Northern Michigan University Top Questions

Let your child make their own decisions and try to be as selfless as possible. They will make the right decision. Just trust them.

If the student knows what they are going to study, try to find a school that has a strong program of their choice. If they don't know what they want to study then find a school that has a lot of options and a general home-like feel for the student.

To students and parents browsing perspective colleges, I would recommend spending time on the campuses you are most interested. in I don't mean going on planned tours and walking through model dorms and getting one free lunch. I mean physically going there on your own and talking to faculty, staff, and students, eating lunch on your own in the cafeteria and walking around campus. When you go on tours and read brochures, you are being sold a product. Go and try out the product for yourself and learn how strong the program you're interested in really is, and how friendly students really are to you, and how well campus is maintained. Talk to everyone you can who goes there. Only by seeing as much as you can for yourself and interacting with people can you truly understand what a college has to offer you and whether or not it offers the right path for you to take. Then map out the pros and cons of your potential choices and rate how important different aspects of the product are to you, so that when you make your final choice you know what it is you're hoping for.

I would say, save your money, and make sure your kids have the study skills to advance in college. This college is surrounded by the out doors. If you don't like snow, and out doors activity's than this school is not for you. Make sure you know what the community is like before you enroll in an university.

Find a school that you would feel comfortable attending. Don't go to a college just because someone else (or a lot of someone elses) told you it was the best thing in the world, the best thing that could ever happen to you. Nobody's opinion is as important as yours. If you really feel sure about what you want to do with the rest of your life, than pick a college with that in mind. But if you are, like a great many other beginning college students, undecided, then find a school that has a wide assortment of choices for you that won't try to hurry you to much in your decision making, and in an environment you feel comfortable in. If you hate big cities, stay away from them. If you hate snow, stay out of the north. Academics are important, but if you don't feel comfortable, how will that affect your schoolwork? Making the most of the college experience isn't just schoolwork and it isn't just partying all night long. It's finding a place where you belong, and it's being willing to enjoy everything, even classes.

When looking for a college you really need to take into consideration what your interests and priorities are. If you are an athlete then you need to find a school that supports that and is going to be beneficial to those needs. If money is an issue which it usually is with most families and students then you should do everything in your power to save as much money as you can. Spending $40,000 on a bachelor's degree in art might not be the best idea. You need to find a job after college and if you have to spend your life savings on a degree that isn't promising in the career world you might want to reconsider. As far as the "college experience" I think no matter what school/university you are attending you can have a great experience and learn a lot from any of the schools you are going to pick. They are all different but still offer a lot of life lessons that are important. I would suggest a school with cultural diversity because you can gain a lot from learning about other cultures.

Find a college that you can picture living at for 4 or more years

go into everything with an open mind and don't wrap your head around anything to much because you are young and things change overnight

VISIT SEVERAL university's before making your decision. Get a feel for the people on campus before you decide to enroll. Think about what you really want to do and pick a school that caters to your particular field of choice. Don't go to a school that is known to be very liberal and art/music oriented when you want to major in business or biology. Look for a school with plenty of opportunities nearby for internships and other 'real world' experiences. Small towns are often not the best for those kinds of things. Also, talk to people in town who are living off campus if you intend to; make sure that the apartments and houses around campus are livable, and that you won't be renting from a 'slum lord'. Talk to people in financial aid so you will have a good understanding of what scholarships, grants, and federal loans you'll be eligible for - don't let them sweet talk you and tell you that 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students on campus recieve some sort of financial aid when if you dig deeper you find that over 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of scholarship monies and grants go to atheletes on campus.

Pick a school that puts you in an environment you enjoy. If you can't stand living in a big city, then dont attend a school in a big city. You will not enjoy it, and will not do well in school if you are not happy. Pick a place that offers many of your favorite recreational activities whether on campus or off. There are going to plenty of times when school drives you absolutely crazy and you need to be able to just get out and do something that makes you happy in order to reenergize yourself.