Mercer University Top Questions

Take an extended amount of time to find a place that you (the student) feels comfortable. While what the parents think is important, the student is the one who ultimately goes to the school. If the student does not feel at home or comfortable with the atmosphere or structure, they will not reach their full potential. Learn early on that while it is always great to have fun and enjoy your college experience it is also important to remember why you are attending college in the first place. Work to find a good balance between enjoying yourself and doing well in school. Also, you will make mistakes socially and scholastically; learn from them and try your best not to repeat them. Remember, no one is perfect but it is good to try your best too.

Pick somewhere with a lot of options, because you're going to change significantly during those years, and you don't want to be stuck somewhere that only fits who you were your senior year of high school.

Make sure your heart is where you go because that will determine your success at the institution. Remember to have fun and not to take everything so seriously. When school starts to feel overwhelming, take a step back and breathe or walk away if necessary.

Take a tour of campus! Ask real students your questions and don't feel pressured to go somewhere just because of the name or because someone else told you to go there. Keep an open mind and try to find somewhere that meets your needs, and all of them: intellectually, physically, socially, and spiritually. There is a place. You just need to look for it. Best of Luck!

The first thing I would tell them is to not limit their choices to schools in their state. There is such a wide variety of colleges and universities to choose from. If possible I feel you should try to venture out of the comfort zone and try something new. Secondly I would tell the student and/or parents not let money be a limitation on a college choice, though it can be sometimes. There are always loans and scholarships to apply for. In the end however the school chosen to attend has to be something they really want and works for them and their life style.

Coming from a Christian background, I would say first and foremost, pray about it. Go has a better idea of where you are supposed to be than you do. Secondly, I would recommend campus visits to all of the schools you are considering. It is one thing to like the academic reputation of a school, and another thing to feel at home while you are on campus. Remember, this is where you will be spending 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of your time over the next 4 years! Once you decide on a school...I say jump in head first! Pick a few sports or organizations that you want to be involved in, but make sure you budget time for school work. It is one thing to make good grades but you still want to have fun memories of your time in college as well. They say these are the best years of your life, so why not make the most of them!

Look for the college that fits yours or your kids personality.

When helping their child apply for college, parents should first consider the student?s academic needs and willingness to devote time to his or her studies. Because some colleges universities expect more from students academically, the school may or may not be right for the student based on this alone. Ultimately, which college to attend should be the student?s choice with consideration of availability of financial assistance from both parents and the school. In conjunction with the academic quality of the school, perspective students should find information about opportunities to get involved on campus before they arrive at school, as this involvement generally provides students incentive to perform better in classes. Campus involvement is the key to enjoying being a student at any given university and provides the best way to make friends and connections with professors and administrators. If one is highly involved and needs assistance, financial or otherwise, the student is much more likely to receive the aid needed if he or she has made a positive impression. Ultimately, making the most of the ?college experience? is learning to challenge oneself academically while participating in enough campus and community activities to balance academia.

Students should actually visit the colleges they're interested in, and talk to current students at those colleges besides the ones whose job it is to sell the college to prospective students. They should figure out just how important greek life is to the social life of the school and perhaps visit the fraternities or sororities if they think they would be interested in greek life. They should also look over a list of other student organizations and activities in order to determine any potential interesting ones. If they do not know what they want their major to be, they should look at the list of majors offered by the school and determine how many at each school they could potentially be interested in.

I would tell future college students and parents to look for schools that will offer the majors that the students are interested in. The size, location, and number of students should be a factor as well. These things help to make the adjustment process easier. The most important advice I can give is......Start looking for scholarship early because college is not cheap! Be diligent in the search.

I would advise the parents and students to, together, decide whether to go out of state and then the amount of money that they are willing to spend for the extended education. Next, the parents and the student should come up with an agreement to keep the grades up in order to keep scholarships other grants, and if the student doesn't fulfull their end of the bargain, the student should leave the school.

It should be decided what is valued more highly (e.g. eruditity and standing of professors, social life, sports, facilities) before a decision is made, as the level at which each is adressed varies extensively from college to college. After choices are made, in addition to reading extensively about the college's history, professors, and programs, I suggest traveling personally to the desired college and spending a few days conversing lucidly wih students as well as faculty and staff about the advantages as well as disadvantages and pitfalls. Another important factor is price. Even if a favorable school is found and chosen, the economic limitations of the student should not be neglected just to attend the ideal school. The individual ambition of the student and drive to succeed what I have found to be the most important factor. Irrespective of the excellence of the college, a student without their priorities ordered or the determination and gumption to flourish will not necessarily grow and triumph simply because an exemplary college is chosen.

Rule number one is NEVER decide to attend a college you've never visited. I wouldn't have chosen Mercer had I not visited campus, and I cannot imagine being happy elsewhere. Rule number two is to not be afraid on new concepts and ideas. Many liberal arts colleges especially will break through your comfort zones and introduce material that challenges what you have always been taught--you will be a better, stronger, and more well-rounded individual for it. Rule number three is NEVER be afraid to ask questions of all sorts: about the school, the course material, a grade that wasn't what you thought it should have been--NOTHING. Questions are a means to an answer-use them, and do so wisely. Rule number four is get involved in things you enjoy, but don't overtax yourself--it's easy to do, especially as a freshman. Extra things cannot interfere with your studies or you are wasting a lot of time and money to go to college. Finally, rule number five, thank your parents for all the stupid things they didn't let you do in high school-they were right and you should acknowledge their wisdom.

Prospective students and their parents should tour the campus, but also take a little bit of time to look around the school on their own and get to know the campus a little bit better. Campus tour guides are full of all the good aspects, but take some time to get to know what the negatives of the school and the area are. I would also use extra time to drive around the city and learn a little bit about what it has to offer before deciding to attend a university there. My final advice to future college students is to force yourself to stay on campus your first few weekends. Many times long-lasting friendships are made through weekend experiences, and students that go home too frequently typically miss out on these types of friendships.

My advice is to watch your money that you have for school. Make every penny count. Because when it's gone it's gone and it is hard to get scholarships/financial loans ect. Also watch the classes that you take, so you will not take classes that you do not need unnecessarily. And last try to take all basics classes(core) at a ralatively inexpensive school, and transfer them over. and do them first. I made the mistake of waiting to finish a few math classes til the end ( because I feared math at that time). But I'll never do that again, and don't advise it.

I would advise that parents and students should do their research on where they want to be and really think about how impactful such a decision is. Students should take into consideration that this will be where their dreams come true and where they will discover themselves as individuals on their own. For parents, this is a time of letting go of their babies into an institution that can give their children the materials needed to be adults in the real world. Give them, your children, the opportunity to make you proud as parents. It is their turn.

You must choose the school that can best help you achieve your goals. You should choose a school at which you are comfortable. Not comfortable in the way in which your classes don't push you and challenge you to become better, but in the way that you know that if you work hard and earn it you will succeed. You should also feel safe, not only amongst your teachers and classmates, but also amongst those visitors whom your school allows onto the campus. You should feel as though your professors are mentors as well as teachers; mentors who not only inform you but guide you in your own discoveries. You should never feel pressured to agree, but sincerely encouraged to disagree. You should feel as if you learn more outside of class than in it, but that is not to say that you don't learn anything in class. You learn a lot there too, but the experiences you have outside of class prepare you so much more for your future. You should most importantly feel that your school's main concern is your well-being and success. Your school should care about you and show it too!

Research many colleges before making a final decsion. It is also great to visit the college and possibly sit in on lectures. Another important thing to think about is make sure that college is really what the student wants to do. Most importantly, know what you want out of life, it will make it a lot easier finding the right college because you will know exactly what you are looking for. Lastly, when in college, stay focused on your goals and never get distracted.

In order to find the right college, you must know what kind of enviornment you works best in. Some people tend to work better in smaller class enviornment, and if you are one of these people you might want to look into a smaller campus with small class where you can get the attention you need to succeed. The social aspect of college life is also very important. You want to make sure you choose a college where you can get a good education and also have fun. You might want to look into the activities and clubs that each school you are interested in offers. The best advice I can give you is to go and check out the schools you are interested in for yourself. You will be able to get a feel for the environment and you will also get a little taste of college life. Remember, a good college is a place you can learn and enjoy yourself. You only get these years once in your life. Take advantage of them!

When searching for the right college for your children, parents do not try to force your child to live up to your dreams. Talk with your children so that both of you can express your ideas and thoughts. Consider location, academics, and finance. Students should take into consideration their career choice. From your career choice you should narrow down the choice of college. Find which one provides the resources and opportunities that will allow you to achieve your future goals. Think for yourself and don't let others like friends and families influence you not to do what you want. It's all up to you so carefully plan out your choices carefully and as soon as possible. Do not wait until the last minute.

College is a big decision and the most important advice I can give is finding a school that you can afford or feel would be worth the amount of money you are spending. Also visit the campus and see if you think you would fit in with your surroundings. Make sure to look at the community as well as the campus. Also, makes sure you are happy where you are, that you are confident you would make friends and enjoy it there. If it doesn't feel just "right," do not attend that institution. And parents please remember that it's your child's decision to make, not yours. They are the ones who have to live there for four years, not you! Most importantly, enjoy yourself!! College is about having fun, learning about yourself, and making friends while also educating yourself and becoming acclimated with the world!

Parents and students need to be aware of exactly what they expect from a college before they make their decision. It is not the school's fault if it does not meet your standards or being too big, too expensive, etc. if you knew it beforehand. Costs are very important. Do not choose a school that you know you cannot afford. It is difficult enough to stay focused with school work without having to worry about how you are going to pay next semesters tuition. Begin looking early so that there is plenty of time to find the right one for the student.

Explore your options far more. Even check out schools out of state. To get the best out of y our experience though, choose a school an hour or two (or farther) from your home.

Don't allow college to change you. Make the most of your undergraduate experience because you only get it once. If a party school is going to be too much of a distraction, don't attend that school. Choose a smaller school. Choose a school that has the environment that is going to help you stay focused. Do not waste your scholarships and your opportunites by comprimising. Play it smart

College is an experience that I believe all people should have, whether it is in a vocational setting or an academic one. The most important factor in determining what college or post-secondary school to attend lies in knowing how that institution fits with what you see for your future. Know your own personal learning style and have some goals in mind when looking for the right institution. Don't choose a school just because your best friend is going there. In other words, do what is right for you!