|
July 19, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR CAROL TOMAN
IN IL
I'd like to add one more criterion for choosing a college
to the
excellent list the other mentors provided. Schools vary in
the degree
of competition vs. collaboration that they foster. One school
we
visited put a lot of pressure on the students by tying many
perks and
privileges to high grades even to the point that there were
rumors
that students stole or damaged library materials to prevent
other
students from getting them. Completely opposite are some schools
that
have a culture of abundance -- there is enough success for
everyone to
be successful. One does not confer degrees with any honors
(no such
thing as "cum laude"), and another that does not
post grades for
freshmen -- all freshman classes are pass/fail. I'd recommend
staying
away from cutthroat schools unless you love swimming with
sharks.
********************
July 15, 2004
********************
A: FROM MENTOR VANESSA BUI
IN TX
I believe it is best to start visiting different colleges
during your junior year in high school. By starting early,
it gives you time to look at the campus and start considering
issues like tuition, room and board, travels to and from colleges
if not living on campus. More importantly,looking at colleges
early also gives you an idea of what requirements are needed
for college entrance and what programs they offer. By doing
your research in advance, you can use your senior year to
make an educated and wise decision upon which college you
would like to attend.
********************
A: FROM MENTOR CHARLENE CASSIDY
IN SC
Abi, choosing and applying to colleges can be an overwhelming
process! I remember doing it myself 14 years ago. You'll likely
begin applying to colleges in the fall of your senior year,
maybe a little sooner, for entrance the following fall. You
may start investigating colleges as soon as you want. I would
start by trying get information on colleges that offer degrees
in majors you are interested in (even if it is more than one
right now), you can search on the internet (if you find one
you want get more information on, you can usually request
a package be sent to you), go to your high school guidance
office, high school library, or even the public library in
your town -- they usually all keep literature on colleges.
You can write to the schools you are interested in and ask
for more information-- you can use this to find out degrees
offered, campus activities, application requirements, etc.
If you are the slightest bit interested in a school, request
information from them. Colleges and Universities are always
more than willing to send literature to prospective students.
Narrow your choices down to maybe 4 or 5 that you would like
to visit before you make your final choice. Discuss with your
parents how many schools you will be able to visit and plan
on trying to visit them the summer between your junior and
senior years. Rank your choices and apply to the top 2 or
3, in case you don't get accepted right away to your number
one choice. Try to at least visit your number one and two
choices, if possible.
Some things to consider when making your final choice:
* Degree program/quality of the program/tuition
* Size of the school (do they have 100,000 students or 5,000?)
Will you be more comfortable at a large school or small school?
* How far away from home is the school -- will you be able
to travel home only for semester break or a few weekend trips
as well? How often will you want to travel home?
* Will you live in on- or off-campus housing or live with
your parents and commute?
* Will the school offer you any kind of financial aid (work-study,
scholarships)?
* What clubs and extra-curricular activities are offered?
* Is the campus self-contained (i.e. in one location or is
it split)? Is it in an urban or rural setting?
* Will you need a vehicle, are you permitted to have a vehicle?
********************
A: FROM MENTOR DIANA DEDE
IN CO
Dear Abi,
You can start considering colleges as soon as you get to
high school or even sooner. The easiest way is to visit any
community colleges near your home. This you can do on a day
when you don't have school during the school year or during
the summer. If the community college offers any programs for
high school students to learn about their programs, this is
a great way to meet some of the students who may be helping
conduct the program.
Also try to visit a state college within driving distance.
Again look on their website and see if they have any programs
offered for high school students.
You are not necessarily trying to decide on what school you
want to attend but are asking yourself some of the following.
Do I want to be this close to home, do I want to be far away?
Do I want a small, medium or large school?
Do I like the feel of the campus, lots of trees, close to
the city for excursions, near outdoor activities I enjoy (lakes,
skiing, beaches)
Do I see myself fitting in on the campus? Do the students
seem to be welcoming?
Does the school offer programs where I have an interest?
If it is a specialized school, ( example: School of Mines
is very technically oriented, not many other programs offered)
does that fit my needs? Or do I want a school with lots of
programs offered so I can interact with students who may not
be in technical programs?
By your junior year, you should be looking more closely at
the possibilities. Do I want to go out of state? If so, maybe
your parents or guardians will go with you to visit any colleges
near where you may be vacationing. The summer and fall after
your junior year is a good time to seriously visit any schools
that fit your criteria.
This is your decision, have fun with it and don't stress
too much. You can always change after your first year if the
decision did not work out as you expected.
********************
A: FROM MENTOR DIANA DIONISIO
IN CA
It's never too early to start! At my high school, different
clubs and programs visited college campuses and I signed up
for them every opportunity that I had. There are a lot out
there, so visit more than one college in a day and try to
schedule the campus tours. Most campuses have them 2 different
times per day.
********************
A: FROM MENTOR CHRISTINE KUTA
IN MA
The best time to start looking for colleges is to start right
now. The more time you give yourself to figure out where you
want to go, the better your decisions about college will be.
My parents wanted my brother and me to go to college so badly
that they started taking us around to look at colleges when
I was 5 years old and my brother was 4 (these are not typos
-- my brother and I were not out of kindergarten). I had a
long time to figure out which college I wanted to attend and
when it was finally time to actually go, college was absolutely
terrific.
While academic programs are important considerations when
choosing a college, other important considerations are whether
you want to go to college in a city or one in the country.
One very important consideration is the distance of the school
from your home. Transportation costs are very high and will
probably only get higher. If you think that you will want
to visit home often, figure out how far away from home you
can be in order to afford the trips. If you are not sure what
you want in a college, the best way to figure it out is to
go window-shopping at the college web sites. Take note of
the things that you like at the various colleges (and the
things that you don't). Ask the adults you know who went to
college why they chose the college they went to. This will
help you figure out what you want. Once you have that, you
can start a more directed search.
********************
A: FROM MENTOR KRISTIN TAGHON
IN IL
Hi, Abi,
I believe a good time to start looking at colleges is before
your senior year.
Even earlier is fine, so that you can determine what the qualifications
are for
where you want to go (community service hours, grade point,
etc) and create
goals for yourself.
I did a search on Google "how to look for the right college"
and got many
results.
Go to http://www.collegetrends.org/
This site asks you a bunch of questions and
tells you what kinds of colleges would work for you (size,
location, what to
look for IN a college: ie in a large city, or not). I took
it and it was
right! I wish I had taken that survey before choosing MY college!
http://www.collegedata.com
is a good one and searches 1700+ colleges by location,
major, size, cost and admissions odds. So, after taking the
survey at
http://www.collegetrends.org/,
that shows you what you may find important at a
college, go to this one and search for colleges that meet
your criteria.
http://collegeapps.about.com/library/calendar/blcalendarsep2.htm
And finally, this website talks about college rankings, admissions,
financials, preparation,
etc. This particular url has a list of activities that lead
to deciding on
college. It says to start in September of your Senior year.
I would probably
start the summer before Senior year so that you can think
about what college and
do some tours.
Please check out the following webite as well. It talks about
what to do on
your tour of the college and also what are some other steps
you can take in
looking for a college.
http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/articles/visit/lookfor.asp
Good luck to you! Let us know how things are going and if
you need some help.
********************
A: FROM MENTOR LESLIE WAITE IN
CA
Hey Abi!
This is a great question. I remember being in the same boat
when I
was in High School. Both of my parents had gone to college
in their
home town, and hadn't really thought much about it beyond
just going
and registering, so in some ways I felt like I had no resources
on
how to pick a school or what to look for.
Seems to me that I visited colleges in the summer between
my Junior
and Senior year of High School. Some nearby colleges got visited
on
weekends in the spring of Junior year and Fall of Senior year.
All
the schools I visited were within a 4 hour drive of my home,
and I
went with my Mom.
To get started, I would think about what you want to major
in. Even
if you don't have a firm idea, think of things that might
possibly be
your major. Then think about what colleges will have those
majors,
and if they have good reputations both as colleges in general,
and
for the specific fields you want to pursue. Then go to the
college's
web site (which you may have already done to find out about
the
majors). Most colleges have a link on their home page for
"prospective students" or "new students"
or "come to our college!".
This will have information that they want you to know about
the
school and what features it offers to students, as well as
someone to
contact. Call that person or office and say that you are interested
in visiting the school. Some schools have tours designed for
new
students, some will have a current student show you around
campus,
some will have more elaborate programs.
Both the web site and the campus tour can give you insight
into what
schools will appeal to you. Will a small Liberal Arts college
feel
warm and supportive, or tiny and suffocating? Will a large
State
University feel like a new and exciting adventure, or like
you are
being thrown into an ocean of people with no life raft? Going
to the
schools you are interested in will give you a feel for the
culture at
the school, and whether it will work for you. When I was visiting,
I
discovered that a small Liberal Arts college would probably
feel too
"small" for me- I wanted the independence that came
with being at a
big state school. Friends of mine liked the idea of smaller
classes
and teachers that would actually know your name and be concerned
if
you missed class, so the Liberal Arts schools appealed to
them.
If you are like me, you will be amazed how visiting a web
site and
going to the campus gives a feel for the school, and lets
you know
very quickly if you will feel comfortable there. Even two
schools
which look very similar on paper may have a very different
atmosphere
to them, and finding the right fit can be the difference between
getting your degree and dropping out.
Most of the time, you can find a school within a few hours
drive that
will suit your needs. If you are seriously considering a school
farther away, then you will need to rely on the web site and
to
contact the school with questions. Depending on your financial
situation, you may even be able to travel to see them. I would
wait
to do this until after you have visited other schools that
are
nearby. These closer visits will help you figure out what
appeals to
about different schools, and what you don't like. That will
help you
know what to ask representatives from faraway schools when
you call,
and to decide if you still wish to visit them.
Good luck, and good hunting!
|
