Wabash College Top Questions

Don't be afraid to look around. You can never tell what college will be right for you. The best thing to do is visit colleges that you are interested in. Take a few days to walk around the campus, talk with faculty as well as students currently attending the college. Sit in on classes and ask questions of the professors about the school and their respective fields. The best way to get to know a school is to explore it. Another great idea is to make a college visit where you spend a day or two at the college as a perspective student. This is the easiest way to get to know the environment of the college and what to expect if you do decide to go there. Most of all, don't sell yourself short. Don't limit yourself to one or two places, look around. As well, looking at websites is all well and good, but it only shows you so much about an institution. To truly know a campus you need to experience it hands on.

While the sheer number of potential colleges or universities can be very overwhelming for a high school student, it is beneficial for a student to keep an open-mind and make choices of schools with different characteristics, such as size, location, and curriculum. As a high school junior or senior, it is very unlikely that a student has any idea what type of college or university would be the best fit for them. From the list of potential colleges, I believe it is crucial for both the student and family to visit the campus, talk to professors and students, and experience the character of the college or university. Most colleges or universities appear similar on paper in the mass amount of literature a high school senior receives; however, a campus visit is the only way for a student to determine if a potential college or university is right for them.

Make sure that the college you chose is the one for you. Do not make a decision based solely on financial aid, sports, or living units. Instead, take into account everything that will affect you. Make sure you will be learning and challenging yourself academically, as well as broadening your life's perspective. Make sure when you get to college you get out and get to know some of your peers. Connect with alumni, after all networking is a great way to get started on your future. Be sure that the classes and professors are exactly the style you are looking for. But, in the end, the decision should come down to the college you feel will have the biggest impact on your life.

Go where you want to go. Don't let other people influence your choice. Make sure you you like the school. Find a place that makes you comfortable and make sure you find out all that you can about the school before you accept. Once you decide on a school GET INVOLVED!!!! Join a few clubs but not too many that you are stretched thin, only about 3 or 4, and in those 3 or 4 rise up in the ranks. The more people you know the easier life will be and more enjoyable. Doing something with someone else makes it alot more fun.

When searching for the right college it is difficult to truly comprehend life on campus without attending a class or even spending a day or two on campus interacting with the students, which will be very revealing as to how the students conduct themselves outside of class.

The only way you can truly truly get a feel for a college is by getting on campus for a day visit and a night stay on the weekend. Websites and books that rank the school can only tell you so much about what the atmosphere on campus is like everyday. When you visit, it is important to note the type of people who are there. Can you relate to them? Are they different enough that they can help you broaden your horizons? What do they have to say about the school? There isn't really advice to give on making the most out of your experience that isn't obvious. Only you can determine how involved you will be. Get a list of all of the extracurricular activities, look into fraternities or sororities, check out intramural sports. Any campus will have a number of activities that should interest you, or else you could start one! At some point in their life, many people say something like "I wish I had done more in high school" or "I wish I would've known them better." Thats just talk. Go out and do it.

One of the best things to do is go and make a college visit. Feel the need not only to spend a weekend at the college and observe its social life, but to also go and attend a day or two of classes you think you would take for a particular major you are interested in and see what the teaching faculty of the college is like. This allows you a first hand look into what you may experience yourself for the next four years and whether or not that teaching style will benefit you in an effective way so that you get the most you can of your education.

I have never heard of a great scientist, lawyer, politician or other such personage who credited his or her success and drive to a great library, good food, spacious dorms or campus shuttles; it seems to me they always had a mentor, a professor or other such person who took him or her under his or her wing. Set yourself or your child up to meet this kind of person, make sure that if you haven't decided what you want to do to choose a university or college that allows you to switch majors easily (and has good departments in most areas of study!) and that the school values individually motivated study and learning.