College of William and Mary Top Questions

If you want to choose the right school, visit all your options. Don't just take the tours they offer, explore the campus for yourself. Ask people you know who attend the school about everything that comes to mind. Be sure you know what you're getting yourself in to.

Go with what you feels right. Visit all of the campuses. Talk to students when you visit and ask them what they like and don't like about the school. Consider if more expensive schools are really worth the extra money for you.

The best advice I cna give is to go visit campuses during the college search. When I found my school, I just had this feeling that it was right for me. No matter what the credentials of a school, you need to feel good there, and love your surroundings. As for during college, I strongly believe that you need to work hard, as well as have some fun. Don't completely immerse yourself in work, by any means, but get what you should out of your college experience--knowledge. What other time in your life do you get to do nothing but study whatever interests you? Take advantage of it.

Let you child pick the college that they like best.

Choose a college that makes you feel most comfortable.

do it

I would say that the first step to finding a college that you will enjoy attending is to be honest with yourself about what it is you most want from the experience. Next, it will be helpful to read as much as you can, and ask as many questions of students and faculty as possible, to find a school that will best provide that. For example, if you really want to share in cheering for a sports team, it would probably be best to find a school with a really good program that will inspire team spirit. If you want to explore a research interest, you should probably find a school where faculty are available to oversee undergraduate study and the institution can provide the tools and finances you will need. Once you're enrolled, sample a broad array of classes and immerse yourself in the material; you could discover an interest that you never had access to in high school. At the same time, be pro-active about extracurriculars, lectures, and social opportunities to find a niche. A lot of this - broadening your horizons and actively engaging - is cliche, but over time it has seemed increasingly true to me.

Parents and/or students should think about what type of education they are looking for and how hard they are willing to work to get that education. There is alot of information about all colleges out there in the world that could tell you what kind of people attend the college, how much money it costs to attend, and the degrees offered, but unless you spend some time around the campus and area, it is hard to judge if the school is a best fit. I highly recommend going to the college and spending a few days in the area to really experience all that the school has to offer. Hearing what students have to say and how they feel about the school is also very important, not just the guides and admissions office, but students who are just walking around campus, as they are the best judges and have alot of opinion to offer.

College is what you make of it. There isn't one perfect choice. The best you can do is pick the best fit for you, don't worry too much about getting into that first choice, and make the effort to become involved and invested in the college you choose.

Two things can happen as a result of the college application process: you can get into too many schools, or not enough. As long as you're eager to attend many universities and apply to those schools, it's almost impossible to go wrong. The most important lesson, though, is that the college admissions process should be an exciting and rewarding one. College is a fantastic experience no matter who you are or what you do-- you've just got to be eager, enthusiastic, and meet those deadlines!