Vassar College Top Questions

When I graduated high school I was looking forward to the wild ride ahead. I had an open mind, a new wardrobe, and was ready to solidify friendships and my own identity. But when Freshman year began, it was not the wonderful roller coaster I expected-- I wanted to get off. Though I had spent a summer preparing myself for college life, the efforts of putting my past aside, reaching out to strangers, taking on a drastically different workload and adjusting to the opposite of home-cooked meals overwhelmed me. I felt disconnected, disappointed, and lonely. Now, as a Senior who has experienced the most elated highs along with the most dejected lows during my time here, I am grateful for the disorientation I once felt. If I could speak to my excited , anxious high school self, I wouldn't tell her to expect the loneliness and fear that I experienced at first, but to keep on striving to fulfill those dreams of a fierce, confident identity and amazing lifelong friends. By staying focused on my goals and values, my good friends and community work, the ride has been just as thrilling and beautiful as I had hoped. Keep going!

I would tell myself to expect the difficulties inherent in change, and be careful to make thoughtful choices. And dump your high school boyfriend.

Through the anxiety and stress of the college application process, from standardized testing to applications to admission letters, people learn a lot about who they are as individuals. It is a journey of self-discovery best undertaken with openness to new ideas, people, and places. So many people enter the process with ridged expectations and don?t open themselves to amazing possibilities that they could have never imagined. I was one of those people, but I took one risk and applied to one school so different from where I was coming from in life that no one thought I would actually go there. That one risk has changed my life so much for the better, and I would never change it. There are kids that go to their first choice schools and hate it, and there are those that find themselves somewhere they could have never imagined and flourish. The real difference between the two is an openness to growth that empowers a student to take full advantage of the new ideas, new people, and new places that every college provides. That is the thue measure of success in finding the right college and taking the most from it.

Follow your heart and make sure you like what you're doing and who you're with. That's the best advice I can give.

Selecting a college may be the defining choice of your life. That being said, I think it is a choice that should be wholly with the heart. If you can go to school somewhere where you will feel at home (even when you are thousands of miles away from mom and dad), then everything else will fall into place. At college you meet your soul mates, people always imagined were out there waiting to meet you, but could never find. You will learn and love and become the very best version of yourself, and the place you have chosen will shape you. So look for a place that just gives you a big feeling deep in your stomach, a feeling that great things are about to happen for you. Odds are, you're right.

College is a great time to discover who you are and what path you want to follow in life. In order to choose the right college experience, take not into consideration facts you have heard about the school from others. Take the chance to visit the college, ask the current students questions and allow your ward to stay over at the school for a weekend or even come for a day of class. Through the little visit, the prospective student will be able to find out more about the school than any catalog can provide. Also, parents should trust their children to choose schools they think are right for their various temperaments. No student should be forced to attend a school out of obligation. It takes away all the fun that college represents. Either way, the college does not matter, it is waht you learn that matters the most.

Parents: Visit 100 different colleges. Buy 100 college books. Talk to as many people as possible! In addition, why don't you just go ahead and freak out?! Here is a much better idea...you should calm down and listen to your student. What kind of activities do they want to do in college? Do they perform better with small classes or would they rather take large lecture hall classes? Start with the small questions that affect everyday happiness and don't pressure your student to go somewhere just because you think its a great school. If the shoe fits, your student will know. Students: Let your parents help you make your decision, but don't let them make the decision for you. You will be happiest at the place that fits you best. Search for a match. A match is best discovered by visiting a campus. But remember, the prettiest campus is not always the best match. When you finally get to college, don't hesitate to get involved. Do what you love or try something new. And finally keep your door open (literally and figuratively)!

Try to choose a school that has the best all around selection of attributes that you are looking for. But honestley don't stress about the perfect school. There are are probably 10 schools that you would be so happy at. To make the most of college once you get there don't go in with any preconceptions about yourself, the school, your classmates or what it will be like. Live a balanced life and find what you love.

Make sure you weigh carefully all of your options, thinking not only about the prestige of the school or the value of the degree but also of the social and regional environment you'd like to spend the next few years of your life in. College is about so much more than academics; make sure you're purposefully seeking your new home when making a decision.

Check the Career Development and internship funding opportunities. Also, make sure that there are ways for student opinion to affect administrative decisions.

I would say to students that choosing a college is a very personal matter and no matter what anyone else thinks or feels, ultimately it is your decision because no one else knows you better than you. Figure out what you want in a school, but be mindful of flexibility; sometimes the little imperfections about a college are what make it right for you. I would ask to the parents to make sure they realize how stressful this is for their child and to try to not magnify the situation by adding any extra pressure. Although they can weigh in on the decision and offer opinions when asked, some parents need to remember that their child will be attending the school, not them. No matter how hard it may be the student should have the final say because they are the ones who will have to live with their choice for the next four years. That being said, no decision is ever final. I've known plenty of people who have transferred or changed their plans and have still been perfectly happy. The bottom line is college is what you make it. Go in with confidence and an open mind!

Before you decide on a college it is crucial that the student spend atleast one night by themselves to see if it is a comfortable place for them. Often times what seems like the best place does not actually fit with the student's personality. Once you choose a college, when you get there, it is important your freshman year to join atleast one extra cirricular activity in order to keep yourself busy for the begining of college, and also to meet some of the people on your campus.

Make sure it is a career focused college or university. Spend time on the campus to figure out if you can picture yourself as one of the students there. Also, sit in on a class or two to associate with how lectures are held. Transfering colleges can be a hassel, so try to pick the right one the first time around.

Actually visit the colleges you're interested in before filling out the applications the day before they're due. Also fill out the applications earlier than the day before they're due.

College is what you make of it. So, don't worry too much about finding the best college, worry about finding one that you're excited about. Seek extracurriculars, new friends and councelors to build a strong foundation that will keep you sane during midterms. Don't assume all the professors are out to get you either, chances are they want you to succeed just as much as you do. If you have a problem or you need help, don't be afraid to talk to them. Once I figured this out, my college life improved 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. Keep an open mind while strengthening your own beliefs through research - education doesn't have to mean having the same idea as someone else, but rather learning the tools to form your own ideas. And finally, learn to cut the parental cord and explore your world! Going to college 3000 miles away from home strengthened my relationship with my parents as I grew up into an adult.

Research, research, research! And don't be afraid to be strict in your criteria -- the more restrictions you place on what you're looking for, the better chance of you finding somewhere you will be happy. Make sure to visit campuses -- this is best to do during the academic year so that you can see what the campus looks like with students in classes. It also gives you a greater opportunity to talk with students and professors about their experiences and views. Most of all: don't be afraid to trust your gut instinct. Sometimes you really dislike a college, and you don't quite know why. That's okay! The converse is also true: if you just fall in love with a school for no definable reason -- trust yourself. You will end up going somewhere that makes you say: "I can't believe I ever thought about not coming here!"

First figure out what it is that you don't want from a college- that's a lot easier to ascertain than what you DO want from a college. In touring a bunch of different schools, i was able to figure out what didn't fit for me. By the time i found the school that fit me best, my experience with what i didn't want had conditioned me to see clearly what i did want. At that point it was just a matter of filling out the application. Try everything once and keep an open mind- perhaps my biggest regret from college is that i didn't get out there and take advantage of all the neat resources that were available to me the whole time. Join clubs, play a sport, do something that interests you beyond schoolwork- that's how you meet the people you went to college to find in the first place.

Do what you feel seems right, finding a comfortable place in college is easy no matter where you go. Just follow what you feel seems to make sense and you will be fine. It's a scary proccess but it will turn out fine!

Follow your gut.

Finding the right college is a daunting process. Not only is it about fit with the school, but other factors such as proximity to home and tuition cost must be considered. Although it is easy to just assume everything will work out, the truth is that picking the "right" college is a lot of work. One of the best things that you can do is to find a school that is open and accepting, where there are many opportunities for people of different backgrounds to find their places. By choosing a school that has a wide array of opportunities, students will be able to make their own fit within the environment. In order to make the most of college, students should experience as much as possible. College is not just about academics; it is about the experiences that a person has while engaging with peers in a collegial setting. Academics combined with social and extra-curricular experiences make the complete picture of what a person gets out of college. Do not limit yourself from exploring the college environment; find more about yourself beyond the books that you are studying.