Wheaton College-Wheaton Top Questions

Make sure to do overnight campus visits! This is a great way to get the temperature of a campus beyond just taking the campus tour or visiting classrooms. In conversation with students you can get a feel for what happens on an average weekend, what political and social life is like, and where you might fit into the campus as a whole. I was a little bit nervous about doing these visits as a high school senior and was forced to do them by my parents, but they ended up being the most helpful part of my decision-making process.

One size definitely does not fit all. If your college experience somewhat resembles my experience it will be filled with many of the greatest memories of your life, but also some of the worst. Know yourself before applying and weigh your strengths and weaknesses with the schools to find a great match.

College is a very significant experience. Some people blossom and flourish during their four years of undergraduate study. Others and scared by various painful experiences. Everything from the courses you take to the people you live with, the staff and faculty you do or do not get to know, even the surrounding towns effect your college experience. College is also one of the few "rights of passage" from childhood to adulthood we have in our culture. That is why it is so crucial to give plenty of thought and discussion to where you or your child will spend their undergrad years. When you are planning, think about location of the campus, whether or not it is important for you to benefit from the opportunities in a large city. Find out what department the school is best known for. Consider size of student body, school rules, both major-related and non-major courses available, and housing options. Make sure you visit the campus at least once. This way you can test the atmosphere of the student body for yourself- something no college catalog can do for you. And make sure you truly feel settled in your final decision. Good luck!

Wheaton isn't for everyone... but if you're looking for a challenging yet awesome experience in a Christian environment, Wheaton is the place to be.

If I had to relive my college selection process, I would do things a little differently. I would value my standards for the college higher than the college's standards for me. When I visited a school, I would skip the pamphlets and the campus tour and just hang out with some of the students. I would pay more attention to the schortcomings of each college on my list. I would also understand that no matter how much I research a college, I wont get a true feel for it until I've lived there. Over all, I hope I'd relax and enjoy the process more. Choosing a college is a big decision, but you don't need to nail it on your first try. Even if you end up transferring, the school you choose will teach you a lot about yourself, and that knowledge is just as valuable as any chemistry or philosphy you'll pick up. And if you don't get into your dream school, step back and adjust your perspective; the most important thing about a college is what you learn while you're there, and how much you learn is usually up to you.

Everyone has a "vision" for what they want their college years to look like. I did. I wanted to have fun, make tons of friends, get involved, and oh yeah, learn something while I was at it. Unfortunately, no school is just going to provide that experience for you. Your college experience, positive or negative, is entirely in your hands. It takes an incredibly good attitude to enjoy college. You can't go into it expecting to get thrown amazing cards all the time--college is hard, and life is even harder! No one gets around that. But if you are consistently striving to have a positive attitude--if you are trying to make your college experience great, come what may--then I promise you will love it. Public, private, 20,000 students or 500--you will love it.

Parents and students alike should start their search with the understanding that college is more than career preparation and a social life. It's a broad opportunity to learn, explore, and gain perspective. Evaluate a school based on the opportunities that will be presented that challenge and develop their students into whole and effective adults that have the skills and the confidence to tackle whatever may come there way. For parents, being a foundation for a desicion rather than the walls that make boundaries will allow kids the comfort that they are trusted to be responsible and will hopefully act as such. More than logistics and writing checks, your kid wants to know that you already know they're capable so when they finally are on their own they have that security and can more confidently live their lives. For students, finding the right college is about understanding yourself in that community of people and being honest with yourself about your expectations. A desicion cannot be based on pride, fear, or naive hope, but on a realistic acceptance that no where is perfect, but your experience is only what YOU make it, your school won't make it for you.

Everything looks confusing before you actually make the step into college life so I will try to make this straightforward and simple. 1.) Apply to your top 3-4 schools based on where you may potentially be admitted and which are most appealing to you. 2.) Based on where you are admitted, go off of your gut-feeling. What's your initial instinct? What best fits the statistics you are looking for (size, teacher-student ratio, price, location, etc.). Where would someone like you (or not like you, depending on what you want) be most likely to go? (If you can't even identify your leaning, use location. A beach is still a beach and freezing cold is still freezing cold in school.) 3.) Before you even set foot in your dorm room, commit yourself to your selection mentally. College cannot be better or worse then you make it. The difference in potential experience available between your top choices is negligible. College is identical to the rest of life with one difference - you are inveitably closely surrounded by other people. It can feel suffocating but in reality you have the chance to breathe life more fully than ever before

Look at student ratings of schools. Talk to friends or family that has gone to a school that you are interested it. Don't leave it up to official school rating companies.

Don't be scared. Never be scared. Whatever it is, wherever it is, jump in, and get your hands dirty. College is about new experiences and new opportunities, take advantage of them. Never again in your life will you live with the same kinds of people as you will in college. Never again will be able to change so much, so quickly. Parents, whenever we come home, accept us. We might change, but we still need your support and love. We want that, more than anything. Sometimes we're afraid that we are disappointing you. Let us know that we are not, okay?