University of Missouri-Columbia Top Questions

Two things: First off, sometimes the best school isn't the one with the highest price tag or the one that makes people say "ooh" at cocktail parties. Secondly, don't feel weird if you are going to college far away from your high school friends. You'll see them in the summmer. For the rest of the year and the rest of your life, you're doing this for you.

Take your time to make your choice and weigh all your options.

College is an investment, choose the one that will have the best return value for your career future.

Stay at college over weekends - you will meet people!!!

College is an important time in a person's life. Not only is it a time to practice and study towards one's given profession, but it is also a time for making friendships that will last a lifetime. Advice I would give to a student searching for the right college would be to look for an environment that makes that person feel most comfortable and most like home. For many, being away from home causes a culture shock. I recommend that students visit any schools that catch their attention. If the student feels at home, like he or she could easily be a student there, that is the school for him or her. As for advice for parents, I would instruct them to allow their children to apply where they want. For me, this was difficult. I was not allowed to apply where I wanted, which caused my first year of college to be quite difficult. I strongly encourage parents to support the decision of the student. Whether hesitations include finances, academics, etc., I believe things work out for the best. During such an important time in a student's life, support and understanding are important from loved ones.

you should try to visit several campuses and visually see what you like and dislike about each one. Some schools may look good on paper but if you do not like the layout or get a "bad vibe" then that may not be the best place for you. Go somewhere where you can study what you want and also be able to have some fun while you are there. Also, strive for the best school that you can, but also if you have to scrounge for money then it may not be so fun. It is nice to be able to go to the occasionaly movie or some other paid activity with friends as a break from school work. Its no fun to have to stay home due to money issues. But most importantly, go somewhere you would feel proud of going to and being a part of the community.

The first think I would tell parents and/or students that are looking to find the right college is if they have what it is that you are planning on studying. It is also important to go on college vistits to see if you like the classroom size and if the school feels right. Also the price of the school is important you dont want to be in to much debt when you are out of college. One thing that most people forget to look into is the social atmosphere at the school, you want to look into the clubs or social groups to see if there is something that you can get involved in, most of the time you'll make your best friends at college and clubs or groups are the best places to find them when you already have something in common.

Enjoy every minute of it.

Reflecting back, I think I would have devoted more time to really looking for colleges that best fit me as a person and THEN my academic needs. Of course academics is a number one priority for me since medical school is my ultimate goal, however, college is your new HOME. You spend all of your time on campus so you need to make sure this is where you will be happy as a person. If you are happy as a person it reflects directly on your effort you devote to each class, and when the tests arrive you feel more prepared and will do much better. Academics is very important, but since you and your parents are spending thousands of dollars for your education, it is best to have both worlds.

The best thing to do when picking a school is sit down and actually figure out what you want, and what your priorities are. Once you figure out what you would like in school DO NOT lie to yourself. I know once I stepped on a campus of school I could tell if I liked it or not. Your friends should not influence your decision either. One of the biggest fears in going to college is that you won?t find friends or fit in and going to a large school like mine there will be so many groups you can fit in so there is nothing to worry about. Weighing pros and cons with something such as tallies helps a lot as well.