University of Pennsylvania Top Questions

Whatever you do, don't get caught up in the name of a school. It may sound great to attend an Ivy League or other prestigious university, but make sure that you are comfortable with the workload, pressure, and expectations that requires. It's most important to be happy and comfortable wherever you choose to go; as long as you work hard and really apply yourself, you can acheive whatever you want. Also, make sure you visit the schools that you apply to, especially once you're really deciding where you want to go to school. That campus and city will become your home, and sometimes a visit beforehand can make all the difference in making or breaking your decision. Once you're in college, live it up! "Carpe diem" may sound cliche, but it's true. This time has the potential to be the best four years of your life, and there is a ton of resources and potential experiences at your fingertips, just waiting to be explored. Good luck, and above all, have fun!

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Apply to many schools--a few safeties, a few good shots, and a few reaches. Don't be afraid to go somewhere tough, but be ready to work hard from day one. Make sure to start fulfilling requirements right away. Don't be afraid to meet your professors and go to their office hours--you will do best in courses where you are engaged with the professor, sitting in the front row, and always being prepared. Start testing out different campus groups right when you get on campus so that you don't find yourself missing out later and too afraid to start late in the game. Have fun!

Find the one that matches you the best: what you want to do in life, what kind of students and people you want to interact with, what type of town you want to be in.

I believe that college is really what you make of it. No matter where you go, there will be people you get along with and people you don't, classes you love and classes you wish you never signed up for, and days when you are completely satisfied with your college and days when you wish you were anywhere but here. If you make the effort to make strong connections with people and make lifelong friendships, and you take advantage of all the resources and opportunities available to you, you WILL have a wonderful experience. Just make sure to surround yourself with things that make you happy and focus on doing your best.

Every high school senior stresses about college admissions, while his or her parents save every penny to finance the education. Yes, it is tough, but to every situation there is always a perfect solution. Online search for schools is great, but in order to make the best decision you should visit the school. No excuses. Only then and there will you know if it feels right. Stay over for a night, take a stroll on a school day and see what is going on around campus. If it matches your expectations, then do not hesitate and apply. Only YOU can make you college experience count, no matter how well the school is advertized or criticized by others. And as far as the financing education goes, there is always help. You just have to look for it. Besides the piggy bank and FAFSA, there are hundreds of scholarships online. The college itself may offer you one, based on your grades or the program of study. And as always, do not wait till the last minute to apply to college or for the financial aid. Do it early. Save yourself the trouble, and get what you want and need!

Don't become too preoccupied with ranking. Its about finding the school that is the best fit for your personlity, learning style, and future goals. Look for a school that has a strong and well respected department for your field of interest. If you are not sure what you want to major in look for a school that is strong all around. Definately try to get a sense of what kind of students go there and what it takes to suceed. Pick classes STRATEGICALLY. I cannot stress this enough. College is NOT about learning as much as you can, thats what reading is for. Pick clases that you can excel in and balance it with courses that are challegenging enough but not impossible. Choose professors that can be helpful to you in the future: recomendation letters, jobs, research, plain old personal development. But also enjoy yourself, find and OUTLET (ie: music). Make the most of opportunities that come your way and study a little bit everyday, it will save you ALOT of trouble. Finally, don't be afraid to define your own path, you might be tempted to do what everyone else is doing academically DONT. FIND YOUR OWN WAY.

The schools you've applied to probably all have comparable academics, so choose based on what you think you'll be doing in your time outside of class. Make sure you consider the resources available around campus - are there restaurants, clubs, places to shop or is every worthwhile activity on campus? Try to get a feel for what the social life centers around at each school. If prestige or reputation is important to you, don't worry about whether or not that's shallow and consider it equally with all the other characteristics of the schools you're looking at.

I have only one simple piece of advice: choose a college that you enjoy AND can afford; it's not worth going into debt just to attend your reach school. Your college experience will be whatever you make of it regardless of where you go, so choose somewhere that's affordable.

Go where it is cheapest.