor the most!!! They're like your new familiy and if you leave everyweekend you won't get to know them and it makes for a horrible expereince. Have fun but make good choices and you will have a great time.

I would tell students that, in order to have the best experience in college, they should research colleges/universities early. They should make sure that the college that they choose is the right one for them. If they grew up in a rural area, they may enjoy attending a more rural school and vice versa. Also, students should be open minded to not only new ideas, but to new types of people. The college experience is about learning who you are in the world and learning about people and ideas that are different from your own.

Find a college that feels right to you. Money is always an issue when figuring out what college to go to but there are a lot of great colleges that teach as well as a private college for half the price. Try classes that you enjoy doing like if Math was your favorite subject in High school take a Math class and see if you want to major in it. Be involved with things that you are good at like acedemics, sports, arts, etc... If you don't really know what you want to do in life right now that is okay because there are people at college that will help you find your passion in life.

Tour the colleges you are interested in, Find out what financial aid packages they offer and the {4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students receiving financial aid, Understand the amount and type of research at the university of interest, and what major has the most opportunities/is most well-known, GET INVOLVED when you're an undergrad, Make relationships with your professors and MAINTAIN THEM (they will be the key to your future careers!), and ENJOY yourself-- if you're not studying what you enjoy, if you don't feel like you can be yourself, it's not going to get much better as the semesters continue!

Finding the right college is all about gut instincts I believe.If you find a college that is great for what you want to go into, it may not be a right fit for you neccessarily. You have to find a school where you can be yourself. Unless you're being completely yourself, you're not going to be able to fully enjoy and appreciate your college experience. College years are supposed to be the best of your life- the ones where you find yourself and your meaning in life. When choosing a college, you'll want to wait until you find one where you know you're supposed to be. The perfect college is like a great pair of shoes... they have to fit just right for you to be able to stride.