Spring Arbor University Top Questions

Pick a school that works best for you as an individual. Everything else will fall into place. Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. Espescially when it comes to finacial aid.

When it comes time to find the right college make sure it is a place that you want to be and that you feel safe there. There is enough to worry about with school work and you don't need to have to worry about being in danger from other things. Also make sure that you go to a school that has what you want to study. It is really hard to feel like you are getting anywhere when you are not studying what you are majoring in. Make the most of your college experience by getting involved. While school work is important (you are paying thousands of dollars for your education!), making friends is important as well. Go to sporting events and dress in the craziest outfit you can find. Join a club and play intramurals. Stay up late and go out to eat at midnight even if you have a class at 9:00 the next morning. These are the things that you will remember the most and that you want to remember college by. You will be glad you did.

The advice that I would give parents and/or students about finding the right college and making the most of the college is experience is that it is very important to make sure that both the parents and the student(s) know what they want out of the college that they are looking for. Set goals that they would like to find in a school. Also, if the parents and/or students are spiritual, make sure that they take that into consideration as well when looking for the right college. As far as making the most of the college experience, I would encourage the student to attend to as many school activities that are being offered. Get involved with the school. Not only does that allow students to meet new students and make new friends, but they are also making memories for a lifetime that can never be taken away.

Financial aid is not everything. You should not choose the school with the best financial aid package at the expense of a quality education. Stretch yourself, step outside your comfort zone. Read the fine print before you're stuck there. Make sure credits would transfer to other universities if necessary, make sure they offer you opportunities such as career counseling, job placement, and personal freedom.

Finding the right college is about finding a place that challenges you academically, socially, and spiritually. You need to focus on learning and finding your vocation--which is a life calling, more than just a job. You need to learn to think critically (analyzing and interpreting and evaluating information, not just "accepting" it) about contemporary world issues and gain a wider perspective on life. You need to grow as a person, too--by finding ways to give back to the community and by making friendships with people from many different walks of life. Don't find a college you can "breeze through"--let your choice grow you as a person in many different aspects of life.

Make sure you select a college that is right for the field you want to go in.

To find the best college and get the most out of the experience, a student should play to his strengths. If he is interested in a certain field of study, then obviously, a college that offers said field will be on the list of possibilities; however, finding only the preferred field of study does not constitute an institution's worthiness for a student. Therefore, the student must also visit the school to see if he feels he could fit in not only to the campus life, but into the role of being a student. He should find the school's website, make contact with professors, academic advisors, and even an attending student or two, if he can manage it. People placed in these crucial parts of a college's framework can give an accurate picture and answer questions better than any ad or paper brochure. Also, by making these contacts, a new student will at least have a reference of well-placed friends should he have need of anything. This will give him a basis from which he can continue in the college experience, as well as his studies.

Finding the right college for your personally needs and preferances. I, for example, was looking for something smaller but still with a lot of oppurtunities for advancment. I also wanted a place that could offer a Masters level program in my field. After a long time looking I found Spring Arbor and it really filled all my needs. Another important thing to remember is to be picky. As a student you will be spending a long time a lot of money so you want a place you can love and grow because of. There are a lot of Universities out there and if you look long enough you will be able to find what you need. Also being involved as a student is key. An student can have an active and exciting social life if they really push themself to get involved. Your level of involvment will really matter in how well you survive socially in college. I know a couple students that just could not handle the lack of social interaction so they quit school. If they would have just got involved a little I think it would have been different.