Malcolm
That both parents and students need to be involved in the process. Also take a trip to the school and sit in a class to get an idea how classes are and what goes on in a classroom.
Ceasar
Choosing a college is an extremely time consuming process. Even though you now know that, it is crucial you take the time to get to know the campuses and the people of the colleges to which you are interested. Don't ever trust a school's website. What is the website trying to do? They are trying to get you to come to the school. They'll never show you the true view of their school, because each school has flaws that aren't apparent right away. Visit schools, ask questions, and even ask the questions that most people find taboo; partying, drinking, drugs, and the crime rate are all valid topics and are often best posed to regular students, not your tour guides or college deans (students don't usually have a reason to lie).
Once you find a school, remember that your lifestyle is going to change. You won't have your parents and you'll be on your own. Grow up. Make decisions. Have fun! In the end, you want to have a degree, but you don't want to sacrifice all of the life lessons and friends that you can gain from being a college student.
Kim
Sometimes the one you don't think will work, will be the best choice.
Alyssa
The advice that i would give parents and students about finding the right college would be to really take the time to look into different school and visit them. Make sure that each school you look into offers the extra activites you want along with your major. If you need to work while you are in school thats another thing you want to make sure to look into. College life is what you make of it, if you dont get out there and meet people and join activites you wont have as much fun. So get involved, meet people and make the most of college life because its been one of the best times of my life so far.
Justin
In selecting the right school you should consider: the area in which the school is located, the population of the school, the number of different programs given at the school, and if you go on a visit dont think just because the people on the visit make a school look glamorous its automatically the best choice ask students you see on the campus how they feel about school here.
Lori
make sure you make a list of attributes most important to you, whether it be class size, location, etc. stick to those attributes when looking for colleges.
Christina
The advice that I would give to parents is to allow your child(ren) to make the decision for themselves. It is important to put in your thoughts about their selection, but do not make the decision for them. Students should make the college selection based on what they want most for their future. Do not select a school because your best friend is picking it, or because it is the opposite of your hometown. Select a college that is going to allow you, as the student, to be yourself and have the ability to thrive in your own way. Pick a college that is in a geographic area that means something to you personally. An example may be a historic town with quaint restaurants because you enjoy culture and history. Live on campus, at least for one semester, to learn about yourself outside of the family home. You learn a lot about yourself when you have to clean up after yourself and do your own laundry. College is a wonderful experience and you should put 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of yourself into the decision about picking the right college for yourself.
Ashley
Visit as many schools as you can. Talk to the students on campus about the classes, teachers and campus life. Do not go to the first school you get accepted too, think about your choices.
Kelly
I would tell them to visit as many campuses as they can. They will get the right feel for the place by visiting, and talking to other students.