Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Top Questions

For students, I'd first suggest visiting the school to get a feel for the campus and if it is a place that you could be for four or more years. Next if you already have an idea of what you want to major in the visit that department, and if possible maybe sit in a few classes. Also veiw the school's website and find out if there are ways to become involved at the school, and if there are any ways to be able to get involved in your personal hobbies. Furthermore, look into statements from current students or alumni for advice.

Make sure there are things there you want to grow into. It is easy to sustain your pasttimes that you are passionate about at most any school, so it is important to make sure you are carrying yourself in the right direction. My personal greatest struggle has been to find the same new and refreshing passions that fueled my efforts and gave my academic and social pursuits direction in the past. Be certain that where you are heading is a place where you can mix things up. Too small a school will sometimes limit what you end up doing with your time there but too large a school allows you to completely drop things and move on. Any place that offers continuity with enough flexibility for you along the way is without a doubt the right choice. Make a school your own and be passionate about the people and experiences there. No other time is more liberating and exciting than the years of college and it is a shame not to live them to the fullest while continuing to discover yourself and put yourself on the map.

My advice would be to visit as many colleges as you are interested in with an open mind and do physically visit them. You never know which school will surprise you and which school will let you down. In order to make the most of the college experience I believe balance is the key. If you can manage your time in such a way that you can get all of your work done and still have time to relax and go play volleyball with your friends or something along those lines, you will keep your stress level low and have the most fun while still getting a good education at college.

make sure you visit the school before you go! if possible you should try to go during a promotion like a campus days where everything they have to offer is presented to you AND visit on any normal week to get a feel for what the campus is really like on an everyday basis. as far as making the most of college once you're there; that's all about getting out and participating in everything you can. no one has fun sitting in a dorm room waiting for people to find them. also, STUDY HARD! whether is you or your parents, someone is paying alot of money to get you to school. dont be lazy and waste it.

Definitely visit first! Talk to as many students as you can. If you know your major, meet with the program chair. Many programs have a prospective student ambassador who is more than willing to answer all your questions and have you shadow them for the day: see what a typical day in classes is really like! Wandering around campus, definitely visit the student center and get a list of activities, exhibits and shows going on that week/month. For me, it was helpful to make a list of all the things I do at home, and all the things I wanted to experience in college. Then I matched that list to what was available at my schools. Don't worry too much about financial aid! There are numberous opportunities for both need-based and merit-based funding. It's also very easy to get an education loan (even in the bad economy) and paying back post-graduation is a cinch! I would NEVER trade my 5 years of out-of-state tuition debt for all my college memories and experiences! I went to a great school, made fantastic friends and memories that have truly shaped my life.

College is a place for learning and growth, so you should take your time in deciding which school is right for you. Decide which school you feel most comfortable at and go with it. When you are a student at whichever school you finally picked take advantage of every oportunity given to you. Most important is your school work, so go get tutoring help if you need it, but also go to football games, join an intermural sport, and live it up with your friends because this will be this best four years of your life.

The biggest advice I could give is to find a school that feels like home. Evaluate what your interests are and use that to find a school. I am a huge sports fan and I love being in large groups and socializing. When I came to my school and saw the stadiums and how large and lively the campus was, I immediately knew that's where I wanted to be. Use your instincts, if a place doesn't feel right, don't try to force it to work. And most importantly, don't let anyone make the decision for you. YOU are the one who will be living and learning at that school for four years of your life. Make sure that you can make the most out of them. Good luck!

I started with what I wanted to do "when I grew up" and what my degree needed to be for me to attain that goal. Next I found what schools were as close and as far as I wanted to go distance wise from my home. Students, visit as many college campuses as you can. I thought that I wanted to go to a university in a city and then I went and visited one and realized that it really was not for me. And I ended up in a small town of southwest Virginia. Also something that was extremely helpful for me was, once I had narrowed down my options to two school, I went and stayed with a friend that I knew at each of them. Making sure that the school has all of your academic needs is definitelty the number one priority, but the social life that you want to be experiencing for the next 4-5 years of your life is key as well. In college really finding out who you are as an individual so try as many new things as physically possible and make those four years count!

Everyone has urgency, a passion, for something that must be discovered and embraced. The content, auspicious, and complete persons embed allow their passions to guide their career choices and aspirations leading to lives of vibrancy and flow, rather than lives of ?quite desperation? ? Thoreau. Thus, I would advise one to identify his/her passion and then find a school that mirrors the discovery. It is important to find a school and community where you will ultimately be happy. As apposed to enrolling the most prestigious school to which you gain admittance, I would reccommend that you pick a cool at which you are most comfortable. This is because, I believe, college is a tremendous adjustment for many persons and so it is important that one choose a community in which he/she feels embraced, respected, and confident in. Because, in the end, the prestige of the school you went to may not be nearly as important as what you did whle you where there and even afterward. Collegewill be what you make of it and so embrace this opportunity and find a place you never want to leave.

Follow your heart! If it doens't feel right, don't go! You should never settle for a school, keep working to get where you want to go.

Make sure to visit schools beforehand. It is really important to try to find a place where you feel you will fit in. If you decide to attend a large school, introduce yourself to the professors and go to office hours frequently so that you will have someone to write recommendations for you when applying to graduate school or for a job. Take advantage of the extracirricular opportunities that the campus has to offer, they are not as accessible after you graduate. If you're have too much free time, try to change that. If you do not have any free time, change that as well. Even though they will be easy to forget about because you will be so busy, do not forget to call your parent(s)/guardian at least once per week or month. And remember that if you do not like where you end up, you can always transfer.

In order to find the right college, you do not necessarily need to know the major in which you want to pursure. Visit as many colleges that interest you, and talk to some of the students and faculty there. Observe the environment and schoo spirit around you. When you have found the right college, you will feel it.

Don't be too quick to pick a college take your time and examine all your options. The first thing you'll notice about college is the workload. It will be heavier and more intense than you ever experienced before. The major challenges of college work are the large volume of reading, the short deadlines, and the writing. You'll be making a lot of new friends. Continue to be yourself. Don't strike a pose or play the role of someone you're not. Select your friends with the same care and patience you have always used. Believe it or not, your college friendships will be among the most satisfying and long-term of your life. You may even start to think about your future. Be on the lookout for role models. Maybe a certain professor is especially inspiring. Perhaps your school has some ground-breaking research going on. Be sensitive to your own gravity. If some area of study attracts you, find out all you can about it. It might be the beginning of your self-definition process. Going to college is as much about finding out who you really are as it is about getting that degree.

If there was one piece of advice that I would give to a parent about finding the right college for their child it would be to start looking at schools early (Junior year of high school). It is important to do this because not only does the student have more time to decide what college is best for them but the parent also has time to help in making that decision, which may include scheduling campus tours and researching the schools in depth. To further their progress in choosing the right college the parent and child should make a list of all the schools that they are considering and go from there. Now that I have graduated from college I am pleased to say that I do not regret any part of my experience there and that is because I was involved in my school. I think that is the main thing in making the most of a college experience. Getting involved in activities and organizations on and off campus. It can be anything from sporting events to charitable work for the community. Being interactive with your school and peers will allow a student to have the best college experience.

College experience is one of the most important experiences in ones life time. To get the full benefit of it, it's important to have good time management skills. There are so many things that you can be exposed to aside from the academic side of college. Getting involved in different organizations and clubs to build your leadership skills, volunteering your time to service projects, attending social events, career fairs, and all these things will demand time. Therefore, if you want to be successful, you have to know how to best manage your time, your school work and social life. It's important to know your priority and have a balanced life. Good luck!

RESEARCH! and visit many campuses!

Definitely visit schools before deciding, because the atmosphere could mean everything. I wasn't interested in Virginia Tech at all until my parents drove me around the drill field area where there were tons of students hanging out and I could see the whole campus. The college life is how you make it, so even if you choose one that's not right for you, getting out there really makes any school more fun. Definitely look at Virginia Tech though! It's a great school with a really beautiful campus!

When you think about schools, you need to consider what you really want in an education. Do you want to be trained for a specific line of work or do you want a more general liberal arts education? Pre-professional schools prepare you for a specific jobs such as engineering and pre-med. Some schools have very strong programs for those interested in the sciences but might not be right for someone interested in literature. A liberal arts education equips you with general knowledge and reasoning skills suitable for many jobs. Does the college rank in the major you want to study? . While it may be too early for you to know what you want to major in , check out how strong the programs and professors are in the various fields you are considering. One indication of how much emphasis a university places on a major is to find out how many students are studying that major, how many courses are offered in the field and how many faculty members teach the courses associated with that major and others like it. This should give you an idea as to the size of the department and the range of courses.

It's always best to visit the college campus and talk with several students (especially ones that are similar to you) about their college experience. Everyone's experience is different and it's always good to keep in mind that when you visit a campus that their putting on their best face too. It's really good to make sure you, the student, is not making decisions based on the wrong reasons, like attending school because all of your other friends are going or because your parents want you to go. Certainly college is what you make it, but it's also an opportunity to grow as an individual, step outside your comfort zone, learn more about the world, and challenge your current ideas of the world around you. Especially for minorites, it's really important to consider how willing you are to encounter/correct predjudice and accept the fact that you may be the only one that looks like or thinks like you and be comfortable with that. In addition, it's also really helpful to have a good network of people you share alot with in common. Their support in my experience has been vital to my success.

Pick a college that is not too far away from home, but not too close. Being away is a great experience and a great way to learn about yourself. Choose a college that is not too expensive, but do not sacrifice a good education to save some money. Find a college with a nice environment and setting. Avoid a large college if you want to feel close to your professors.