California State University-San Marcos Top Questions

just enjoy and have fun, don't take everything too seriously. Know when its right to focus on school and when its time to have fun. Doing good in school does not make you a geek :) be proud of your grades and proud of yourself for making it and applying to college.

When deciding on which college to attend, make sure that you are comfortable with all the main aspects of the campus, including the location of the school and the faculty. If the college offers an orientation session, it would be best to attend. Not only do you get to know the campus and the facilities available to the students, but you also have the opportunity to meet other students who are just starting college as well. Many of the orientations are divided into majors, which is helpful because you will more likely have classes with these people at one point or another. Another helpful tip is to make use of the professor's office hours and means of communication (i.e. email and phone). I have found that when I do not understand a topic in class, communicating with the teacher outside of class hours is helpful.

I think the best thing parents and students can do before looking into college, is have a variety to choose from. Its good to take tours of the campus and really get to see what the everyday life would be like at those campuses. After that is said and done, then find out where you are accepted, and view the pros and cons of each school.

I would strongly encourage to look early, and take the time to visit the schools and look at the academic programs you are interested in. I also highly suggest looking at the classes required for your degree ahead of time and meeting with your academic advisor to help organize a 4 year plan. That will help the flow of classes combined together, and never not knowing how many more classes you have to complete your degree. While in college, just stay focused and remain positive. Through hard work, anything is possible. Use the resources your school provides, after all they are free, and can be very helpful. Also, I strongly encourage looking into a study abroad program, you can gain so much knowledge about the world that could never be taught in a classroom. And lastly, i encourage participation in intership programs. This will help you really find what you like, and will look fantastic on your resume.

Take full advantage of the opportunities you school offers. Embrace the people and surrounding areas of your college. Most of all enjoy college and have fun learning everything you can while your young! :)

When deciding on where to go to college, look at the big picture. Try your best to find a place that offers a diverse amount of your interests. From my experience, I was so focused on finding a school that a would offer me an athletic scholarship and had my major that I did not even consider some other schools that offered tremendously more activites, clubs and the college atmoshpere I really wanted. In addition, I would definitely tell them not to let their fear of being away from home or being afraid of not fitting hold them back from going to the school they really want to attend. At first it may be difficult to find your niche, but you will find people you connect with, and this time of your life is the best time to experience things for yourself that will be much more difficult to do when you settle down and begin your career.