Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

Visit your prospective school if possible. Go to a class that you find interesting, and see if people are engaged in the topic. If they can't be bothered to pay attention and learn when they have the chance to pick their own classes, you might not want to be at this school. Also, look around. Are people crying over exam papers, or smiling and laughing in between classes. Look for a place where random students seem cheerful, because the school can't make them act like this (but they can force the tour guides!). Just remember the grades aren't everything. Do well, but also take advantage of all the activities. You might not regret getting an A instead of an A+, but you might regret not making friends or taking the time to enjoy your life. College isn't a break from life, it's part of the experience! Enjoy it!

Let your child go wherever he/she wants!

Finding the right college or university means finding a place where the student feels comfortable, but will be challenged. A good way to gauge their comfort level is to compare the college to the student's high school, keeping in mind how much they enjoyed their high school atmosphere. If they want something completely different, then exploring many locations and school sizes would be good. If high school was very enjoyable and comfortable, then looking at colleges that offer similar qualities is often helpful. Of course, keeping in mind the student's aspirations, interests and hobbies is also important, but when you're looking for a "type" of school after having narrowed down your list to the ones that offer good programs for the student's possible major, this is a good way to do it.

Selecting the right college is one of the most important decisions in a young adult's life. The process can be both exciting and nerve-wrecking. The first piece of advice I would offer to you and your family as a prospective student in selecting a college is to clearly define your expectations and goals. No one college is perfect, so you schould prioritize what is most important. The college experience is a 4-year committment and a life long investment. Make sure your investment will repay you well. Secondly, you should consider the reputation, cost, location and size of the schools. Would your needs be better served at a small private college or a large public university? There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Have an overnight stay to get a better sense of what life will be like as a student there. What you value from education is extremely important. To make the most of your college experience, do not be afraid to explore new situations, interact with and befriend diverse people, and grow at your own pace. College is a time to learn about yourself as a person, so take the time to do so.

College is one of the rare times in life when you are given the chance to explore, try out new directions, and focus wholly on finding out what interests you. There are many pressures on students to choose a particular type of college - a big-name school, the school where friends are going, a parent's former school - but ultimately, you will only get the most of college if you are comfortable with the atmosphere of your chosen school. If it is financially feasible, visiting your top choices and talking to students and professors will be essential to finding the right place. Getting to know a college is like getting to know a person - you can't get the full story just from articles and pictures. You may not know what to look for yet, so try considering these questions: how big is the campus, and where do you see yourself spending most of your time? Do the students travel in groups, or are most of them solitary? Can professors be found across the campus talking with students? What do the students say they like most and least about their school? Most importantly: never forget to listen to your insticts.

Finding the right college enlists two different approaches. First, the emotional approach: Does it feel right? You have to be open to your gut instinct about a place. Even if it looks great on paper, your next four years may be miserable if you don't really listen to your own personal response to the campus and the students. So I must stress how important it is to visit, if possible, your selected schools before you make your final decision, even the schools you?re not very set on. Sometimes you'll be surprised at which schools you find you connect with. Second, the mental approach: Do thorough research on your possible schools to the fullest detail, from the percentage of students that graduate to what the students think of the food on campus. Once you have chosen your school, in order to make the most of your college experience you must be open to new things and people and to change. Try to remember who you are and don't lose sight of your academic responsibilities, but be willing to find out new things about yourself outside of 'academics'. Your college experience is what you make of it.

I would say that it is ok to set boundaries as to where your kids can go, but I think it is important that they choose where they will feel comfortable and be able to do thier best.

go look at the schools you/your child are applying to, and see where you fit in and where you think you will be happy and do well

First and foremost, parents should advise their kids to go where they think they'll be happy. Students should also try to go to school where they think they want to live after graduation. Now that I am applying for jobs, I find most recruiters are from the Midwest, where Wash U is, and I wish there were more recruiters from the NE.

Flexibility is the key to finding the right college - what you think you want to do when in high school often is not what you want to do later. Attend a school that gives you options. Know what you believe and have goals to attain this ? use the diversity of college to challenge your own preconceptions and have the open mind that will not get offended, but learn from these challenges. Get all the free Tshirts you can. Don't strive to live for what your parents want you to live for; make sure that what you study is something that you enjoy and find worth doing. Too many live for the image others put on them. Talk with your professors when you're interested. Professors know more than you think, and are generally engaging conversationalists. Take advantage of the unique experiences of college: you will have many tests and assignments, but if you have the chance to see something truly phenomenal, don't miss it. Ask yourself what you will regret not doing 20 years down the road. Go to class. Keep in touch with family and friends. Lastly, explore and find out what?s unique about your experience.