William Jewell College Top Questions

Of course think about the future, and of course find a college that has the best program you can find in your field of interest. Just remember though, college is as much part of life as any other part of your life will be. Try not to become so fixated on preparing for your future that you forget to stretch yourself too thin, make the occasional poor decision, grow and develop through your mistakes. Be an overachiever, by all means. Just remember that being an overachiever means you've got to step outside of your dorm room, even when you're not going to class. Make friends with your professors, try to develop something new and original through each class project. Join a club or group that supports your interests or causes you care about. Don't forget, whatever you do, to cultivate dreams and make memories. Have the time of your life, and discover who you really are.

I would tell parents and students to have a lot of choices of colleges in mind. Do not just pick one and go for it; keep a very open mind and do not ever "judge the book by its cover." Don't give up on a college if it seems too expensive because there are many ways to get "college money" such as financial aid and scholarships. When finally narrowing it down to where you really want to attend, be more picky. Look into the campus and details about the school. Take tours, ask questions, talk to people there, etc. Focus on school and still have fun!

Finding the right college is a very difficult process. Some good advice about finding the right college would be to find a school that has everything that the student wants in a college. For example, pick a school that offers the major the student wants along with the sport the student is involved in. Or a school that has organizations the student is interested in. To make the most of the college experience the student should be involved in campus activities and should make friends with the other students at the school. The student should explore the city in which the school is located and they should have fun.

The best advice I can give to students would be to make your own decision. Parents have a say in where you apply, and even in where you decide to attend college, but ultimately, you have the final say. Pick a college based on your reasons, not the reasons of your parents. Your success at college is based completely on your enjoyment of the institute you pick, and you will not enjoy it if you allow someone else to make that decision for you. The best advice I can give to parents is to simply let your children go. One of the reasons that picking a college and then leaving for it was so nice for me was because my parents gave me reign to pick the school I wanted. They made sure that my reasons for picking said college were pure, but ultimately, it was my decision. That saved a lot of heartbreak on a lot of sides and made for a much more successful transition.

Make sure you are very comfortable with the campus and the size of classes.

Bigger is not always better. Jewell has a broad varity of students and experiences because it is small. The staff as a whole takes a strong interest in their students. The president and his wife hold open house for students to come by and have a homey and welcoming enviroment. I wouldn't change this experience for the world. Jewell has so many opportunities for all majors. It has been a great college experience. My older sister is about to graduate in the Nursing Dept. here at Jewell and my brother graduating from high school this year has applied at Jewell so it has been a great family tradition for my family. My father has brain cancer and Jewell is close enough to visit him often but still has the college enviroment every student should experience. I love Jewell and highly recommend it to everyone.

When looking for the perfect college, all the choices and information can be overwhelming. However, I found that the best way to know if a school was really right for me was to visit the college, talk to both students and faculty, and just get a feel for the campus and how it work. This will also allow you to explore whether the programs will work for you, because each school approaches the same kind of major a little bit differently. As far as making the most of the college experience, get involved, do not be afraid to try something new, and go meet people. There are times when you feel like the only thing you want to do is sit in your room, but if you are not sitting there for the purpose of finishing your homework, go find something fun to do! Everybody is in the same boat, and if you all get involved together, there is going to be endless fun and unforgettable memories.

I would tell parents to be as pro-active as possible when their studentis deciding where to attend college; it's important for the student to like the school they chose, but it is also important how much the parents like the school. I would also tell parents to be as involved as they feel comfortable in their student's first year experience because that really does shape how the next few years will fare for the student. I encourage students to involve their parents as much as possible while in college because that time does not last forever and it is really beneficial to have parents' wisdom and experiences in addition to their own. I would also tell the student to be open-minded to new things because some dreams don't start until college and anything is possible. One last piece of advice is for parents and their students to sit down together and discuss finances because money and finances are where a lot of students make mistakes that stay with them long after college.

Pick a school that will dynamically challenge the student in ways that most colleges will never be able to provide. (i.e. community outreach, real-life organization involvement, strong student/teacher relationships)

It is easy to ask what students like about their school. Ask students of your perspective choice what they *don't* like and why.

Make sure that your child is ready for school, especially academically rigorous school. Many times, students in high school that did not really have to try hard in class to pull straight A's will struggle with the change in coursework that they face in college. This can lead to burnout and severe loss of confidence in some students. It may be a good idea to have your child take a summer course right before school starts to give them a jumpstart on the difference between high school and College.

Go to the campus and experience it for a day or so. Make sure you feel at home there before officially deciding and just follow your heart. It always works out for the best.

Find a college that you can live with the whole time you are there. If you pick a college that you hate just to go to college you won't get anything out of it. Get involved whenever you can. This is a great way to meet people and learn more about the people around you and will also give you a little incentive to get through those hard days. Be open-minded to others. You never have to change your own beliefs, but if you can learn to get along with others whose views differ from your own you will find that you can have friends, very good friends, from all walks of life, and these friends are essential to getting through your days at school and beyond.

Let your student decide. His or her level of interest and curiosity is healthy. Let your son or daughter research and choose a school on their own.

When choosing a school, one should choose one that's far enough from home that if the student really gets homesick, home is only a few hours away. But a school should be chosen for its academics AND social activities. Too much studying can take a toll on one's mental health, because the weekends are for unwinding, not for more studying. Freshmen year is where everyone makes 1st impressions. Don't make a mistake because then everyone remembers you from your freshmen year, and you can't erase what's in their mind. Don't enter into serious relationships with someone you date--the 1st college relationship either results in marriage or a crash/burn result. Take studying seriously, and consult teachers during the office hours because those hours help and make you seem like you care about your grades. The Greek life is nice but being independent give you more freedom. Keep in touch with old friends because new ones are fun, but old ones are the ones that know the REAL you, not the new college invented self.

Start early and think things through. Taking the time to weigh ALL the pros and cons of each college is crucial. After that, set up visits, contact professors and current students and get all the information about the college before enrolling. Do not make a decison based off of pressure from parents, teachers, coaches, or even friends. Remember it's one of the most important decisions of your life and it should be treated that way. Its your education, don't waste it.

There is no mathematical equation for finding the right college, and no magic potion to make a college experience enjoyable. Everyone, and every college, is different. The best way to find a good fit at a college (and enjoy your time once you are there) is to take advantage of all your resources! Colleges are selling a product, so take time to find the information you need to make your decision. Do more than surf the web to find out about a college's reputation. If possible, schedule a campus visit and a phone interview with department chairs. Stay overnight in a freshman dorm. Spend a weekend in the town. Walk around the quad: can you see yourself here? Once the term begins, your college will probably offer orientation activities. Go to them! Some of them may be cheesy, but it is definitely easier to start classes seeing some familiar faces. Spend your first semester dabbling in--but not committing to-- all sorts of activities; anything at all you might be interested in. Once you understand what classes and the people are like, you will have a better idea of where and how you'd like to participate on campus.

I would tell students to make sure they visit and look at a lot of colleges before making a decision. Take into consideration more than just academics also, for example study abroad programs, flexibility/availability of classes, activities and honors programs.