Quinnipiac University Top Questions

The only advice that I would give a high school senior (or junior) who is applying to college is, work hard but be calm and try to enjoy the experience. That advice is not directed to parents because it is not their place to decide their childs college. Although, as an applicant it is important to listen to your parents advice - even if your a head strong teenager, its true what they say about parents, more often then not they do know best (and they write the checks). When you make the decision to go to a college it is probably the biggest gamble you've taken in your life. But that is okay, bet on the school you can see yourself living at comfortably. So go with your gut, there is no way you can know its the school for you after one Saturday afternoon visit, so try to stay overnight and talk to anyone you trust who knows something about that school. Get all the information you can, but take a lot of deep breaths, sit back and follow your instincts.

Don't worry about the quantity when it comes to applying to schools, look for the quality of the schools. Whether quality by your standards is appearance, academics or fun, the school you choose has to be a place that you can see yourself at for the next four years. You need to balance time for study and time to relax and safely deal with some of the stress that you will be handed in college. Don't let others pressure you into things you don't want to do, just be yourself with just the right amount of work and play... knowing when to play is all you need to know.

find a college that grabs you as a place you'd like to be. find a place that makes you smile or you can immediatly think of what it would be like to live at that school. look for a place with your major or if you don't have one, a place where you have alot of options. when you get there make as many friends as you can and don't burn any bridges, these friends will be extremely important for the rest of your life. Don't go home until atleast 3-4 months into college. you're on your own now and it's time to see what it's like and it's important to become independent of your parents.

I have found that the University setting is the fairest playing field in the world. In college, the amount of work you put in is directly correlated to the amount of reward or value you get out of your education. Determining where or what college to go to is really a much smaller step than deciding how hard you want to work, or how much you want to get out of your school. That being said, a student should choose a school based on their personality, they should be asking themselves, can I see myself being comfortable in this environment? There are some significant pro's and con's to big schools versus small schools and a student needs to determine where they see themselves fitting best. After they make that decision, making the most out of that school is the second step, and significantly more important. School is such an interesting academic environment, and a major lesson I have learned is to "not let schooling interfer with education" (Mark Twain). There are so many opportunities to learn in college, and although GPA is very vital, learning the principles behind attaining a good GPA should be the real focal point.

From my experiences, the best way to select a school would be based on the appeal of the campus and its social life while taking into consideration what is reasonably affordable. Contrary to many beliefs, choosing a school based on your intended major may not be the best option as a majority of people will eventually switch majors anyhow. Rather, choosing a school that offers many opportunities for you to pursue extracurricular interests is the best option. While any school can offer you a good education, not all schools have similar opportunities outside of the classroom. Choosing a school that has programs related to your interests will provide you with amazing opportunities to learn and develop as an individual that could only be a part of a college experience. In addition, it is important to remember that you will be spending the next few years here, so the campus should be an environment in which you are comfortable and enjoy. Finally, it is important to consider the cost of the school and what is reasonably affordable for your family without leaving school overwhelmed with student loans.

Do not just look at a school and pick it beacuse it looks nice

I would advise students who plan to live on campus to find an area that they enjoy living in. If you can't enjoy where you are living, you can't perform well academically or get the most out of your social life.

Seriously? You couldn't have told me this was an essay contest from the beginning?

I would advise students to really "go with their gut" as to which college to choose; I know that may sound cliche, but I ultimately made my decision based on a sort of gut instinct. I would advise parents to simply help their children weigh the options of each school and to rationalize with them, as the college process can be quite overwhelming. I would also advise parents to really talk with their children about their finances for school, as I believe their children should know how the cost of college will affect themselves as well as their family.

Have your child stay an entire weekend on campus. Top priority.