Saint Louis University Top Questions

Go where it feels right. Don't worry about the school name or what it means that you went to one "better" school over another. Go to the place where you feel at home and feel welcome on campus. Then when making the most of your college experience, stay true to who you are and the right people will find you out. Then you will be more satisfied knowing you stayed true to yourself and met people who were like you.

Apply to several schools and from those that accept you, look for financial aid opportunities, location, and make sure the department that houses your major is reputable. Once you are at the school, join a club or two to meet new people. Remember, when you start college, you can be whoever you want to be.

Let your kids visit many different colleges until they find the one that feels right. Note that feeling "right" doesn't necessarily depend on the number of frats or sororities on campus...there is more to choosing a college than that, obviously. Additionally, what you do in college depends on YOU. Unless you're majoring in something "easy" prepare to fight for a good GPA especially if you're in engineering, premed, etc. Those types of prgrams typically have a lot of weed-out classes. Most importantly, talk to CURRENT STUDENTS. They are a wealth of knowledge and will give you the TRUTH not some canned bologna that the administration puts out in those glossy brochures with the diverse looking group of kids having fun on the front cover. College isn't really about partying. It is for your freshman year but then when you realize your GPA sucks and you probably won't get an internship then it's time to wise up because our economy is in a recession and they're only going to hire at the top of the list!

You should pay attention to every single detail about the college you choose. Once you commit and start to realize the many aspects of the different types of universities, it's really hard to go through the process of transferring. I wasn't prepared and ran into so many roadblocks that I didn't research enough before I chose my school and now I will graduate in five years instead of four. So make sure you know as much as possible about your school and with the economy, make sure the tuition and financial aid is right for you. To make the most of your college experience, you MUST get involved. School can make for a lonley time if you repeatedly go from class to work or class to homework then sleep. There are so many volunteer opportunities with school, intramural and varsity sports, clubs, fraternities and sororities, academic communities that become close and tight knit. You just have to make sure you give yourself time to relax your brain and have fun as well.

Finding the right university can be a difficult endeavor. You have to consider so many different aspects of the school all at one time, especially the cost. My advice to anyone who is having difficulty picking a school, you need to visit and get a sense of the atmosphere. When you are at a school, it should just click whether through meeting other students, teachers, or just walking the campus. Just like when it is time to shop for a new car, home, or even wedding dress, when you find the right school you will feel it. Also when you do get that gut feeling, there is one thing you must remember, and that is don't fret about the cost. Yes schools are terribly expensive right now, but this is your education and your future and you just can't simply put a price on that. Many schools, especially private ones have extensive financial aid packets, so the money issue can be worked out. While college is about academics, mostly, that gut feeling will dictate your overall experience at the school. Make the most of it, and take your future into your own hands.

First, buy a book to compare different schools. This will give you a rough idea of how they relate to each other. Attend a college fair if you can, and sign up for every single packet of information that is remotely appealing. Then, go visit as many schools as you possibly can! No one is going to be a good judge of that school's fit for you except for you. If possible, make these visits before even applying, so that you know which kind of school fits the mold that you want. Do several of these visits in one trip if they are going to be far away. Also, try to get the most out of the ones that you are most serious about. Go on a campus tour. Meet with an admissions counselor. Talk to the head of the department that you wish to join. Try to stay a night on campus. Talk to as many students as possible! You can judge so much about the school from these interactions. How easy they are to accomplish will tell you so much about the school and your potential future there. Most of all, make it fun rather than burdensome!

Visit places and talk to the student that go there.

The best way to know what the right college for you is to actually visit the campus; see and experience everything about the school in a first hand basis.

I would advise that student and parents not take the location of slu and some of the things you here to heart. Most of the bad rumors are promoted from scared racist individuals that take the location on slu and translate that to mean that slu is a bad campus. I do not believe this and i urge others not to as well.

Definitely come and visit the campus, and find students other than the ones giving tours to ask particular questions. The students walking arounds are going to be friendly, guaranteed, and do not have a memorized or practice-scripted response to tell you back when answering your questions. Definitely approach people that are not wearing a polo or making the tours, they'll give you a different perspective on a more "real" basis, and chances are if they're walking around they're involved and already loving and endulging into activities and enjoying the school they chose. Best of luck!