autumn
Don't let money always be the deciding factor; it can ruin a good opportunity when it comes along. Parents, it's your child's education, let them decide, and if they've made the wrong decision, they'll know. Be kind when they do realize it, and they'll thank you for it in the end. Students, give your new campus atleast a month, and sooner than that, and you'll regret leaving. Change sucks, and you may not have a lot of friends, but they'll come around. You may not be best friends right away, but you'll make those, too. Keep your head up, and focused on your studies at first, and when your social life picks up, you'll already be doing well in school, so your social life won't "interrupt". Good luck!
Katherine
The "right" college is a place that you can imagine yourself as being there. Walk around those campuses that you visit and look to see who is there. Watch the people and how they interact. Watch the campus life as a whole and watch for things that impress you. Do not go into a college expecting to find certain things, but go in with a open mind and you will discover the college that will provide some of the best times of your life that you will rememebr years after graduating.
The right collegeis a hard thing to find, but do not give up! The right college will be found. After getting into the college that is meant for you. Jion clubs, the senate, or other activies, Sports is an excellent way to meet some of your best friends. College is a experience that you will not forget so long as you get involved and make a difference in your school. Go in to freshmen year with the only thought that, "I am going to college, it will be a blast! I am going to have hard times, but I will learn some of the best lessons of my life!"
Rebecca
When you take tours of colleges, take the time to talk to actual students living on campus. Find out hot the student population feels about their school. Any administrator can tell you that their school is the best, but when the students have rave reviews, it means a lot more.
Parents, don't push your kids to go to a college where they will be miserable. Atmosphere means more than you think, and traveling to visit colleges that are possibilities for your child is important.
Anna
Make sure that you know what is truly important to the school and that their priorities are your priorities. There are so many great schools out there, but that doesn't mean they are great for you. You want to choose a school that will challenge you, but also one that will help you along in the direction that you want to go.
Joel
Unless you have an actual career in mind to shoot for, something that you're really going to put effort into and make a serious lifelong goal, don't even bother. College is, to me, just a huge monthly bill that I only look back on fondly because of the friendships I gained (including my wife). If you are determined to go to college (hopefully with a specific purpose in mind), take every opportunity you can to enjoy time away from classwork with friends. These will probably be your friends for life. Cherish the times you have together while you have them, as you don't know if you'll be able to see them as often later in life. And if opportunities for internships and the like arise, TAKE THEM. Everyone wants experience these days, so you're going to need every bit of it you can get.
Caleb
In order to find the right college, you need to get out and look at many different colleges. More than likely, the one that your parents went to will not be the right one for you, but you should look at it anyway because it might be a fit. When yoiu visit a college, talk to the students that go there. They will give you more acturate answers that the admissions counselors and will also help you determine how helpful and friendly students are at the college. Find a group of colleges that you like and apply to them; once you are accepted you can play them off each other to see which one offers you the best deal. For this to work though, you have to keep your options open and do not commit too early. Most importantly, keep a positive attitude to help you be more successful.
Daniel
The strange thing about current college culture is how career focused the college decision has become. It has become not as much a learning experience, or a process of growth and maturation, but an investment, or a rite of passage for a credential obsessed society. However, as a recent graduate, I can assure you that a diploma is a worthless piece of paper if you are only using it as a ticket to employment. After all, it is, in fact, a lie that mere money can buy you happiness. You must consider, especially for such a grand commitment of time and money, not just the financial payoff, but the personal payoff as well. So, in choosing a college, I would strongly advise not looking for the most lucrative option, but instead look for a community that you can commit to, and a program that will challenge you, and force you to grow . That way, when you graduate, hopefully you will have developed character and wisdom, and not just technical skill. This ability to respond appropriately to a multiplicity of situations and relationships has a much broader scope of application than a narrowly defined academic concentration.
Heather
Make a lot of College campus visits and spend the time with current students and faculty. They will give you a good idea of how it would feel to be a part of this institution. You don't have to apply to many schools; five is enough. When you're at school, get involved. Live on campus. Invite your neighbors over for tea. Keep your door open. Involving yourself and be in community with others. Talk about what you are learning. Do an internship. Find your priorities and make goals and have your College help you accomplish them.
Kristen
Be open-minded and try to have a positive attitude when beginning school. In many instances, it's what you make of it, but sometimes even in spite of a bad attitude, you might be surprised at how quickly a good college can grow on you. When looking for a college, only apply to ones that you've visited and that you know something about. Check to make sure the schools have activities you enjoy and majors you're interested in. And above all, follow your gut instinct; choose a school that coincides with your personal values and you can't lose.
Domingo
In order to find the college that fits you as a leaner, and as a individual, you must go beyond what you belive is your limits. that includes the parents. Sometimes parents need streched too. As a student you have one resposiblity, to commit yourself to having fun while learning. If you cant have fun while learning then why do you recite words from a book? Why spew pointless facts to recieive a grade on spewing facts? Integrate what you learn into your life, make it yours, incorporate it, challenge yourself to live to a higher standard then you think possible, make yourself your own measure of existence, not the lives of others.
Most of all, enjoy this tiem in your life, I know that when i enter the field i am studying to go into, i will not have time to simply slow down and rememeber the good ole college days, make memories while your there not just good grades.