Arizona State University-Tempe Top Questions

It is very difficult to know what is the right school until you are there. UCLA, for example, was one of my top choices until I visited, and then I realized it was not the place for me. So it is definitely important to visit. However, after touring Arizona State (where I am now attending), I was tepid about it. But after a week of living there, I knew I had found my new home. What won me over was the overwhelming school spirit, most notably expressed at the fooball games. In summary, the key to finding the right college is to narrow down your choices to the studies you want, visit all contenders to eliminate the noticeably poor fits, and then hope for the best with your final decision. There is no way to know for sure until you are there, but, overall, college is a fun place to be and you will likely enjoy any road you choose.

Having a higher education after high school its very beneficial and such a great acomplishment. Parents should always encourage their sons/daughters on achieving a higher education. They should always be there to coucil and give advice and support on everything. I started looking up colleges and talking to my high school advisors since my junior year in high school. I also gave my self plenty of time to apply to scholarships. I am the first one to attend college in my family and I had such a great support from my parents. I come from a middle class family and did not always got what I wanted so my parents could not help me financially but they were always there guiding me and giving me advice. The best advice to give a student is never give up hope and always try harder cause you could imagine it, you can achieve it, if you can dream it, you can become it.

From my personal experience, neither one of my parents really looked at colleges or got excited about the process with me. I had to do the reasearch on my own, and found myself best fit at a large University with many degrees offered and an oportunity of personal exploaration because I had no idea what I wanted to do. My parent didn't like the idea of me attending a school out of state and it was difficult for them. My advice for parents is to get excited about your high school graduate and their process of looking at schools, and remember that it is their time to leave home. Do not take it personally if they want to just "get away" from home and choose a school at a distant location. I know it's something I wanted, the aura of "different" and "new". Help your child understand that you will back them up and that you are there if they need you as a resource. Don't be afraid to surprise your future college student with plane tickets to visit a school or two. Experience it with them.

I would say if you have the oppurtunity to go to a small college your senior year in high school to get the general courses out of the way do it. Also when looking don't choose the one all your friends are going to choose the one that will take the furthest with your career choice.

Find a college that is either like the place you grew up in if you liked it, or the opposite if you hated it. Get involved. This is your opportunity to start the kind of life you want to live. At a big university, there will be enough clubs on-campus for every interest possible, and if there isn't, there is opportunity to start one. You don't need to know exactly what you want to be, but a general idea would definitely help. Sometimes switching majors will set you back and you may not graduate in four years. Look carefully at important issues for you. If finances are an issue, take the cost of your school into consideration, and look for scholarships. The most important thing to keep in mind is yourself. This is where YOU are going to have to be for the next two or more years. Make sure that you are doing what is best for you because you alone will have to live with your choice. Make your college experience one that you enjoy in an environment that you can succeed in. If you don't, don't hesitate to transfer :) Good luck!

Make sure you look at the school as a whole -- location, classes they offer for your major, social activities available. It's pointless to go to a good school if it's in the middle of no where and you're going to be so bored when you don't have to focus on schoolwork. Easy burnout.

The choice of college should not necessarily be based just on the academic quality of the school--first the student must find a college where he or she feels comfortable, otherwise even a school with the best professors--the best programs!--will not be able to help a student learn. If a student is uncomfortable, unhappy, or stressed, Academic issues arise, grades fall, and the student do not absorb the important lessons being taught to them by their professors. Some students become so disillusioned at college that they transfer schools, take time off, or even drop out altogether. The mental health of a student is an important factor when it comes to the GPA a student earns, and whether or not they finish college at all, so comfort should most definitely be a consideration! Also, students, though there might be a draw to move to an out-of-state college (to escape family, friends, the past), sometimes that is the worst decision a student can make. Many out-of-state students end up home-sick and depressed, as well as limited in financial security and support.

To find the right college, attend as many of the informational sessions at all of the different schools that you are interested in attending as possible. Many of these sessions are led by current students who can answer questions about their own experiences with the college. Once you have chosen a college, GET INVOLVED! Find clubs and organizations to join to enhance your experience at college and help to build a network of similar-minded collegues. At the beginning of each semester, most colleges host an involvement fair that showcases each organization or club that the university has to offer. Involvement in clubs really makes a difference and helps new students to connect to other students and feel more "at home" on campus.

Parents and student do their homework on the colleges they wish to attend (academic success rate, transfer rates, campus life, safety, etc). In addition to doing your homework on the actual school, contact some people that attend that school currently and get their take on the school. Talking to current students with similar backgrounds to yourself can really help gauge whether or not it is the school for you. Submerge yourself in college. You will get as much out as you put in to your college carreer. Get involved with axtracurricular activities, meet as many people as you can, and volunteer on and off campus. This will help you outside of college as well. Study more than you think you need to. The biggest problem for people at this college is not studying enough. It is really easy to get wrapped up in things outside of academics, but keep in mind that education is the real reason you are here. Read the assigned readings, spend about two hours studying for every hour you are in class, and don't be afraid to ask for help. If you do that, you should be successful in your classes here.

When you find the right school - you can just feel it. You may step onto a campus and find that there is an incredible energy, or that you enjoy the charming simplicity of the residence halls. This feeling isn?t always instant, so visit early in your search - with and without a guided program or parents - and during different seasons of the year. Meet student leaders and obtain their contact information so you can ask them all the questions you think of later. Be sure that you make the ultimate decision of where to go, not your parents; this is the first of many big choices that are up to you and you alone. If you do anything in college, make it memorable - take way too many pictures. The key to finding your niche is to try different things and be confident in the choices you make. Don?t be afraid to say ?no? and politely excuse yourself if something isn?t working. Your lifelong friends will come from student organizations and classes you take interest in. Place a high value on these people and on learning; then four years will go by even faster than high school seemed to.