University of Alaska Fairbanks Top Questions

I would tell students to begin looking at colleges early on in their high school careers and to make sure that they maintain a focus on grades through the end of highschool and especially during their freshmen year. The first year of college can be a very exciting and also very distracting one, with so many new things to experience. To parents I would simply say to make sure their children are motivated and to let them make the decisions and support them in whatever that may be, even if they dont agree with it completely. College is an experience for the individual and should be self serving. Therefore students should feel that they can make their own decision as to their wishes and which direction they want to go without the fear that they will disappoint their parents or, more importantly, that their parents think they will not succeed in their chosen path.

The advice that I would give to parents and/or students about finding the right college is to do research. If you research schools you will find out tuns of information that will help you make a more accurate decision. Once you get closer to finding your school, make sure you visit the campus. Physically seeing and being in the environment that you most likely will be attending for 4 or more years is very important. You want to make sure that you feel safe, excited, and just plain happy at your school. It's the place where you are ending your last hand full of years of school in your life-time. Make sure you can find activities that interest you because this will help improve your overall experience at your university. You'll make so many friends and develope very good communication skills. Be involved and get yourself out there and be what you want to be in life. Accomplish what you want. If you are a person who doesn't like to get involved, just make sure you feel happy with your school and the people you are with.

The best advice I can give is to examine the environment of the school carefully. A school can be the very best in it's given field, but if it is in a poor location, it can ruin the whole experience. What I mean by "careful examination" is to visit the campus in person and spend some time in the local coffe shops and the surrounding area. There isn't a brochure or admissions pitch out there that can beat the feeling obtainable by a personal visit.

When trying to find the right college to attend, I believe it is important to consider the student life on campus. Are there available opportunities to promote the growth of the student so that they are prepared for life beyond college? Are there programs available that meet the student's interest? Is there a social environment that promotes academics while also promoting participation in extra-curricular activities? Student life is not the only concern of course. Another thing to be sure of is that the academic programs offered are many and are diverse enough to give the student an opportunity to choose what they would be most interested in. I find that students that don't have choice are often demotivated because they feel locked in to something they may not be interested in.

Questions can be your greatest tool. Questions about the school to staff, questions about activities to students, questions from relatives who might have been to the college before. Learn before you learn. Find out if the college has the programs and classes you need to make the most out of the goals in your life. If you have never lived on your own before, ask your parents about how to budget for expenses, like food and tolietries. Ask for dishes and cookware, as they can be your greatest friend if the food on campus does not appeal to your taste buds. Parents! Ask your student and the staff at their intended college your own questions. Reassure yourself of a safe learning environment. Reassure yourself that your new college student is making their way out into the wide world prepared for what is to come. I can never over-emphasize the importance of questioning everything.

It is important to look for a school that offers the degrees that you are intersted in. Pick a school that is right for your degree then by cost of the tutition. You need to be able to afford the school of course, however, go with what you want and if that requires a loan and financial aid then do it. It's better to like the campus and enjoy school then pick the cheapest one that isn't high on your list of interesting schools. If you don't like your school it's hard to be motivated academically and socially.

My advice to Parents and or students. Would be to think of things you like to do and then find a school that fits all or some of those requirements don't settle for the first school that excepts you. That could probably only meet in disaster instead follow your heart and do what both you and ypur child want or vice versa.

Colleges come in a variety of flavors. And with so many choices the task of choosing one for higher education goals becomes very overwhelming. Indeed, choosing a school should bring a certain level of stress since the soon-to-be college student is choosing where, how, and to what degree they will experience whole new and different ideas, adventures, and people. Yet, it's so vital to remember that colleges do not define how students enter the world upon graduating. It's what we as students make of our time in college (learning life skills, networking and making life-long friends, striving for a foothold in the field of study of our choice) that defines the person at the graduation ceremony. So choose a school that'll prove to be enjoyable, for college is such an amazing step in life.

Figure out first the size of school and town the student would be most comfortable with , that, to me, is the most important part of chosing a college to attend. To big of a school could overwhelm a student and to small could leave a person lonley and even more home sick.

Unfortunately, money in today's world means everything, so get as many scholarships/grants as possible and plan, plan, plan.