Albion College Top Questions

Make sure to visit as many schools as possible and check all aspects of the program of the major you intend to have.

The most important thing is how you feel on campus and fit into the community. Academics are important, and obviously you should choose a school related to what you hope to study, but sometimes your field of interest changes. The reality is that this school is going to be your home for the next four years, and choosing a place you feel at home is important. Get involved in as much as you can, and study abroad if you get the chance: it's worth it. Take in as many different experiences as you can: it only comes around once.

Be VERY selective. Never settle on a school. Make sure it is exactly right for you. Meet as many people as you can before you enroll in order to get a feel for the school. Check the course catalog. Make sure interesting, exciting courses are offered, courses that you would be EXCITED to take. Make sure you are the right distance from home. It's easy to get absorbed in the college atmosphere, so it's important to know where you came from.

Go to the place you feel most comfortable and at home. Do what feels right. Don't be afraid to talk to new people.

Choosing the right college does necessarily mean choosing the school that is the most rigorous academically or the best-rated school in a book or on a website. It is about choosing the school that is right for you. I would recommend not only meeting with faculty and students, but trying to stay overnight and possibly attend a couple of classes at colleges you are interested in attending. Although this may seem like a costly process, it is worth it to try to get a sense for a school before you decide to spend four years of your life there, not to mention the significant amount of money you'll be devoting to this experience. I think that the faculty and administration's relationship to students is particularly important and can greatly impact your academic and later professional success, so try to get some insight from students about this. To get the most out of your college experience, make sure you try new things and push yourself personally and academically, but also be sure to ensure that you have some time to relax and build relationships with the people around you. Work hard and have fun!

Really, the best advice I can give is for the student to see every size school. You may go in thinking you have an idea, but unless you expand your choices and see all that is out there, you can never know what college is right for you. There may be a student you stay with that you enjoy, or the facilities may hook you, but no matter what you need to see it before you can really decide. In turn, when you go to college the best thing you can do is go with an open mind. It is a chance to start over, to build from high school or just change yourself completely. As long as you go with an open mind, and view it as a chance to expand and grow, you will find yourself enjoying every part of your college experience.

Make sure to visit the campus and see if you're comfortable with the surrounding area as well as to figure out what going to that college may require as far as transportation. Definitely make the most of your social life and your academic life at the same time without spreading yourself too thin. If you have ambition or a goal, do everything you can to meet it, you'll only be rewarded in the end. Don't be afraid to be yourself when interviewing with potential professors and advisors, they need to meet the true you as soon as possible. Don't waste a minute in college on worrying, just have fun!!

The best advice I could give from my experiences is for students to stay overnight at the school they are investigating. Determining what a campus is really like is one of the most challenging aspects of choosing a college institution. Students and parents simply cannot afford to take the words of a tour guide or other school representative at face value, for higher education is a essentially a business, and a very lucrative one at that. Student tour guides may not always be completely truthful about campus life or their institution, and are often paid to present the college in a positive light. If a prospective student is able to experience campus life firsthand, as well as real college classes, they may be able to take a more objective approach in discovering what the college has to offer. No pamphlet, cheerful tour guide, or impressive presentation can truly divulge to a prospective student what it is like to live and study at a particular institution. Firsthand experience is essential, and a prospective student should have the chance to experience college life and chat with current students without the sometimes influencing presense of parents or guardians.

The advice that I would give to parents but more importanly the student about finding the right college and making the most of the college experience is fairly simple but very useful. Do not base your choice on were other people are going. I had a friend who did just that and did not return to my college for her second year. Do not base your choice on were family wants you to go just because they are alumni. I have a friend who did that and I thank God she still loves it. Visit as many colleges as you can, visiting a school and crossing it out because you did not like it is better then putting a question mark beside it because you just don't know. And when you do find the right college you will know. The best way to make the most of your college exsperience is to get involved and find things you have a passion for but just never knew it before. Go out and make friends, many programs are put in place for you to do just that so take advanatge of them. Enjoy It, it goes by to fast not to!

College is a place for a higher education so I would recommend to parents and students to make sure you find a school that you know you will get a great education. Sit in on a class or two and see how the teachers and students interact. Talk to students about the school and classes that they have taken. What really attracted me to Albion College was how welcoming the people were in the adminastration building. I felt like, already, I was a part of that school. Activities are also a very important part of a college experience. Find out what the school has to offer in extra curricular activities. These are the points I looked for when I was searching for the right college.

Make sure you visit the school and do not be afraid to ask the students questions. Students, for the most part will give you honest testimonials to all your questions. Also do not let friends or boy/girlfriends hender you from going out of state for an education. You learn so much about yourself away from home and it was the best choice I could have made where college is concerned.

Visit the colleges and go with with college that you feel most comfortable with. Remember this is the place you are going to call home for the next four or more years of your life, so it has to feel right to you.

Choosing the right college can be one of the most difficult, yet most important choices you will make in the course of your life. My best advice to those seeking to make this decision is to visit the colleges you are looking at MORE than once. Stay overnight if you can. Eat a few meals. Get a tour of the campus from DIFFERENT students. Don't be afraid to ask any question that comes to mind. Sit in on a class, maybe two. Talk to professors in your field of interest. When you find the right college, you know it. It will be a little switch in your head that seems to just turn on. You will feel like you are at home. No matter where you end up, however, the most important thing is to go into the expirience with an open mind and positive attitude. Making new friends, and expiriencing new places can be overwhelming, but college is what you make of it, and you can have fun no matter where you end up. Don't be afraid to try new things, and don't hold yourself back from new challenges... you will never have the expirience again.

Apply to schools in all types of settings, and to many schools of differing sizes to ensure you pick an appropriate one for you.

Apply to as many schools as possible to keep your options open. Visiting the campus' is also a must in trying to find the right school for you or your child. I highly advise against going to a college just because your friends are going because it would take away from the college experience and also may jeopardize the high school friendships. Get involved with as many actiivites and campus programs as you can because the more that you are involved the better your experience will be. Lastly, choose a school that suits you best because it is the best four years of your life. DONT WASTE IT.

Parents and prospective students: take the time to visit every possible campus for your 4-year college experience. The most important things to note while on the campus are not the quality of the study nooks in the library, or the notoriety of the college sports teams, or the alumni doner statistics, and most importantly do NOT get lured in by the delicious basket of candy in the admissions office. Ask to visit with a professor from your department of interest, or to sit in on a class. And then parents - let your kid stray off alone. I know it will be difficult to let them go, but consider it your own practice for cutting the ties over the next year from your youngster. There are few things more annoying than a poorly adjusted freshman who is too homesick to stay on campus the second weekend and try anything new. Students: on your visitation day, it will be too easy to find college students who can tell you something good about the school because they probably receive a college paycheck to flood you. Instead, enter a common, residential, or fraternity building and try to find someone to say something bad.

Look around, look around, look around! THe right college won't just jump out at you; you will have to search around a little bit. Do your research, too. Don't be afraid to ask questions. It's important to know all the positive "post card" facts about schools, but don't be afraid to ask about the negative aspects, too. Finally, once you get to campus, get involved! Find ways to make changes and be involved on campus because chances are you won't have a good time if you don't make friends or find some way to be involved.

I was a tour guide at Albion, and got this question all the time. The most important decision when choosing a college is fit. the school needs to feel comfortable when you are on campus. There should be plenty of activities to do outside of class. If you are interested in sports you should go to a school where you will be able to participate in them, or have the intermural option. If you like to skip class you should go to a small school where your professor will call you when you are not there! If you can study independantly then a big school will work fo you. If you are religious then there should be opportunities for you to be in that community on campus or in the community your school is in. The college or university should be in a community you are comfortable in- big city vs. small town. If the school is a good fit you will enjoy your 4 plus years there. Not only will you enjoy them, you will learn about your content area, and your self because that is the most important part of college- learning who you are!

Visit as many schools as possible, and weigh your options from there. Do not limit yourself to just a few local options. Most of all do not limit yourself according to where your friends or significant other from high school is attending. Go where you feel is right because that is all that counts. Do anything that sounds interesting in college, you only go to college once, make the most of your short 4 years.

Take time to visit the location. Walk around not only the campus, but also make an effort to go into student housing buildings and speak with enrolled students. Make sure you explore the surrounding city to make sure you have somewhere interesting to go when you need to get away from school. Meet with the head of the department that you wish to study under and ask for a tour of the facilities. Distance from home can play a big role in your decision, but don't rely on visiting home too often or you'll find that you're missing out on the full experience that college has to offer. Find some place where you feel appreciated by the faculty and staff instead of being just another number. Small class sizes will enhance the time you get to spend with your teachers and make the class discussions more enthralling. Don't be afraid of trying new things but always make sure you're in a safe setting, if you ever feel uncomfortable, or that you are in danger, don't be afraid to contact the office of campus safety, they're usually more understanding than you may think.

Finding the right college can be challenging. The most helpful things for me were getting a 100 Best Colleges book, and then narrowing down the colleges and marking the ones that fit my GPA and extracirriculars. I then applied to lots, so I would have options. Visiting the ones I was serious about was also very helpful. I did some of the overnight visits which helped me to get to feel the vibe of the campus outside of the admissions office. I also made some second visits once I had my acceptances. Telling admissions people and students you are torn between one campus and another can sometimes prove helpful, as many students were once in your place and can sometimes give you good advice. Once you are on campus, I think it's really important to reach out and get a good social network, especially at a school with more people. Even if you aren't always comfortable trying to make new friends, you just have to remember everyone else is in the same situation. Good friends can make or break a college experience. Lastly, good luck and have fun!!!

Make sure that ypu visit each school that you are considering.

I would advise parents and students searching for the right college to first look at the department of interest. If the school has a strong department if interest, with many helpful faculty members, the students will be able to maintain interest in their selected field, as well as form connections for plans after college or participate in research. Additionally, the area surrounding campus should be accomodating to personal interests and needs. As a biology major, I would have found it frustrating and difficult to study biology in a large city. If I were searching for another undergraduate college, those two attributes would be the top two on my list, as they really influence the quality of a student's personal education.

To whom this may concern, College is all about your networking and study habits. If you're a social person who knows when to crack open a book for an exam, you'll be fine. Befriend your professors, classmates, and school faculty. This gives you optimal social mobility on campus. Also, consider Greek life and other campus organizations. They're certainly better than sitting in your dorm all day playing Call of Duty. Take it easy and just have fun with a grain of responsibility; your social awareness and academics will follow in tow. -- Relax, Paulo.

Most every college is going to be able to provide you with the minimum amount of academics you need to succeed in life. However, choosing the right college is about the way you feel when you get there; you want to feel like you can call that place your second home. When you arrive at the right school you get a feeling that you just fit there. Feelings may change with time after going to school but remember that the main reason you are there is to acquire the knowledge for the profession you desire. Take time to get to know new people and to make the best of friends you can because those friends are going to make your new life that much more easier to adapt yourself accordingly. It's important to get out and have fun while remembering you are there to go to class and to get a degree, but that does not mean you cannot have a little fun along the way.

I would encourage students to take college tours during junior and senior year of high school to help narrow down which schools you like and do not like. If you have the opportunity, I would suggest talking to current students while on tour because they can give you a good idea of what campus life is like. While at college, I would join enough extra-cirricular activities to keep you busy but not too busy. Greek life can also be a wonderful experience, as long as you go into it with an open mind, and do not have your heart set on a certain sorority or fraternity because it could change once you met members of different houses. Also be sure to take time to have fun with your friends, it will be well worth it if you do.

Albion College is a great place for people to discover and expand on what they want to do in life. Classes are small and interactive, professors are well-educated and helpful, and the social campus life is exceptional. If I were to have the opportunity to go through college again, I would come back to Albion College without a second thought.

Finding the right college is not the term that should be used. A student will either love it or hate it but it is all part of the journey. So don't stress out about "finding the right school." Making the most out of your college experience is a complete invidiual and personal achievement that can be influenced by others such as mentors or advisors. But the most important part is what the student makes of the situation. I've seen so many students at my school not take advantage of opportunities because they "have to much work to do" or "need to focus on their studies". And, yes this is completely true. I myself focus very heavilly on my studies- but in certain situations you have to be willing to sacrifice for things that you are passionate about that sometimes people won't understand. But you will. Do what's in your heart for in the future, you will be happy and you will make others happy.

Make sure the college has more than academics.

While finding the right college often seems difficult, it is surprising how once you have done all the research, tours, and scholarship applications, the right school just seems to surface. The most important thing is that once you have your chosen school, make the most of everything it has to offer, despite whether or not you are confident it was the right choice. It is common to have last minute concerns or regrets, but don't let them overcome you. Become involved in extracurricular activities, spend time on campus getting to know people, be helpful to others in class, and attend school sponsored activities such as speakers, concerts, and games. I think the thing that most students don't realize has value is living on campus. At Albion College, we were all required to live on campus our entire college careers, which at first seemed irritating. As time went on however, you realized how close you became with your classmates when you all lived in very close proximity to one another. Living off campus might seem great, but it really alienates you from campus life, and you only get to go through college once, so make the most of it!

Both parents and students need to realize that choosing a college is about much more than the school's reputation. These are potentially the best four years of the student's life, and his or her choice needs to be for a school where he/she feels comfortable enough to grow and thrive. In the end, all bachelor degrees are worth the same to a prospective employer; the difference will be in the memories that the student has made in his/her time at the school. Take the time to check out a variety of schools, getting to know the students and faculty, as well as the campus. It's good if one knows potential interests, but remember that it's not essential to know exactly what you want to do after graduation. The whole point of college is figuring out where you're headed afterward. Make sure you pick somewhere where you'll enjoy the ride.

Go with your gut. Just because it may not be the most prestigous school, or isnt as close to (or far away from) home as you would like, or you dont know anyone else going, doesnt mean that its the right place for you. Youll know, I cant tell you exactly how, but youll know whats right.

No matter what school you decide to go to, the experience you have there is entirely up to you. All schools have their high and low points, but as long as you select one whose low points you can live with, you'll have every opportunity in the world to make your college experience whatever you want it to be. The most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a college is the balance between what your life will be like while your there and the place in life where attending that school will leave you upon graduation. When you find a college that satisfies you in both accounts, you know you've found the right one.

Visit the school before applying!!!

Talk to students who attend that school, meet them, take them out to lunch, and get their honest opinion. Have your child attend classes and spend the night, if that service is offered to perspective students. Find out if the credits transfer easily to other schools because of the possibility of you not liking the school. Work hard every day. Do not get caught up in the social aspects of school. Weekends must be used productively.

It depends less on where you go for college, rather what you makes of the opportunities given to you and the resouces available. Even a small school can provide big opportunities. But know what sort of learning environment works for you; visit the school, sit in on some classes, meet some professors. Go where it feels right.

I would advise that you look into the college completely. Many students and parents take the schools they look at at face value. They believe that they have a good name and the reputation on the street is good so it must be a good school. Take your time to look into it. Find out what their facilities are like, who are the faculty, what service are available for you and your child, etc. Many students go to campuses thinking it is going to be this way and that and it turns out to be something completely different than what the pamphlet said.

Go to the campus that feels right. One thing I learned about going to Albion is I never knew how good of school I went to till I went to graduate school. Try not to let money deterior you. Most schools have awesome financial aid people who are more than willing to work with you. When choosing a school try to find a student run newspaper they will generally tell what the students are upset about.

You need to find a place that fits your personlity and goals. I love where I am at, but I know that it's not the best choice for some. I think the academics at a college are very important (obviously), but the time outside of the classroom, including friends, extra-curriculars, studying independently, LIVING independently are just as important. Now, as I go into my final year of college, I can honestly look back and say I have become a stronger individual for everything that I have done-both the good and the bad because the only way you're going to grow both academically and otherwise is to experience things and make some mistakes.. it'll be okay though.

Before you begin your college search, you have to know yourself. What do you like to do in your spare time? How do you studybest? How do you learn best? Are you interested in Greek Life? These questions will help you narrow your search. For example, if you're a smoker who plays music and you are interested in double majoring in Chemistry and History, the school for you will be one you can smoke at, with a music program for all students (not just music majors), and an academic program that allows you to double major in two completely seperate fields and graduate in the time frame you desire. Once you've arrived on campus, break out of your comfort zone. Never had arabic food or spoken to an African-American? Go to the Arab Club dinner or sit next to an African-American in class. College is your opportunity to explore who you are. College will change your outlook on life and set the groundwork for who you, as an individual, will become when you embark into the real world, completely independent. Take the opportunity, for opportunities are never lost; someone will take the one you leave behind.

Look for a college that fits with you. Visit them! You will know when you visit if the college is right for you, you'll be able to feel it. When you get to school, just be yourself! People will either accept you or they won't, but at the end of the day you'll be able to live with yourself and thats what matters. And go to class! It helps

Make sure you make the right decision when choosing a college.

Visit a college before you decide whether or not you want to attend. Trust your instincts! If the college doesn't feel right to you, it probably isn't and it won't get any better by forcing yourself to fit in. Once you enroll into a college that feels right, consider yourself a blank slate: you have the opportunity to explore parts of yourself that maybe you felt you couldn't express in high school. Join clubs and/or organizations that allow you to explore your interests-- don't worry about the popularity of a certain club. Getting involved is a personal experience and shouldn't be influenced by what "everyone" else is doing. College allows you the freedom to reinvent yourself; take that freedom and run with it. Trust me, you'll be a much happier person.

students should have some sort of idea what they want to go into. while they may have time to decide they should take into account all the opportunities the school offers if a change in major is required. they should also know the kinds of research, relationships and outside opportunities that they desire before they choose a school. just because a school has a higher ranking than another does not mean it is better for they might not offer one-on-one research with professors or the college does not support a well recieved travel abroad office. what people think of the school when you graduate is not nearly as important as what can be accomplished in your time there. a good school will get you where you need to go and not depend on reputation alone.

Look at as many schools as you can and choose the one that fits your needs and desires. If any questions about the school or its practices, contact someone right away. People are always willing to talk about their school whether they work or attend the place Also if you choose the wrong school at the beginning, switching schools isn't the end of the world. But make the decision on what you want your future to be, not how good of friends youve made. Go to every possible event and speaker on campus, you will never see as many important people or hear as diverse seminars as you will on a college campus. Don't be afraid to ask for help from classmates and teachers, most students are willing to help explain something a different way than the professor does. Use the learning centers on campus, the students and staff are there whether or not you go, and getting help will make you look good in class and get better grades!

Make sure you can afford it. Make sure the parents are setting aside money every year so they can assist their children in paying for college. I don't have anyone paying for my college education, don't let your children suffer the way I am. Make sure you are willing to push yourself into different organizations, make friends and enjoy it while you can.