Fairfield University Top Questions

The college selection process is one of the most difficult things i've ever had to go through. It's stressful, but remember it's for your future. Although it seems like you've got a while til the real world, it's right around the corner. So make the right choice for you, not for anyone else. You may find that the specific college is not what you thought it was, but don't give up on it. Stick it out and you might be surprised at the great things you're able to accomplish and the fantastic people you meet along the way.

Make sure you find the perfect fit - socially, and academically and look at everytihng you possibly can. Location, location, location.

I would tell them to do their research on the college and visit a couple of times. I would tell them to not slack off and start to get involved since freshman year and try to find out everything about your major, requirements, and organizations and clubs

Honor your child's/ young adult's learning style, interests and needs. Keep yourself out of the picture and watch/ listen to your child rather than impose your desires on him/her. Understand that the most important thing for a student is to be in a setting that best suits his/her learning style. Allow them to follow their passion not yours. Do not worry about what the neighbors/ co-workers/ relatives/ cocktail party circuit people may think. This is about your child not you.

When choosing a college, make sure you realize the impac this decision will have. You are setting yourself up for the next four years of your life, so be sure to go to websites such as Princeton Review, and read what students had to say about their school. Go on tours of campus, and find one where it just feels right, like a future home. Make sure you know how important an active social life is for you or if you would rather be around people who concern themselves with schoolwork. When you get to college, put yourself out there, do new things, because through new things you learn more about yourself and learn more about what you do and do not like. Concentrate mostly on your schoolwork, then leave time for fun activities. Join clubs to find people who have interests like you, and remember not to judge a person when you first meet them. College really is what you make of it; give a lot and you will get a lot in return. Make a careful choice, because though transferring is an option, it is pretty scary when you actually face it.

Choosing the right college is not the easiest decision in life. It is important to keep in mind that the whole process of applying to college is worth it in the long run. Choose a college that feels right to you! Make sure that in your process of looking at colleges that you make sure you visit each of them, it is the best way to get a feel for the enviroment and the people that go there. When first narrowing out colleges try not to factor in the cost, that is something that can be figured out later. It is important that you do not let that hold too much of an impact on your decisions. When you decide what college or university you want to enroll in, make sure that you make the most of your stay there. The four years that you spend there will be the best of your life. Do not waste one moment of your college experience.

It's important to aks around about the school. Parents should talk to counselors along with their children to find out exactly what is going on at the school. It is important for the children to talk to people who have attended or are attending the university. It can be very disappointing to go to a college and find out it is not what you thought it was. Maybe even making a list of what is important for both the child and parent and asking questions about those things could really be helpful. It is important to do something like this with all the colleges the family is looking at. I feel it is also important to make sure the whole family puts their opinion into the decision making process.

chose a school that has both academic and extracurricular activites you are interested in

I think the most important thing is to go and take tours at any school that you're interested in. Talk to students there, sit in on a class (if you are permitted to) and really take a step back while you're visiting, and see if you could picture yourself living there for 4 years. For me, I immediately knew that this is where I wanted to be when I stepped out of the car. I fell in love with everything about this school--the people, the landscape, the buildings, and the list goes on! If you're an athlete, make sure you really love the coach and your prospective teammates--they're going to be your family away from home for the next four years--you spend hours upon hours with these people, so it's very important to get along. My last piece of advice, would be to follow your heart. You just sort of know when you're in the right place, so go with your gut, and good luck! Have a blast while you're here... you only live once!

The student will know, trust them!

Your time at college flies by. Make sure you hit the ground running and be ready to meet people. It is always hard to find a group of friends you truly like and the people you are friends with freshmen year may not be your friends senior year. Just keep an open mind and you will find a great group in no time. Whatever you do, never forget that you are at college to get an education. Put school work first, even if it means staying in one weekend. You won't regret missing a party forever, but you will regreat a bad grade on your transcript. In addition, get to know your professors. They are teaching at a university because they actually like getting to know young people. Not only can they help you in their class, but they may be able to point you in the right direction when it comes to a job search. Last but not least, get involved in your school. There are thousands of extraciricular activities at every school, don't just sit there and watch, get involved.

For students I would first suggest to apply to a fair amount of schools to give yourself more chances, even including those schools that you perceive to be reaches. You have to keep in mind what is important to you and look for that in a school. Whether it be your preference to urban settings such as a city campus setting, a large 20,000 student body, or a school with a specific religious affiliation, everything counts in the decision making process. But do not be critical on this point either, because even if the school you choose has everything you're looking for, that doesn't mean that you wont regret it later. I found out what really matters is the people who are around you, friends, peers, even professors in general. This is the most crucial factor, although it is unfortunate that there is no concrete way to determine your fellow classmates while you are searching for schools. Choose a school that will yield considerable job opportunities because the name of your school is important. And regarding making the most of school, force yourself to grow, be open, stay focused (motivated) and just have fun, college is awesome!

make sure to go and visit a college before you make a decision. see that the kids walking the campus are people who seem similar to you. also check the class size and availability of classes to take in the field that you are interested in.

The most important thing is to find a University where you will feel completely comfortable in the shortest amount of time. The transition from high school to college is a major one and parents should not get in their child's way of this choice, unless it is because of money of course. However, these 18 year olds are young adults now and if they like a college as their first choice and you as the parent have another first choice, you, the parent, must learn to accept their choice fully.

I would say that it is very important to visit the school, i think that is how you get the best feeling of how the school fits you, and trust your gut feeling toward the school.

I would advise all parents/students to take tours of thier top 5 colleges. I would also say that they should not go on the school guided tour, and simply walk around the campus by themselves. I feel like the school guided tours only show you what they want you to see, and you can't really get a good "feel" for the campus. It's important to talk to current students, especially upperclassmen. Thier opinion of the school is based on years of experience and is generally more reliable. As far as making the most of the college experience....I feel like it's very important to get involved on campus. Joining a group or club is a great way to meet people and expand your horizions.

Selecting which college or university one will attened is a stressful decision. The most important thing to keep in mind that the "right" college is more than just a prestigious name. It is the place you will call home for the next for years. Accordingly, the "right" college depends on size, the major you wish to pursue, location, housing options, and financial aid. In terms of making the most of the college experience, it is important to make new friends. Be sociable and be open to new things. Nothing will make freshman year worse than spending the weekend alone in your dorm room. It is also crucial to find a balance between academics and your social life. Of course, you go to college to learn new things, but that doesn't mean you should spend your four years at school locked in the library!

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To not allow others to tell you what type of person goes to a campus and what other people are about. Get involved and meet friends don't be afraid to put your self out there. Also, make sure you balance your social life with academics, your here to be a student first, so learning does come first, but not to the point where you forget to have fun. College can be awesome if you allow yourself to get involved and have a great time.

Consider everything about you; the types of people you like, the people you want to interact with and your future career. You can't succeed if you are missing one of these things.

Give your children time and experience to make the right decision.

Go with your gut feeling, choose what makes you feel most comfortable!

There are so many questions and furstrations parents and students expereince during the process of finding the right college. These are four very special years, so make them count. Make sure that all the needs you have listed are adressed in that school you are looking at. Your school of choice should be a place that wishes to cultivate every area of your life, in order to inspire future leaders. Think about, wither you want your school that is spirtually affilated or not. Think about sports , cultural and political devleopment at that school. Also consider the diversity of its student and faculty population.Don't forget internship and study abroas opputunites.Although it may seem odd, definitley consider what kind of fun things you can do off campus. Your requirements shouldn't only depend on finances and academics, make sure that a potential school adresses, CURA PERSONALIS. The Jesuits, believe it is their responsibility to educate the WHOLE PERSON. At my school, I belive that I and will continue to be educated in all areas of my life. SO SHOULD YOU !

I would say that you need to consider everything: the location, the tuition, the clubs and activies it offers, the size, and the areas of study it has. You are going to be living there for gour years of you life so you need to make sure that it is somewhere where you feel comfortable. If you like big schools with a lot of school spirit and Alumni support than go to a Big Division 1 schoo like Michigan or Penn State, but if you looking for something smaller, and more presonal you are going ot need something like Fairfield or Loyola. Also, once you pick your college GET INVOLVED. Every school is going to have a million things to do, you just need to find out whats right for you, do you like club sports, the school paper, theater, or are you into making your campus go green? if you find a clu b or activity you like chances are you will make friends, and be doing something you love

Dear Parents, As your child is looking for the right college for them, keep in mind that they are still trying to figure out who they are themselves. Do not assume as parents that you know your child because his or her views may change within the next hour. While still in high school encourage your child to get involved in new activities to help them discover who they are and what they would like to be surrounded with. Also, do not fall into a diversity trap. If your child is of an ethnically diverse background do not chose a school based on how well the child will fit in, this could limit your child's growth in personality and exposure to the real world. When chosing a school make sure it is as academically diverse as your child. If your child has no idea what they want to do with their life do not pressure them to go to a law school because you want them to be a lawyer. Let your child decide their own career path and keep in mind that it takes time!

Choose the college that feels right for you. Don't take into consideration anyone else's feelings, because ultimately you're the one who has to live there for four years. And even if you can't explain to anyone why you like it, but it feels right to you, it's okay. When I stepped on to campus for the first time it just felt like homeand it felt like it was the place I was supposed to be. I could see myself living there and becoming a part of the community, and choosing that college was the best decision I made. When you get to college, I think the most important part is to put yourself out there. I am a generally shy person and it was a big stretch for me to go to club meetings on my own or introduce myself to new people. But the truth is, college is what you make it. You get what you give, and by really stepping out of my comfort zone I was able to experience some amazing things.

Start early! That is honestly the best advice I can give. Sometimes you never really know what you want or what you are looking for until you are there. It's hard but in the end its good because you just have to make the best out of any situation you are in. Also, parents should really help their kids in everything, whether its college planning, the right school, but especially with financial aid because that is one fo teh toughtest parts of the college experience. Getting through the whole money situation. But in the end, the best thing a parent can do is support the child in everything. All decisions, all actions, just support because at first it is tough, very tough but the child needs the parents help to get through everything.

Make sure to visit the campus and talk to students to make sure its the right fit. Visit more than once if possible to try to meet with teachers involved with desired major. Get involved. Goals are great-

The only thing i could possibly say is, find the school that you think will make you most happy. If the school makes you smile, then thats the school that you should go to. Don't worry about cost, distance, or maybe the fact that you're worried if your school is not a party school. The amount of happiness you will have is worth going in debt, or being homesick for the first month. And when you do find that college, make sure you make the most out of it. The worst thing you could do is be in your dream college and sit around in your room alone. Go out, make friends, party, join a group, study, do something, anything. Down-time is the most destructive force in college, and it can ruin anybody's experience. Make the most of your time, but learn a balance of socializing and studying. When you master this, you will have four years of great memories, lifelong friends, a great career, and a fulfilling life.

I think that it is very important to have an honest, open mind when it comes to selecting the right college for you. When I applied to schools I chose mainly ones that were big names and had great reputations, but were not really for me. It is easy to apply to schools with a high status, but in the end I realized that these schools were not right for me. In the end I chose the school that I felt most comfortable at. It was also important to me that my parents felt comfortable with me being there as well. Many people have told me that the best way to get the most out of your college experience is to get involved with activites and sports on campus. I found this to be true for many people, but it is not for everybody. I personally attribute my great college experience so far to the friends that I have made. It is so worthwhile to find friends that you really love being with and will stay in touch with for many years after school. It is important to take into consideration what will make you happiest in the end.

Comfort is the first word that comes to mind when I think about choosing the right college. Afterall, what good is a good name, campus, and faculty if one is going to perform academically and socially at a mediocre level because he or she isn't comfortable enough with where they are. College is expensive-- why spend so much money on a experience that is not enjoyable? Location is the most important factor to consider in the quest to find a school a student feels comfortable at. Some people are comfortable with being thousands of miles away from home while others can become homesick and may want to go back home over the weekend. Also, it is essential that one get a sense of the culture and people at a school so that they may feel like they fit in. Once in school, a student should make an effort to get involved in at least two or three extra curricular activities to get the most out of their college experience. This will them a sense of purpose and value at their school, which boosts self-esteem and therefore enables them to perform at their best.

College is what you make of it. I got to school Freshman year and hated it, and now I love it. It is all about finding the right group of freinds and creating your own world within a new experience. Lot's of people can write long drawn out essays to answer this question, and can to you to get involved, meet friends, throw yourself into the life etc... Though, in the end it comes down to arriving at school and carving your own little slice out of the college you will experience for the next four years, whatever way you want it.