Eckerd College Top Questions

Weigh the pros and cons of big and small schools and let the student decide for himself what feels right. Don't worry about money. Consider the location

The best advice I could offer about finding the right college is to step back and look at the school without the rankings, without how your friends and family perceive it. Visit the campus, talk to current students, and see if it feels like it could be home to you. You will make more out of your college experience if you are somewhere that fits your personality, interests, and lifestyle than if you go somewhere just for the name recognition. Once you are at college, take advantage of every day and new and unique experiences. College is the time to join that intramural sport team you always wanted to try, meet friends that have completely different views than yourself, and discover what you are wanting out of life. Get to know your professors well as they can help you later in life with graduate schools and career advice. Don't just float through 4 years, spacing out in class and binge drinking on weekends. Engage yourself, engage yourself, engage yourself.!

Visit colleges, when you get to the one that you are destined to be at then things will click. It will feel like your new home and when you leave, you want to come back.

Don't be afraid to be honest. As a student you have to go to a college that is going to give you what you want and what you need... not your parents' wants or needs. I would lie if I said college is all work and no play but I feel that is a good thing. You have to be willing to buckle down when necessary and have fun when you can. Don't pick a school just because it has a beach pick a school that can give you the atmosphere that is most beneficial to your future. Finally, after choosing school and being there for a semester, if it seems really hard and you want to leave... give it some more time. It takes awhile to realize that a school is right for you, but you will know, just give it enough opportunity to prove itself.

To find the right college, you need to tour the campus more than once and read up a lot about the college. Talk to people who go there, graduated, transfered out, transfered in, parents of students, professors, etc. Email professors, read the school paper. Get to know the school your interested in because when you finally get to the right college for you, you will enjoy the experience so much. Everything will feel right, activities will be available to you that you enjoy and your friends will be similar to you. In this, you will enjoy yoursellf so much.

First off, choose the environment that you feel naturally comfortable in. After all, you'll be living there for four years. Visit the area to get a feel of what the lifestyle is like at the college (dorm life, night life, dinning facilities, etc). Also get a feel of whom you're going to be going to school with. Eckerd College can give you all of these experiences with our Perspective Student Weekend where you can live on campus and do what Eckerd students do. You also get to attend a class and get a feel for what it will be like academically. Once you?ve chosen your college, you should attend all of the events and sit with new people (I still meet new people at Eckerd's events, such as the Social Justice dinners). You should also make sure you take time to study and especially time to relax. If you only focus on work, you?ll end up missing out on what?s happening around you. You have to make college your own experience, do anything that interests you, make mistakes and live your life.

Find a school that is comitted to their students, don't go out and find the biggest school you can, find a small school where students will be forced to interact with their students on a day to day basis, small classrooms, will help to make students and teachers have a closer relationship.

I beleive that it is very important to visit prospective schools, multiple times if possible. I feel the best way to find the right fit is to spend time on the campus, and interact with current students. I know that for me, Eckerd just 'felt right'. It is important to read all the literature that you can, but it is just as important to talk to people who are actaully living the experience. Meeting with professors, and other staff who can give you a better idea of the academic climate on campus is important, as is interacting with students to get a feel for the social dynamic. Make sure the school offers ample classes in your intended major, and once at school, for goodness sake, go to class. I cannot stress this enough. The books may give you the information, but there is no substitute for learning something first-hand from acomplished professors and mentors. In college, you will grow and discover more about yourself than you thought possible, and it is an incredible experiance- this is why choosing the right school is so crucial. Try not to stress, have faith in yourself, and consider your choices carefully and honestly.

Where ever they apply they will find friends, do well, and have fun along the way