Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Top Questions

Make sure that you know what you're getting into. Have about 5 different schools to compare from. Make sure you factor in distance, tuition & housing, and spending money. Make sure the environment is student friendly and gives you a certain freedom so you know how it feels to be an adult.

Look around, don't settle on the first choice. Visit the campus, talk with students, professors and advisors. Don't choose a school just because its close to your family or friends. Find someplace where you can be yourself, and be happy with it.

Visit as many schools as possible. This way you will know which campus feels right to you. I went on many college campus visits and when I was touring the school I am attending now, I knew that is where I was supposed to be. Also, attend open houses and meet with people within your department before committing to your college. These are the people you will be dealing with for at least the next four years of your life, so you want to be sure they are easy to work with. Last, get out and meet some of the students. Whether it is sitting in on a class or talking to a student group, this will let you know what students who attend the school are like.

The advice I would give parents is to help their child in any way, shape or form. Consult them about where they see themselves in five years and help them discover all the endless career possibilies they can pursue in college. Help them with finances if possible, and when it is not, let them know you are there for them when the time comes that they will undeniably need you. Show them how to apply for loans and scholarships and how to fill out FASFA. For the students, live life to the fulliest. School is important, learn everything you can, but books and libraries are not everything you need to discover. Learn about your community, volunteer, take part in extracurricular activities and be an active member of your college's school spirt. Make life long friends but do not limit yourself to meeting them in a bar, those usually will not turn out to be the best of friends. Form study groups to encourage studying, they help alot! Lastly, take it all in. College is the most exhilarating experience so do not miss out on a thing.

I think the most important thing is to find out the best college that suits you. Look about class sizes, girl to guy ratio, and if the school is conservative or liberal. If you aware of all these things the school has to offer and you think this best fits you then the school you choose will be right for you.

TO choose a college (and campus) that will satisfy your greatest desires in accomplishing your goals, and while doing so will make you happy with your life to help boost your moral. If the campus is all work and no play then all you will be learning will be book smarts, but "street smarts" that one can learn from going to college can be life changing, externally and internally. It is definately true that one can find lifelong friends and in so as one is going through college to better their future in their careers and lifestyles, they will also be bettering their social skills and gain the ability to have secure, life altering, and unregretable freindships. Just to work their hardest in the books and with their peers.

I best advice i can give parents and students is college is a resource for one to utilize for his/her career and to make the best of it, this will help build a path to what is in life his/her life that they want to accomplish! Surround yourself around students and people who are about something, who are driven, who are motivated, who are going places, that type of attiude is contagious and needs to be rubbed off on everyone! get internships, get acquainted with the faculty and staff for they know alumns and people with connections....It's all about Who you know and Not What you know these days! Gaining experience is the best thing one could do and never look at it as its a chore, but look at it as an opportunity to gain insight in the profession you are trying to get a degree in!

My advice to parents and/or students would be to weigh out your options. A junior college can be a rewarding and cost effective experience for young adults that are still a little leary about living on their own hours away from their family. When choosing colleges, don't base it off of where your friends are going or where your mother or father went when they were in college, choose the college that is going to best suit you and what your major is. Also, do not base the college you go to purely off the cost of attendance. College is a one shot deal, you might pay more in the beginning, but the rewards will pay in the end. I was timid when it came to coming to a university due to the high cost, along with the cost of living. As a student you must be responsible and make good choices now and secure every opportunity possible to maximize your status compared to others that will be looking for the same job as you in a few short years.

My best advice to finding the right campus for students and their parents is to visit, visit, visit! I visited many different campuses but none really seemed to fit until I came to SIU. I knew as soon as I got here that this is where I wanted to go. Hopefully the same works for you. Trust your instinct and everything will work out!

First of all finding the right college is definitely not easy. Most people choose the college they want to attend based on there major or where their friends are going. It should be more than that, of course it is important to go to a college who obviously has your major and is well known for it but it is also important to choose a college or university where you think you can excel and accomplish everything you want to accomplish. Someone should also feel comfortable where they attend school and not feel like an outsider. It is also nice to choose a school that is similar to surroundings from home. I personally chose Southern Illionois University because it was close to home but at the same time far enough away.