Berry College Top Questions

Get the most out of your college career. Don't let any moment pass you by, get involved and stay involved. Don't worry about grades, I mean make high enough to be able to stay at the institution, but don't freak out not making as well as you did in high school. College is not high school, there is no one out there telling you to get up and go to class, it is your responsibility, no one elses.

As an out of state college student, that is one who went to high school in New York and is currently attending college in Georgia, I feel I did not research my college's ideals enough. To the fresh, flush and cute future freshmen out there, my advice is this: In visiting a college or university, be sure to ask passerbys what college life is like, not just the tour guides. I recently spoke to a "passerby" prospective student who asked me several down-to-earth questions about the college In our conversation, I found her views of campus life to be a sugar coated, surreal, and interestingly idealistic example of what the campus life is actually like. Her views were eeriely not unlike my own when I was just as flush, fresh, and cute. Of course, one's interpretation of one's surroundings is completely subjective, but I feel I did not see enough of my college to get an adequate interpretation; one fitting a decision as big as college. So, my advice to her and to future students was and is: Research past the tour guides before you pick your new way of life.

My advice to any parents or students makign that tough decision about college is to relax. The less stressful the process is, the easier it becomes to find the school that is right for you. Make the search fun by exploring a variety of options and visiting as many campuses as possible and treat it as a new adventure, not a death sentence. The same can be said for making the most of your college experience. College can create a lot of pressure, but as long as one learns to relax, the immense amount of stress becomes a lot more manageable. And remember, college is about more than just preparing yourself for a career; it is about growing as a person and enjoying the last few years where bumming off your parents is okay. Get involved; do extracurriculars and make friends. Studying 24/7 is just as detrimental as not studying at all. Grades are important, but so is your growth as an individual. Its true that college is tough, but it can be fun and rewarding as well.

Visit, visit, visit. You can't judge the "feel" of a school based on websites and applications. As for making the most of a college experience, just get involved! Find one or two extracurriculars that speak to you, and devote yourself to them wholeheartedly.

Visit the campus and talk to the students.

You should visit as many of your potential colleges or universities as possible. This will help you get an idea of the atmosphere of the college and whether you could see yourself there. For example, if you go to a school and it is very crowded, busy and stressful feeling you may not feel like you would belong there. You should also try to identify what is important to you personally about a school and use that to decide whether you want to go there or not. For me, I wanted my school to be reasonably close to home, not as big as a major university, and have values similar to mine. These were the most important criteria (other than quality of education, obviously) and using these as a litmus test helped me to find a college where I feel like I belong.

Students - visit all the colleges you can, even some that you aren't considereing, just so you know what is out there. When you finally pick the school thats right for you - get involved! It's the best way to make friends and balance out your career. Parents - don't pressure your student to go to a school they want to go to . Let them make the decision, because these next4 years will be the foundation for the rest of their lives and they need to know that they made the choice.

I would say visit the college more than one time to make sure it is the right college for you. Also ask about the class sizes to make sure they are the right size for you. Attend any type of programs that allow you to become familiar with the college and try to stay overnight with a student of the school to get a firsthand experience.

For high school students looking for the "right" college to go to, this is my advice: go with the one that feels right- that makes you feel at home. Apply to as many schools as you want, but when it comes to picking "the one," go to the campus, talk to the students & faculty, and ask questions. This is one of the bigger decisions that you'll make in your life, so make it the right one. And don't let money be a major problem (sorry parents:), because there are tons of scholarships out there that are available to you and all colleges have financial aid. Someone once gave me the advice of never letting the issue of money come before your education, because it's probably the best thing that you'll buy. Also, when you do get to college, get involved. College is a TON of fun, both in the classroom & out. This is the time in your life when you make the friends that you have forever. Don't forget to study, because that's important too; but don't hole yourself up in your room every weekend-it won't be fun. :)

Make sure you look at multiple options. Keep location, distance, reputation, atmosphere and finances in mind (in no particular order). Make sure the school you choose is one that both parents and students are happy with. When you find a school that you fit at, make the effort to meet new people and get involved on campus. Lifelong friends, and decisions, are made while attending college.