University of San Diego Top Questions

The best way to find the right college is to visit campus. No matter how much you know from information packets and the website, you will never really know about the school until you visit. The best way is to go on a tour, do a day visit or even an overnight visit and talk with some students. They will be able to give you an honest opinion about the school, without being employed by the school. The key to making the most of your college experiance is to get involved. I know everyone says that getting involved is the best way to get involved, but it really is. You will meet people in classes and make friends with the people you live with but you will form the best bonds with the cohesiveness of an orginization behind you. I love college, it is probably the hardest most stressful experiance I've had in my life so far, but it is so worth it. Try not to get too stressed out about the decision, because as long you make the desicion you feel is best it will all work out!

Tours sometimes just aren't enough, you should try to spend a weekend or atleast a night on the campus to get a feel. If the collge is based around sororities and fraternities, they are most likely a little bitchy to be honest with you. The smaller the scool. te smaller your class size will be, and the better the chance for you to get to know your professor and get a good academic experience. I would also check to see what the living situation is at the school. If after freshman year everyone moves off campus, then it will be dead on the weekends and probably wont have much to offer in terms of food and activities. Look at how diverse the campus is, diversity definatly tells you how a lot of students may feel regarding minorities and white supremacy, if this is an important issue to you. Also, location is key!! If you are in the middle of no where your kid will be at keg parties etc. Big town= bars.

Make sure that they school you choose has the classes you need based on your major. And pick a major that you think you will be able to find a job that you will be happy with. Pick the school that you think is the best place for you mind to develop and flourish.

My best advice is research the college. Ask yourself what kind of person are you. Are you a city or country person? Do you want a change in surroundings? Are you ready to be far away from family/home? These questions will help you decide the location of your future home. Now, if possible, stay near the college for a couple of days. Decide if the surrounding community is right for you. Then, picture yourself sitting under that tree in the middle of campus, can you imagine it? Try talking with current students attending the college. Ask them all sorts of questions about the life on and off campus. Current students should know the university and its surroundings the best, not the school's website. You must also look at your financial situation. Characteristically the college may be perfect but fiancially you may struggle. Once a college is chosen you may still feel as though you hadn't chosen the RIGHT school. However, once the semester has begun, you will feel a sense of belonging and freedom. Then everything should start to fall into place and that's when you know that the college you chose is the one.

I would suggest that you think seriously about what you expect from your college career. You need to be aware of your hopes and expectations. Doing so will, hopefully, ensure that you will not be disappointed by your choice of college. Perhaps most importantly, you also need to consider under what conditions you are best able to learn. You also need to consider the social environment of the school. You also need to think about the social atmosphere that you will be most comfortable in. Lastly, you need to think about how far you are willing to be from your families. For parents, you need to seriously consider how the tuition situation will affect your family. Parents also need to remember that your child's time at university is one of the most important of their life. For the first time, they are living on their own, making new friends from all over the country, thinking more seriously, trying to decide what they want to do with their lives, and generally discovering the kind of person that they want to become. It is imperative that you allow this process to happen and to try to be as supportive as possible.

I don't believe there is such thing as the right college for a person. What makes an experience good is what you do with it. The school I chose was wrong for me in many ways, but because I was in a less-comfortable situation, I was able to get more out of my college experience. My advice to prospective students and their parents is to disown the idea of a perfect fit because it may not exist and instead consider the basics. I know very well that there are many factors beyond the basics that make this choice more difficult. I believe it is better to choose a school on whatever criteria you feel is most important, such as location, academics, or social life than it is to be dishonest with yourself about your priorities. At the end of college, what will you want to remember? I think this question often puts this difficult decision into perspective. In the end, a college becomes a good fit for you if you are honest with yourself, and if you begin the journey knowing that in just 4 short years, you will be left with the memories you created.

Parents, I advise you to visit some of the schools withthe children so you can get a feel for the college you want you child to attend. Attend an event on campus. Speak with some of the professors. Students, speak with the students that attend the school. Make a list of questions that answer the lifestyle and education you want to receive. College has been the greatest gift to me thus far but only because I really put the time and effort into searching for it. You must be dedicated. Work hard. Life and college are about the choices you make and you can only go as far as you believe in yourself and future.

The college experience I have learned so far is something I will apply for the rest of my life. I encourage parents and students to go and visit so they can see the campus it pretty much speaks for its self.

I think when you first enter college you need to go to as many events and mixers as possible and be open to everybody and everything. That is how you will find out who you are and find friends to last you a lifetime.

You must always go with you inside feeling when deciding on a college. The prospective student will instantly know if this campus is right for them. Academics should be the focal point on decision making and the teacher to student ratio. You must feel this place can be your home for the next four years thus it is wise to make a conscious choice.