Appalachian State University Top Questions

When choosing a college, it is best to apply to as many schools as possible. This is imperative in finding the perfect match for you. As a student, you want to find a school that fits your educational, social and environmental needs. The key point I make for students is that you absolutely cannot settle for second best when it comes to your college education - this is the rest of your life! For parents, you must understand that most teenagers have little concept of money. If you do not explain to your students your financial situation, they will never know. Encourage your students to make a large selection of schools to apply to, but help them to choose schools that are not going to be out of reach (with the help of loans or financial aid, if necessary). When your college student leaves home, as a parent, it is time to accept that he or she has left home for good. The chick has left the nest; it is time to let it fly!

Go to the college you are thinking about in the winter. If you can to live there then, you can probably live there the rest of the year. Find out what extra-curricular activities they have before you get there, it makes it easier to jump right. Know what free resources are on campus and USE THEM ALL THE TIME! Study abroad at least once and for at least half a year, it will not be enough. Don't be shy. Don?t room with someone you know, best friends can make the worst roommates. Don?t let significant others stand in the way of you making friends; you will be very lonely when you break up. Don?t go home every weekend, explore the area you are in, you?ll probably like it more. Call your parents at least once a week, but not every day; you need to develop some autonomy. Everyone should live in a dorm for at least one year. Finally, have fun but keep your GPA up, the higher the GPA the more opportunities you?ll have after college to do whatever it is you want to do, even if you have no idea now.

Keep in mind what you want to go to college for. Does it have the department or major you're looking for? However, saying that, keep in mind that what you thought you wanted to go to college for may not seem so compatible in a couple months. Leave your options open. For me, academics are extremely important, but to be honest, most schools can give you a good education. Make sure that you also pick a school where you think you can be happy, not just the most prestigious you can get into. This involves things such as campus size, class size, social activities, etc. I am much happier for having chosen a good school that I can excel in, but one that I know also appreciates me.

Make sure you're going to a school where the environment is something in which you know you will not hate. Make sure you don't go select a college because the boy or girl you like is going there...that never ends well. Do not be afraid to actually explore the community surrounding your college, as this community will impact your opinion of the school far greater than you would first expect.

Students should have an Idea of what they want in life and decide which college will offer the tools and experience to acomplish this. Parents should remember that academics is only a part of the college experience. The college experience is for most students the first step into the real world. I personally have learned twice as much about life's risk, reward and consequences than about Business Marketing in my years in college and all for the better.

Don't choose the school, let the school choose you! Make lots of campus visits and choose the school which makes you feel most at home.

I would advise students seeking to come here simply because of the fact that ASU has won three football championships not to come. Those students that wish to attend a school where the atmosphere is calm and clear, where the area around the school is a great wide outdoors, and where there is some of the best sking on the East coast should most certainly apply here. There is a great atmosphere of fun, environmental awareness, political activism and discussion and invested faculty and staff here. ASU was paired with NCSU as the school I was accepted to, but I went to here, in the beautiful hills, because I was close to family, I was offered more scholarship money and, in the end, because the campus appealed to me more. The weather can be mutable, and change on a whim; the winters cold and the springs wet, but it is all just a part of the best school in NC. Don't let people tell you this is a "hick school," ASU is the best kept secret in the NC school system. I would also advise them to bring a good winter coat.

It's not always about the name of the school that will be on your diploma. Go where you really believe that you will get the education that best suits you. Go where you feel comfortable, not where everyone else wants you to go. These are meant to be the best years of your life so don't waste your time at a school that doesn't fit you (your needs, personality, etc).

Dont rule anything out, and get involved. You will have a much better time if you are making friends and doing things you enjoy. Try to take advantage of everything the university has to offer at least once. Dont spend too much time you your dorm you will get home sick, go out and explore, do something youve never done before. Parents, let your kids be adults. If you have raised them right you have no reason to worry about them, trust that you have taught them well enough to make the right descisions.

The college experience is not just about the night life. A good college has professors in your major that know your name and talk to you in the halls. Don't go for a college that is to big because you become a number. Although, not to small because then you really don't get the diversity you need to experience. Liberal schools are good for that culture. Go somewhere that you can relate too. This place is the mountains and I love them. School is the most important thing when choosing college. Make sure that the school you chose has a really involved program in your major. It helps when you get ready to graduate.