West Chester University of Pennsylvania Top Questions

To parents I would say foremost to remember it is your son or daughter that has to attend the school and not you, so keeping that in mind you want them to choose the school that is best for them. Keep an open mind when they talk about the different school that they are thinking about applying to. Discuss with them what they think the pros and cons of each school are. Seeing what they are looking for in a school will allow you to ask them why these things are important to them, and that will help you understand your son or daughters choice. To the students, I would first right down all the things you want out of a school before looking at any. Writing down key things that you want your school to have will help you start pinpointing where you want to start looking. Then rank the schools from favorite to least favorite no matter what the probability of you being accepted is. Then send applications to all of those schools. After that it is just a waiting game, and from all the schools that accepted you choice the one that was highest on your ranking.

When you go to choose a college, visit once or more and make sure that you go with your gut feeling because that is the most important feeling in the world. I went with my gut feel, the University of Pittsburgh, left for West Chester to come closer to home, and now i miss it like crazy! I am trying to transfer back for the Spring but that is hard. Just go with you gut feel and you will feel that you were right in the long run!

The main piece of advice I can give to students is to take your time. Do not rush into college deadset on a major. I believe that it is of the utmost importance that students are able to explore all of their options; they should have the chance to research different areas of learning and courses that interest them. Student's need to take time and figure out what it is that they are truly passionate about and what they feel will best interest them in the long run. I find that far too many people leave college more confused then when they started and more unsure of their majors, because they did not take the time to find out what area of learning truly made them happy and evoked a passion in them. I know many student's are so focused on graduating on time that they are afraid to deviate from the major requirements, but what is worse to me is graduating with a degree that they do not care about and that they have no interest in working with. So my advice is to relax, breathe, and take time to take in all college has to offer.

When searching for colleges, I would recommend visiting as many schools as possible. Campus tours helped me identify the size of the school I was interested in attending and which schools felt most like home. As a University Ambassador at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, I share this with high school students every week during my tours of campus. Looking at school newspapers, talking with students, and learning the most about the programs offered will help narrow down the right college. College is a completely different atmosphere than high school, and college life is only as good as you make it. Getting active on campus in student organizations, finding volunteering opportunities, and being an active participant in class will not only help you succeed as a student, but also provide an abundance of opportunities to mature and meet peers and faculty. As a senior this year, I am looking back on the amazing memories and friends that I have made because of getting involved and being a student leader. The four years of college are not always simple and easy, but if you are eager for a challenge these are the years you will always remember.

To parents I would suggest looking at tuition and the teacher to student ratio. Parents need to be aware of the security policies and how involved they are expected to be. All financial aid needs to be looked into and they should encourage their children to apply really early for aid while in high school. Students need to look at what there possible career choices are and pick the school that has most if not all of them and how effective the career programs are. All of the organizations should be looked at so you know what you want to get into when you get to college. Knowing your living expectations too are good when having a roommate. Always ask questions.

Choose the college that feels the most comfortable and has more opportunities than what you are looking to major in. For example if you enjoy criminal justice and computer science. Check out both programs just in case you start taking classes in computer science and find out it's not what you expected. If you are stuck on two colleges create a list of positives and negatives at each institution and tally up the points to make a decision. Fitting in is essential. Make sure you get involved in extra curricular activities but not to involved as it may detract from your academic success. Most importantly don't stress yourself out by worrying about every petty thing. Life is about learning and college is an excellent opportunity to get out on your own and learn how to function outside of the high school atmosphere. College challenges you to think about life in a whole new perspective than you ever could imagine.

You must visit each college campus to find out if it is truly the right environment for you. Not only 1 visit, but to stay overnight or for a weekend with a current student is ideal. It will show you what the college life is really like without having your parents beside you for the ride. Many factors should be considered into a decision, such as the amount of financial aid you will receive versus the cost of attendance, the type of living facilities available, the availability of resources that will benefit you, the student to faculty ratio in classes, the academic programs' strengths and weaknesses, the amount of extra curricular activities available, etc. Only after a visit and some weighing out pros and cons and taking MANY aspects of each campus into consideration should a choice be made. And most importantly, a college campus should not be chosen based on friends, family, or parent's wishes. The decision should be made by the student, for the student.

Don't choose a college based on what everyone else says about it.

I would say that visiting the school you most desire to go to is the most crucial thing in weighing a decision. Although as a future student you may think that this school is the perfect choice for you, you never really know until you're actually there on campus living and feeling and experiencing authentic campus life. More often than not I see students who pick a school just because they've always wanted to go there and end up hating it because it wasnt right for them.

Make sure you visit the place and ask lots of questions. Try the food, sit in on a class, talk to anyone and everyone who will talk to you. Visit the dorms, make sure the kind of people who live there are the kinds of people you want your children to be around.