University of the Cumberlands Top Questions

The advice that I would give to parents and students would be to go out and visit the colleges that you are looking into and take time to sit in on classes and to spend the night or nights in a dorm with residents, maybe even take a day to shadow one student in order to get a feel for how the average college day goes. When you do find that right college take classes that match your type of personality. For example if you are a night person try to take classes that are later in the afternoon or at night in order to do your best in each class.

Take into account the school's financial aid above everything, and also know their affiliations and how safe the campus is. Make sure that you have opportunities to get involved with community services and programs that interest you. Don't just go somewhere because you think it will be fun and the social life will be great, and also don't just go somewhere so that you can study yourself to death. Find a place where you fit and make sure that you tour the campuses and ask questions when you visit. Pray about it, talk about it with your family, be prepared.

Go with the college that you share the same views and beliefs. It is very important to be somewhere were you will feel safe. Go with the school that will give you the best degree but will make you happy at the same time.

Ask the students who go there what it is like. Don't trust the school to tell you it's dark secrets. Look for places you feel comfortable and where you know that you will not be treated unfairly and discriminated against for your beliefs or sexual orientation. Once you find a place, get involved. Go out and explore. Meet new people, try new ideas, be safe, but don't throw away opportunities to understand the world from another's perspective.

Finding the right college is important, because from my past experience I learned that finding a place away from home needs to be a place that feels like home. Parents and students need to search schools that have the fields that the students want to pursue. Also, look up the school find pictures of what might be expected or contact someone from that school and ask a few questions. I am sure that the person will not mind. The most certain thing about finding a niche far away from home is finding all the information you can get. Look up the sports or clubs that might seem interesting. The cost of the school is priceless in comparison to the values the student will acknowlegde. Making the most of college experience is experiencing the right college for you. A college where you will meet your life time friends. Join clubs or a sport that you enjoy. An important advice I have been told is pick a major that will give you a career that you will be fond of for the rest of your life. Also, most importantly, have fun but do your homework.

I would give them the advice to make a list of what you want in a college and use that to be guidelines for which schools to look into. Then, once you find that school, visit it a couple of times, spend the night with a resident, and sit in on several classes, that way when you get here for the semester, you can get to know how some of the profeesors teach and what to expect as a student there on campus. Apply to multiple colleges that way, when financial aide comes in for each school, you can compare which school will give you more money in scholarships, etc, and which one fulfils your guidelines you set up at the very beginning.

Visit the campuses, the brochures are nice, but don't always accurately portray the campus from a students' perspective. Sit in on a lecture so you know how the classes operate and know your own limitations. If you are going to stay academically focused and will easily be distracted by a"party" school, keep that in mind. Get the opinions of the students attending the school.

Be sure to focus on what is going to make you happy in the bigger picture of life- not just whats going to make you happy now. Focus on what you're interested in, and when visting campuses, figure out where you feel most comfortable. These are the things that are going to matter in the end.