University of Mary Washington Top Questions

visit the campuses, talk to students, sit in on classes, and eat the food!

College is amazing. You will probably have more free time than you're used to - use it wisely. Explore the University and the town or city you are living in for these few short years. Find the best hole in the wall restaurant, corner bookstore, or coffee shop the locals frequent, and hang out there. Talk to your professors and the kid sitting next to you in class; meet as many people as you can and remember their names. You two will likely cross paths again (and always give a friendly smile when you do). This is a prime opportunity to reinvent yourself, to change in ways that your hometown wouldn't let you (or in ways that you were afraid to before). After college, you will have a whole new world of roots (careers, family) that will make it harder for you to go where you will. So travel now, explore the world while you are young and new. Your frontier can be your college town or a foreign country, but wherever you go, you will only get out of it what you put in, so dive head first. Cannonball into the deep end and see what happens.

I would advise parents to let their children make their own decisions when it comes to their school, especially if there is no difference in tuition. Students usually have a good idea of the right environment for themselves, and people perform better at schools that suit their personality.

Don't go immediately for what people tell you to. The right college is all about where you feel the most comfortable and have the best opportunity to expand your horizons.

pick the one that feels right when you visit

Visit the school more than once. Talk to students who are currently enrolled and ask them questions. Sometimes you make think you want a big school, but then feel more secure at a smaller college or university. On making the most of their college experience, I would say never close your dorm room door. Make friends, and don't just attend parties, but also lectures, club meetings, and on-campus events (fairs, sporting events). Everyone there is there for the same reason. College is a place to discover who you truly are. Don't let oppurtunities pass you by - try everything once! Also, attend class - you're paying for them.

The most important thing to know while applying is that there is no perfect school. There is a lot of valuable information available and it's smart to take advantage of any resource that you can to find the best fit, but the truth is: it is the responsibility of the individual to make the most of the college experience. What's more, I believe it is possible to succeed in that venture at a whole range of schools. My college did not serve every need that I had to perfection. Socio-politically I found myself at odds with a number of my classmates and I found the administration difficult to work with. But more importantly, I found a great group of friends with whom I felt completely at home - and I had the most incredible professors who opened whole new worlds for me. But I believe that I could have been just as happy at a number of schools. The key is shouldering the task of seeking out what interests you and what drives you to do well, and being open-minded to new experiences and people. There is more to every school than meets the eye.

Spend the night for a weekend, alone with no parents. Ask the current students what they like and don't like about the school. Go to the school and eat. Always consider size, space, and cost of the school.

For a student, name brand schools are not all the important. What is important is finding a school where you can exceed academically, but as well give you a good step to finding your career path. Choose a school not just for what it has, but you can get out of it. When in college, take advantage of extracurricular activities that may interest you, try something new because college is a time where you should be adventurous and exploring new opportunities. If the college you choose has research opportunities take advantage of them because they definitely give you a different perspective on an interest you may have. Internships are great opportunities as well that I think every student should complete because they give real world experience before you actually graduate and can help any student in deciding their career path before graduation.

Your college experience changes your life forever. I was a completely different person from my Senior year of high school until now, and that is because of the challenges and experiences college has given me. Through studying all night for tests, working hard to win an Intermural Flag Football game, or attempting to win against our big rival in the college softball game, I became who I inteneded to be all along. I am a more developed adult and a more conscious worker. I know what it takes to get the grades now, I know what I need to do to succeed, and I know what college is all about. College helps you become the adult you need to be in your life after school. In choosing the right school, look at the surroundings, look at what your interests are and what they offer at the school as close to those. Look at the departments and the teacher's credibility. Most of all, when you visit, see if you could see yourself walking down campus walk just like those students. Comfortableness is the main key, as well as visibitlity.