Beloit College Top Questions

Look harder

Finding the Right College: Definitely tour the school, sit in on some classes and stay overnight. It will give you a much better feel for the curriculum and the overall feel of the campus than a short visit. Maybe even contact some professors that teach classes you are interested in and see what they are like. Making the Most of the College Experience: Get involved. Join at least one club. Meet people. Stay on campus (at least at the beginning), go to social events, be friendly. For academics => Try to take classes with professors that you have found effective or who are rated highly by friends or ratemyprofessor.com. Professors can make or break a class, no matter what the subject.

Finding the right college for yourself or for your children can be very stressful and confusing at times. However, focusing on this simple question can aid you making that process much simpler and even enjoyable: Whether than asking yourself "Which college will be more useful when you or your children graduate and seach for a job?", you might want to ask, "Which college do I fit the best?" Although every college provides every student with unique experiences that cannot be earned from other places, how well you or your children fit in the college will play a major role in not only what kind of experience the student might receive at college, but whether he/she will be truly desiring to become involved with his/her school and have that unique moment that can become an epiphany in his/her life. Actually visiting the place and spending a weekend will provide a great example of what that college's weekend life is like. Sitting in a class and observing the class environment will give you a good idea of the what the usual class size and the class environment is like. After all this, ask yourself, "Do I fit here?"

Research! Research! Research! The key to finding the right college is to read about and visit as many as you can. There are thousands out there and you need to start early and narrow them down. Think about the surroundings you want to live in over the next four years while also beginning to think about what opportunities the institutions can provide. Really think about what YOU want. Leading up to college the one thing that you can do in order to have a clear head and have a great college experience is to get a job and make money throughout highschool. It is important to focus on your education and not get caught worrying about if you will have enough money to go out on the weekends. That was my biggest trouble.

Visit every school you could see yourself at, and don't underestimate the importance of the school "feeling right." Also do not pick a school based on where your friends are going, and especially don't pick a school your boyfriend/girlfriend is going to.

No matter what school you choose to attend, college will be what you make of it. Any stereo-types the college may have can be easily broken with a bit of elbow-grease. That being said, the education that you get is largely dependent on the professors. Ask current students to tell you about their favorite professor, good professors often flock together and make classes worth attending. Having places to go off campus are a must. If you do not plan on bringing a car, look for a school with cheap transportation to large cities. Ask the Student Activities office if they provide any off-campus trips, it can make the difference between a good experience and wanting to go home every weekend. Finally, get an internship. Internships are the only way to make up for what every school lacks, the real world. My internship will be extended an extra summer and really make me look forward to working over the summer and after I graduate. That being said, internships are in high demand so I would recommend starting to look for something the first semester of your sophomore year, it will vastly improve your chances.

Visit as many schools as possible because it is an eye-opening treat that will truly help define the school type that you want to attend. Once there, just live it up. Study, but don't be a bookworm. Go out, but make sure the classwork doesn't faulter because of it.

I would tell parents and students to start early. The earlier you start the process, the better. You only go through it once, so you have to make the best of it the first time. Don't WISH you would have applied to more places, or visited that one school, or did that extra bit of research. And to students, go with your gut. Try not to let too many outside influences affect your decision. YOU are going there , not your friends, or your boyfriend/girlfriend or your family. So YOU have to live with it. And parents, keep in mind that this is a decision that you have input in, but a lot of it should be left up to your child. This is really their decision.

Happiness, personality, life. Words that echo through anyone's mind who is searching for a college they can spend the next four years of thier life studying and living at. From my peronal experiance finding a college is an amorphis, feeling-driven process. To make the most of your college experiance you have to find a place where you will feel comfortable living and studying. There has to be a balance between the two, college is about finding out who you are and what you want to do. Your ideas will change a thousand times durring your first year alone on what your future will be like, even if you have a plan going in. The college that you choose has to be a place where you feel comfortable experimenting, a place that can ground you durring all the turbulance. Talk to students, professors, visit the college, look at their course catalog, read a book about the college, but most of all remeber how the college made you feel. Remember to keep an open mind, a good work ethic, and look for the good in everyone that you meet.

Visit schools while classes are in session, talk with students, observe classes, and stay overnight. Do not oversimplify the process. Take the time; it will be worth it in the end.