Ursinus College Top Questions

What should every freshman at Ursinus College know before they start?

Sarah

If you are planning on attending a small liberal arts school, you should worry more about location than anything else. You will meet amazing people, be able to study what you are passionate about and will ultimately recieve a great education and a great deal of good memories no matter where you go. Don't worry about making friends, because you will end up meeting people who will change your life even if you don't actively try to. If you don't know what you want to do for a living, college is a great place to learn about everything that interests you and to help you find a path in life. Take classes that appeal to you and not just ones that pertain to your major or future career. It is not only more fun, but you will become a more well-rounded person for it. Bottom line: I only got into my last choice school, and I am having a wonderful time. College will be a lot of fun and a lot of work, sometimes both at the same time. It is absolutely worth it!

ashley

I would say that parents need to ask as many questions a possible when touring a college. sometimes students do not care about the specifics and will not think to ask them. i know that my parents helped me out about asking the more important questions that i should have asked , but did not. As far as maing the most of your college experience , i would say the most beneficial aspect i encountered was getting involved. this is how you meet new people along with changing your campus community .Being involved makes your campus overall a friendlier place to be .

Margaret

Make sure to visit the college if you can. Spend the night so that you get the real experience and not just what the tour guide tell you. Eat the food and talk with the teachers to see if the campus is a fit for you.

Mark

Know what you're looking for. If you have a plan, that can help things for many people (though not all - some people are flexible enough that they can adapt to any situation without needing a prior plan). Get ready to take charge if you're a student, and to let go if you're a parent. Get ready for new experiences, both awesome and difficult. Get ready to make new friends, even as you keep those old ones. Don't play it safe when you get to college - get out there, have fun, throw yourself into academics and campus life, maybe make a few mistakes - we all do, and we all have. But finding a college is such a personal choice - it really is up to you the student, and your family. So many factors play a role in your decision, but remember - are you looking forward to it? Is this going to be a positive step? Whatever fits you best is going to be the right choice, and that right fit is different for everybody.

Joanna

Make sure to visit the schools that really interest you. Sometimes a school can look excellent on paper, but in actuality, the visit to the campus can show you that it doesn't feel like a good fit, or vice versa. Make an effort to speak to the students on campus - not just your tour guide, who may not be able to give you honest answers to all of the questions you would like to ask, but the students you see walking around. A lot of times, just their willingness to stop and talk to you for a few minutes can show you the true nature of the community on the campus. Once you do pick a school, try to always keep an open mind. You are probably going to now be in a situation where people have radically different views and backgrounds from you, and it's absolutely necessary that you are ready and willing to accept those people and discuss issues with them in a healthy and constructive way, rather than judging them for being different from you. In my opinion, this will allow any student to get the most out of his or her college experience.

samantha

make sure you visit it a few times, spend a night, try an get a real sense of what it means to be there. also look into the academic programs and whether it fits into their overall goals

Shoji

Take every opportunity you are given to visit and experience the school to ensure that you will enjoy the next four years of your life and then take every opportunity to ge involved and to do well at the school. Don't waste this experience. It is four years of your life.

Scott

Don't spend too much time looking at the numbers the school throws in your face. Take a couple tours with different tour guides and talk to them. Then, take a walk around the campus itself and talk to as many students and professors as you can. The administration is just going to hype up their school, but the professors (especially if they have tenure) and the students will give you a much more realistic view of what life at the school is like. Try to find out what social activities there are, what clubs and greek organizations exists as well as what cultural activities happen. Check out the theater and music departments to see where performances are held, and make sure there is both a theater and music department. In addition to this, sit in on some classes. Make sure that you not only see classes in your potential major or majors, but also some potential core required classes that you may have to take. If the professors don't care about lower level core classes, then its a good sign they don't care too much about the school either.

Wesley

Find a college that feels like home

Colleen

Plan for somewhere you can afford. Choose a community, not a location.