University of Mary Washington Top Questions

First, start by making a list about all of the things that you enjoy about going your school now. Then make a list of all of the things which you consider important to have in order to enjoy your college experience . The select a number of prespective schools with these traits and go vist their campus to get a feel for what it is like. If you have any freinds or aquantences who go there ask them what they like and dislike about the school. If you pick the school that seems the closts fit to your wnats and needs then you will ave an increadbly enjoyable college experince no matter where you go.

Go to the college and listen to your heart.

It's very important to visit the schools in which you are interested. Nothing is more honest in determining the size, friendliness, and pride of a school. A visit will show you whether or not you need to plan your classes around how fast you can walk. Touring the academic buildings allow you to see where the school invests it money most: in the theater department or science department. Make sure to like the environment and feel comfortable. Generally, it doesn't matter where you earn your undergraduate degree. If you have no idea what you want your major to be, make sure to visit schools with a wide variety of majors. If you finally decide your major while at one college, you can always transfer to another school with a better program. To limit yourself by what's available at your current school denies you get the best out of college.

Check out the school first. Talk to current students about what it's really like. I really regret choosing UMW.

When looking for the right college, definitely have an idea in mind of what you would want to study and find the college that has the best to offer in that field. When I decided to go to this relatively small liberal arts university, I thought going to a small school would be the bes choice, and in reflecting I don't think a larger school would have been a bad decision either, communities of interest form easily thus making it less daunting. In order to make the most of your experience get involved in what you find interesting, it is much easier to do at the beginning, and then weed it down to what you find will continue to be important to you in the future. Never be afraid to take chances, as they help to make you who you will become, and this is a huge time where the importance of taking a chance will give direction to your future. Be open-minded, and if the going gets tough, don't transfer unless you are in a bad place for your major. I knew a lot of freshmen transfers who transferred back soon after, its a transitional difficulty.

There are so many things about college that are difficult to predict or even fathom before getting there. In today's heavily competitive college application process, it's easy to lose sight of one of the most important things in choosing a school: it needs to be right. So many will do anything to get into their "reach" school, will over-commit in extracurriculars, will live and die by who and what institution accepts them. Always keep in mind the end result. Barely making it into a competitive school means you may feel overwhelmed your entire time in college. When looking at a school, most people take a tour and walk around. While this is important, there are places people don't think to look at that will matter much more to you, should you attend that institution. Check out the campus career center. After all, college is your gateway to employment. On a similar note, try to find statistics on attendace of students at graduate schools and programs. Dig deep to find out about campus clubs. Some of the most active and biggest campus clubs are often neither recognized nor advertised by the school. Most importantly, talk to professors!

When choosing a school, the size of the school is the most important aspect that shapes all college experiences. I am so glad to have chosen a smaller school with great relationships between professors and students. When students feel appreciated and their hard work is noticed, they are more motivated to work even harder, verses being just a number. It is crucial to know the school size and the students preference, as it is the factor that can make a student like or dislike a school and their entire college experience. Another important point is to know about the college town; as grocery stores, boutiques and malls make the college experience much more enjoyable. Also, the town surrounding the college hints as to what the college experience may be like at that school. It is crucial that the students visit the campus before making a final choice. The online pictures and brochures can make the school look like a dream come true, but actually getting a physical feel for the college's environment will allow for the student to make the important decision.

Unless you know what you want to major in, just pick a college. If it turns out that they don't offer what you want to major in, you can transfer.

Make sure that it has a variety of classes to be able to have a diverse education. Also, always keep in mind how the student learns best, whether in bigger class settings or in smaller ones where there is more of a relationship between the teacher and the student. Be honest with yourself in regards to how much studying you want to do vs. how much of a social life you would want. Also, always think about what type of environment one wants and sees oneself happier in (in/near a city to be able to go out and have more culture, or a more rural area where people mainly stay on campus).

I would suggest that students spend a lot of time finding out about extra cirricular activites that a certian campus provides.