Idaho State University Top Questions

I would have gone right into college instead of waiting a year, because college is a great experience as long as you find the right college for you. At the time I wasn't able to find the right college for me so I waited, if I could go back I would have visited a lot of colleges to try and find the right one.

I never made it to my senior year, I ended up working for my GED eighteen years later. I actaually graduated the same year my son did, but I would remind myself that school is verty important. I was too buisy focussing on things that should not have been more important at the time. My life has been rather hard and I am still working at a job that is a minimum wage job. I would remind myself how hard it is for me in college since I was out of school for eighteen years. Math is harder because I never took any algebra in High School. I have to push myself almost to eshaustion now just to make it through a semester, it is easier when you are young. I am almost forty years old and I always wish I would have done everything right the first time and consintrated on school.

I would say that even though college seems like a piece of cake, it really is not and I would encourage myself to look for financial assistance before I go to college because it would ease my mind a little more instead of having to go through what I am doing now. I struggle a lot trying to support my 2 children and the only thing I wish is that I could be financially set for school.

The advice I would give myself would be two fold. The goal for college is to get in and get out fast with what you need. College is expensive and many people find themselves changing their minds on careers while their school loans sore. So, the two pieces of advice I would give are to accomplish this goal. First, figure out what you want to do. Figure out what your talents and strengths are and find a career that you would be good at and makes the amount of money you would like to make. Second, get after it. The earlier you start working toward your chosen profession the quicker you're bound to get through college and get started in your career. This will help you spend less money on school and start making money faster. Third, chart your course. Know exactly what you classes you need to take to graduate and when. This will help save you time and money and also help motivate you. This is the advice I would give myself and I give it to you so you won't make the same mistakes that I have. Good Luck!

Take every moment of college seriously. There is a time and a place to have fun and a time and a place to be serious and focused. Always go to class. College is fun, but don't get so caught up in all of the activites to blow off schoolwork. Remember college is a lot harder than high school and Mom and Dad aren't able to bail you out of things anymore.

I chose a college quite close to home and at first I wondered if I should have broadened my horizons and discovered myself and my future elsewhere; I have, however, embraced my university and have tried to be as active and involved as possible. I have found that I have truly enjoyed it and looking back, I feel I can say I made the right decision. So my advice to prospective students and their parents would have to be this: it is wonderful to experience new places and live a life of your own, and if you feel moving miles and miles away to spread your wings is what you must do -- go for it, but don't forget to also look at what is in your own backyard. Where a univeristy is located and what it is called doesn't automatically make it a good school. Make whatever you choose the best experience possible: a college experience is only as good as you yourself make it.

Study the university's requirements and make sure it's what you want before enroling.

Have a clearly defined goal and plan for your education. If you already have something you are passionate about pursuing, select the best school you can find. If your goal is to find what your passion is, find a school that offers lots of diversity. The most important thing is to have a goal and a plan. Without them, you will be wasting a lot of time and money, and will likely regret it later in life. It is also important to be flexible. You may find out that your not all that interested in a field after taking some classes. But it is also important to realize that most good things require a lot of hard work and some of it isn't very interesting. All successful people enjoy what they do. They do it because they like, not because they think they have to or it is what people expect then to do.

I would say look for a school that meets your needs that you have as an indivdual. If you are not a big partier and you do not want to be around that crowd; listen to what the college crowd has to say about the colleges when you visit, or also listen to information through word of mouth. If you hear that its a big party school it probably is, people are pretty honest about their schools faults and qualities. A small school enables you to really get to know the community and meet a lot of people. It is also good for classroom size because it enables an easier learning environment where you have more one on one time with the professor which i have learnt is really important. Make sure to get really involved, join a club (they are fun), take fun classes like salsa dancing, and go to the games and activities. Basically if you have a good group of friends you will have fun wherever you attend.

The best advice I can give about choosing the right school is to definitely go on a campus tour and stay overnight if possible. That is how you can best get a feel for the campus, the social life, the students, the resources available, and your classes. Talk to students from your area who already attend, and also students in your chosen field. This will give you a much better idea of what you personally can expect. Someone from biology may have a very different experience than one from business. Set up an appointment with an academic advisor and an advisor from your chosen field. They may have information for you that you had never considered. Now, once you have chosen your school, take it easy to begin with. Try not to work your first semester so you can spend time making friends and utilizing your campus resources that YOU paid for. Be open minded and attend events that may be a little out of you comfort zone. That's the point of college. You will learn so much more than what you'll be taught in class. Most of all, though, join a few groups. JUST GET INVOLVED!