Rutgers University-New Brunswick Top Questions

It's not the reputation or the amount of financial aid that a college gives out to its students. One should choose to attend the college that they really feel motivated and comfortable to attend to. Think of college as a tool to build up your career and social life that you will carry throughout rest of your life. Remember, it's all about yourself - you are not doing it for others.

Make sure you are honestly think about every aspect of your university. How far away do you want to be from school? Does the school have a couple of different majors that you may be interested in just in case you decide to switch? How big do you want your university to be because you will not be happy if it is too cramped or too overwhelming? Make sure that different clubs and activities available at your university appeal to you so that you can spread your time around and leave a mark on your campus. Most importantly, do what makes you happy and make sure that you are ready to have a great time!

Tour and visit colleges of choice extensively so that the compatibility is clear. Try as hard as possible to get financial aid and scholarships.

To make sure the college in mind totally fits the person and their lifestyle because in order to succeed the parents and the student has to feel comfortable enough to take advantage of the opportunitites that college life provides.

Don't be afraid to try different places. Get out of your comfort zone - sometimes that leads to the best results.

I would advise parents and students to go visit the school. I went to many schools beginning my junior yr of high school, and I felt most comfortable at Rutgers. I would also tell students to speak with Academic advisors and more importantly with other students in their proposed major. You learn a lot about what to expect from students because they can be honest and tell you all aspects of the field, not just the intriguing things that adults want you to know. It's good to know all aspects of what you want to study, that way you can make the right choices sooner and not later.

The most important advice is finding the right college that fits in with the student's academic and social needs. To make the most of the college experience, a student should be able to balance social life with school work. The first few months of freshman year are crucial in meeting new people and establishing close friends.

I would tell students that they should visit every school they are interested in or at least the top four because liking the environment you are going to be learning in is very important. Since school can get very stressful sometimes it is best to at least like the people around you and enjoy your learning environment.

College is more demanding, more time consuming, more frustrating but ultimately more fun. Research your college thorougly. You want to know what is offered, what you are interested in, and what programs you may decide to make your major, as well as the requirements for graduation. Make a plan as early as you can to make a smooth path for graduation. As a student, don't be scared to try something new, even if you know nothing about the subject. Sometimes these are the most interesting classes, other times they can be boring, but most of the time you'll feel better about learning it, because who knows when a class on Ancient Painting and another on Poetry will come in handing in an Intro Music course which includes terminology and techniques from both? If you have an interest in something, flesh it out. Try to expand your knowledge as much as you can, taking a few fun courses each semester to supplement the ones that are required so you don't overwork yourself too much. Make it a habit to talk to your professors and classmates so you can make study groups and understand the material presented to you.

Important advice I can think of when looking for the right college is to get a general sense of what your interests are. What career do you picture yourself doing? How would you like to spend your free time? Does the culture of the college appeal to you? When I think about questions like these, Rutgers always came to my mind because it really does offer something for everyone. The breadth of courses is amazing and the professors really know their stuff. The diversity of the faculty, student body, groups and activities is very large and almost overwhelming at first. With so many options available to you, you will truly get the full college experience. I emphasize very strongly the importance of getting involed. Whether joining a club, group, fraternity or sorority, make your mark by doing something. If you don't, you will end up regretting it after you graduate. College is a unique experience in our lives. Don't let it go to waste. Learn new things and have fun doing it.