Shepherd University-Shepherdstown Top Questions

I would encourage students to figure out what their interests are first, for instance, social work, psychology or biology. This makes a difference when searching for a college or University to attend. Second, I would suggest to visit the school and to have the future student envision themselves attending there. Finally, I would also tell parents and students if they encounter a problem of liking numerous schools and can not choose; then, they should make a list of the postives and negatives of each. Then the decison will be easier and the student can figure out what meets their needs.

Make sure that the child feels safe and at home at the campus. It will be their home for the next few years.

I would advise high school students and their parents to take advantage of any college credit classes that they can while attending high school. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do my last year of high school and as a result had to take many classes to catch up to the other college students. Research the colleges you are looking at. Go visit the campus. I am fortunate that I can live at home and commute to school. That is what I like. It may not be right for everyone but I enjoy my family life. I am putting myself through college with financial aide and working 20 hours week. I attended a technical school my first two years and did not mingle too much, at the university I have meet and made alot of friends of all ages. Be yourself and enjoy these days, they will go by fast.

Visit more than one college. Never settle for anything that doesn't seem best fit for you! Start loking for colleges while in 11th grade or earlier. Starting earlier will help give you a better idea on what you are looking for. Also, have the student do most of the financial aid paper work, and speaking. It helps them learn more about their college if they do it themselves! And if they are interested in playing a sport, have them speak to the coaches and work out whatever needs to be done. It's a growing up process that gets the student ready for college just by knowing what to do and questions that need to be asked!

When going through the process of choosing a college I would suggest that parents find out from their children what they truely want from their college experience. As a junior in high school I was sure that I wanted to go to a small school and stay somewhat close to home. My parents really wanted me to go to a more well-known and bigger university. They also encouraged me to go wherever I had the largest scholarship. Shepherd, where I go, is a very small liberal arts college, and they origianlly offered me no scholarship. I applired to eleven schools, mostly all large schools, and was given full scholarship to three of the schools. I had my parents take me to each school, and showed them why I liked Shepherd the best. They let me choose the school I was most comfortable with, Shepherd, and two weeks before move in I was a awarded almost full scholarship based upon my GPA and SAT scores. I have been very happy and done very well at Shepherd. The people whose parents chose Shepherd for them have not done well, and have been miserable. So my advice is to just be happy.

Choosing a college for your child is one of the most important decisions you will make together. It is very important that you consider not only the academic standing of the institution, but also the little things like the surrounding areas, and the school size. Your child should feel comfortable and be able to respond well to the area that you choose. It is also imperative that the professors at the institution are engaging and willing to help. When students feel like they have someone to help them out when help is needed they tend to perform better and be more productive. The last thing that I feel should be looked at is the campus life. College years are meant to be full of new experiences and life-long memories. A good and well varied campus life is essential to making your childs college experience a great one.

The advice that I would give to anyone pursuing higher education is to always follow your dreams. Too many students go into college with a "this is just the next part of my life" attitude. I believe it is important to be exposed to alll sorts of subjects before choosing a school so that you can truly find what you love. In choosing a school, other than making sure it has your desired area of study, make sure it is a location where you have always wanted to go. After all, you will be living there for four years of your life, so make sure the location will stimulate you throughout your life.

The studensts should make their decision and not let their parents pressure them into making a decision they dont want to make.

Take time to figure out what you want in a school and visit that school and ask about these aspects. To make the most of the college experience, get involved in student actvities, both school sponsored and with friends. But, always allow yourself to complete your schoolwork.

Things always work out for the best.