Lawrence University Top Questions

You always have to be very careful about the environment that the student will find himself or herself in when choosing a college. Not only is the academic background of the college an important factor, the types of people, the quality of the residance halls, and the academic offices is a very significant factor It is always a good idea visit the colleges and see how things are run over there. Most colleges have a student visiting program where a student can spend a day or two with a college student and really see how things are at the college. Apart from that it is also a great idea to look for rating and evaluations from reputable college sites. Some of these include collegeboard, princeton review etc. Althought ratings are not everything, they are always helpful when it comes to finding the right college. One more thing that students should be sure to do is join clubs and groups in the college. It is never a easy experience to try to make new friends at a college. Clubs are a great venue to meet new people who share common interests with you. These are some of the things to remember.

dont have something specific in mind when you start looking, begin with an open mind, then figure out what is important.

Visit the school before you pick it!!

Find a school that you feel comfortable at: Is it safe? Can you walk alone around campus at night? What's a few blocks away? Can you get prescriptions or food? What about the professors? Would you be able to speak on a first name basis with them? If you have a question, would they be able to sit with you until you understood the material? If so, then you may have found the best college ever!

The best advice that I can give is to try to get an idea of what you will want to major in. Research schools that are known for having good programs for those majors. In addition to your prospective academic interests, make sure that your school has plenty of extracurrucular activities or programs that you would want to participate in. The more involved in campus life you are, the more you will enjoy the time you spend in school.

To the parents, I would strongly advise a position of interested absence. For as caring as you might be about the life your child has in the future, this is a point when your child's ability to make his or her own decisions about the future should be allowed to come into play-- after all, it is not you who will be attending this college nor you who will have to live with the choice afterward. To the student, I would suggest an open mind to the possibilities of the future. Though your career and educational path may seem clear, getting to know the people around you will open you up to ideas you hadn't previously considered and you might some day be glad to have changed your stubborn one-track mind. Also, get involved on campus. Find at least one activity or club to get you out and about doing something other than playing beer pong or watching YouTube videos.

Don't worry so much about finding the right fit, the college experience is what you make of it. Find somwhere where you have the opportunity to explore different choices instead of limiting yourself to a school with one good program that you like, you'll probably change your mind in a year anyways.

Studentss: Don't let anyone else's opinions sway you. You are the only person whose opinion matters in this process. Don't go because lots of people you know go there, because the person you date goes there, because your parents went there or want you to go there. Go because the atmosphere feels right, because the people feel right, because you can picture yourself living the college lifestyle exactly as you imagined it. Parents: Write your kids letters, send them packages or emails, or at least call them. Nothing feels worse than to go down to the mailboxes with all your friends, week after week, and be the only person who doesn't get anything from anyone. Students around me had their weekly (or even monthly!) phone call with their parents, or an email to check in once in awhile. I had to pretend I didn't care. But I did, and so will your student!

Students often focus too much on finding the "perfect dream school," not realizing that there are many good fits for each person. If you get rejected from your first choice school, it's not the end of the world. I dreamed of going to Oberlin College's Conservatory of Music, but now I see that my rejection was a blessing in disguise. Lawrence University was a far better fit for me. No college -- even your "dream school" -- is going to be completely 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} satisfactory, but many can be close -- if you let them. Go into the college search with an open mind; this is a time for you to mature and challenge yourself as a person, so don't always make the safe choices. Instead, get out of your comfort zone, both socially and academically; only then will you be able to grow and develop as a person. Amidst your busy academic and social schedule, though, remember to give yourself enough down time to truly enjoy life; your heart, body and mind will thank you.

I'm not sure. It took me three years to find the correct college, so I am not sure that I am the right person to answer this question.