Boise State University Top Questions

I think the most important thing to think about when going to a college is to allow yourself to have an open mind. One of the most important things I have learned thus far in my school career is that I am not always right, and not only have I learned this, but I welcome the experience to have conversations and learn new things.

make sure you have enough financial aid and explore the school before you attend

Make sure that it is the college that the student truly wants to go to and give them positive reenforcement on anything that they tell you.

Have an open mind about everything. Don't go into college with assumptions about how it's going to turn out, because odds are those assumptions or expectations will be blown out of the water. Sometimes it's for the good, but it can also be for the bad.

work hard

I would tell them to live on campus for the first year no matter what. It is really difficult to make friends and connections in school if you do not have easy access to the social circles. My school is a commuter school and I chose to live off campus, I know have to work very hard to socialize with people in my classes just to try and make friends and even then, I usually only end up having those friends till the end of class. It makes college a lot easier, more enjoyable and fun if you have a group of people as your buddies through out the whole experiance. I know sometimes I hear people say what I said, that they don't want to live on campus because the dorms are small, overprices and not private, but I would have given up those luxeries of living at my own place to have a better social network now, and for the rest of my college life and maybe more.

Find a collage that works for you. Just because your best friend is going there or your parents graduated from it doesn't make it the best collage. Just find one that works for you and has the classes that you can take. Also one that is in your budget because it sucks to take out student loans.

Research it before you apply. School is expensive and you will want to be somewhere that fits your beliefs and isn't too liberal or too conservative.

Perhaps the best advice I could give anybody about to choose a college is to know one's self and know how the colleges being considered can cater to your wants, ambitions, and personality. Know why you are going to school, and try to get of an idea of whether or not you can be happy there. If a person cannot be happy where they are, then they won't deliver in class the way they should. Overall, the key is the research of one's self and the place they plan to plant themselves in.

Look for a school that gives you enough to do outside of school to be able to relax and take your mind off of your studies from time to time.