University of North Florida Top Questions

Decide whether or not moving far away from home is the best for you. If you are too far away you may end up being miserable or returning home soon after.

Students need to find a college that fits their personality and goals, and to get the most college experience is to live on campus.

Apply to as many schools as you can afford. You never know where you might get in, don't underestimate yourself. Figure out what is most important to you and think about the long term. Visit schools you may be interested in and get a feel for different campuses. Always keep an open mind.

Attend a college where the environment and people around you fit your liking and you will be happy.

My advice would be for the students and the parents to go and take a tour of the college. If they are allowed, meet with one of the academic advisors there and talk about what majors the college has to offer and find out whether or not the student would like any of the majors offered there. Find out about any clubs or organizations that the student may be interested in. You want to make sure that the student will like the college that they attend.

I think to find the right college, there are many factors to consider. A big campus implies a lot of people, a lot of diversity, and a lot of partying. Too much freedom leads to unsuccessful semesters, or trimesters. I think a middle sized campus away from home and away from personal distractions related to friends and family is the best way to go. I also think if the weather is always warm, people are very friendly, and the campus is practically all outside is also the best way to go.

In order to find the best college that is right for your child, first, decide on what is important to them? Do they want to attend an Ivey League school, does the college specialize in their degree, and do they have a specific area or state that they would like to live, where are their friends going to school? These are great questions to ask and figure out before visiting the school. Research, research, research all the prospective schools and make a pro's/con's list to narrow down the search. Then, plan a trip to visit the school, take a tour, visit with a counselor and make sure this is a place you will enjoy for 4 years! Remember, if you are not happy in your environment and don't have any friends or family nearby, then this could set you up for failure. Remember this is your future, so take it very seriously! You have to look after yourself because no one else is going to do it for you! You can attend any school your heart's desires, so go after what you want and don't hold back!!! Get involved, study hard and have fun:-)

Put your whole heart into it. Stay on track with your acedemics, that is why you are in school. Dont go out all the time and dont get behind in you studies and you will do fine.

The advice I would give to any entering freshman or parents of freshman is to really look into the school, talk to the students who attend the school and see what their opinions of the professors are, and to check the statistics of the graduates getting into their career or graduate school choices. It is important to make sure that you know all about the school, such as: how are the labs, how are the teachers credentials, how are the food choices, and how good are the academic advisors. Also, when it comes to talking to the students, make sure that you find out what their GPA is, how often they study, what types of clubs and orgnaizations do they belong to, and what major are they studying. This allows for a more personal representation of how the entering student will feel. Finally, it is detrimental that you find out what the percentages of students getting into their career goals or graduate school choices. If you are trying to go to Harvard Law School, make sure it is possible to do that attending the undergraduate school that you want. This allows you to get the most out of the school.

My best advice would be to start early. With the economy situation the way it is, more and more colleges are cutting back on admitting students and the amount of classes offered. I have found that if students start early their chances of getting admitted and into the correct classes greatly increases. I know at the college I attend, the University of North Florida, the amount of classes that are being offered each term and the amount of new freshmen have greatly decreased. Another key piece of advice I would offer would be to make a schedule. When I started attending college, I made a schedule of which classes I would take each semester. I am receiving the GI Bill from the US Army and I knew that I only had a certain amount of time to obtain my degree. I learned real early that if I made a schedule and stuck with it, that I would save both time and money. So far it has worked. I currently work part-time for CSX and attend college full-time. I plan to graduate in the summer, which means that I have earned a 4-year degree in only 3 years!