University of Wisconsin-River Falls Top Questions

It may sound cliche, but go to the college that "feels right" to you. Don't choose it just because you have friends going there, or your family went there. Do it because you want to. When you are finally in college, get out and meet new people- they could become lifelong friends. Don't be afraid to try new things, and get involved!

Find a school that makes you feel at home. That way you know you can be yourself and make the most of the college experience. The people you meet will become your school family and friends for life.

Check out more than one college. Tour as many as you feel necessary. ASK QUESTIONS! Try to talk to a current student at the college. Go on-line to research the statistics of the college (graduation/retention rate, etc.). Apply early. Keep those grades up in high school starting as early as 9th grade. Work hard, be serious when you visit a campus. Maybe visit a couple of times depending on the time of year you visit. Parents should check out the various scholarship web sites. School counselors are valuable resources for scholarship/application information. Take your time filling out the applications (check for spelling, re-read what you've entered) and remember, if you get into a college and it turns out not to be the fit you thougt it would be you can always transfer to another college (maybe your second choice). No reason to stay in an environment that isn't comfortable, that could affect your learning and grades. I think a person can function much more easily and succesfully if they're secure in where they are attending school. Lastly, enjoy the journey. Visiting colleges can be a great experience. They all have their pros/cons.

First, make sure that you have a goal. Many people come to college simply because they don't know what else to do. If you don't have any goals work for a while until you decide on some, otherwise you will not have motivation to succeed. Second, throw yourself into things. It is perfectly fine to be busy, many people accomplish more when they have more to do. A lack of activity can make you feel like you have no focus, nothing to work hard for. If you are interested in a club or auditing a class go for it. The worst that can happen is that you will have to stop, the best is that you will make many great friends and learn leadership skills to qualify yourself more fully for life after school. Third, no matter how busy you get, sleep enough to succeed. It will not do you any good to work hard if you kill yourself with a lack of sleep and caffine overdose. Fourth, never forget to make time for your friends, even if you flunk out of school your friends will still love you and might employ you in the future.

I would advise them to apply to a school close to home even if they think they want to go far away. By not doing so, my choices were limited when I decided to stay closer to home.

I encourage everyone to be sure that they are going to be on a campus that makes them feel most comfortable. Education standards are important when choosing a school but if you are happy with the surroundings or the size you arent going to be able to do your best. Take advantage of every opportunity you get because once out of college this chances becoming harder and harder to come across.

When looking for the right college it is import to decide how big of campus you want, what is there specialty, how far you want to go, and cost. I have found that the biggest deciding factor for me was the surroundings of campus. i enjoy the natural surroundings of an agriculturally based small town with only 6,000 students. You dont have to go far to find peace and quiet. But always remember that no matter what you need to go somewhere that makes you feel the most comfortable or it will be the worst 4 years of your life.

Finding the right college: there are many factors, like if the school has a program that a student is interested in, urban/rural, class size, school size, community size, cost, housing- there are so many factors. Once you're there, the most important thing is to get involved. Find something outside of class that you're passionate about, whether it be a sport, a club, a group, anything that gets you active in the University or community. You'll learn so much more- about yourself, others, and the world- than you'll ever learn inside a classroom.

Choose a college that has a good program for what you are interested in, but also has other things that you are interested in outside of your academic life. Go somewhere that is far enough away from home that you aren't always going home, but close enough that you can go when you need to. Overall, don't base your decision on anyone but yourself because you will probably regret it in the future.

I would say don't limit yourself to certain colleges. I was dead set that I was going to an in state college, but now I sort of wish that I would have checked out colleges in the next state over. Also I wish I would have researched private colleges too. Each school has something different to offer and I limited myself to two colleges. It would have been better if I have looked at a wide range of colleges, instead of wondering whether that school would have been good for me.