Pacific Lutheran University Top Questions

One of the most important things you can do during the college-search process is visiting prospective schools. Where do you feel at home? I knew immediately that PLU felt like the right kind of school for me. I based those feelings on my interactions with staff and students and the general vibe that I felt throughout the campus. As for making the most of the college experience, the key to success is balance. Many students bite off more than they can chew, and they end up being constantly stressed and worried. Don't take too many 300-level classes at once, if it can be helped. Spread the tough classes around-you have four years, after all! Then find some other activities you enjoy, develop some friendships, and you'll be set. One more thing: unless you wake up at 6 or 7 every morning anyway, do not take 8 AM classes unless it is absolutely necessary. You will be much happier if you can get enough sleep each night.

You need to visit the school and talk to current students, not just the ones who show you around, but ordinary students. It is also a good idea to visit some professors and buildings in your area of interest. Don't overload yourself with too many activities, but make sure you are still active and involved around campus.

Find a college that will make you happy. Money will always be an issue, but a good edcuation will take you places you would have never dreamed otherwise. In other words, a quality education really is priceless. Follow whatever gut instinct you have and study something that fulfills YOU...and no one else. Let your heart be as open as your mind, and be prepared to have both opened further. Do not be afraid. You will come out at the end, a more whole human being with more to offer the world.

Make sure you research everything about the colleges you are looking into. Try to stay in one of the dorms for a night to see what it's like, and try to ask some people who go there currently what they think about their college. Make the most of your college experience, but make sure you remember that you are paying to go to your classes now, so you can't just slack off, you will have to work.

I would say they should really know what they want to get out of their education. How important is the location? Can this school be in the city, or do they prefer a school located in a more rural area? How important are academics? How important are the people around you and their political/religious persuasions? What major do you want to pursue, and how important is that major to the university? How big of a class load are you willing to take? What size of a universtiy would you choose? There are all important factors in college decision making. Another important thing to think about is how helpful the college or university staff will be in terms of assisting with problems? This could include academic problems, housing problems, financial aid, etc. Also, it's important to consider what the vibe of the University is, and whether there is a huge nightlife in the area. I would personally not recommend a school with fraternaties or sororities, it seems to divide the students. Other than that, I would say take a visit to the campus, and talk with professors in your potential degree area.

College is a place where people come to find themselves, within the first year of school many changes within a person can be seen, the majority of those changes come from growing in maturity. While looking for a school, don't go where your friends are going, stand up, take a step towards what you want and what you need in a school. Know somewhat what you are looking for, a large or small school or somewhere in the middle, always look to make new friends once you have began your freshman year. Don't worry if you're shy, college is a place to try new things, make new friends and gain new experiences. No one in college comes from the same place as you so there is always going to be something to learn from a new classmate. And lastly, don't be scared, college is a place to step out of your comfort zone and to learn just a little more about yourself.

You must visit every college that you are seriously considering attending. What looks good on paper--average class size, graduation and employment rates, strength of certain programs--doesn't mean anything if the place is a wrong fit. Colleges can't express to you what you need to experience yourself. The idea of sunshine, or rain, all year around;,or the foreign lure of city or rural life, or the idea of living in the Big Apple without having ever visited may sound appealing, but unless you step on campus, you aren't going to know how these will affect you. College can easily be the most stressful, enjoyable, depressing, or life-changing time in one's life. (Most likely, all of the above). On one hand, college can be the best years of one's life, and on the other, depression-induced suicide can be the end of it. You can't leave the seemingly extraneous details of the "campus fit" to chance. How at home one feels on campus affects everything: Academics, social life, personal fulfillment, memories, friends, direction/career, etc. Be wise and visit the campus before signing away the best years of your life.

The best advice I could give parents and students is to listen to the advice of others and then for them to find out for themselves. Go visit colleges, both big and small. There's a lot to take into account when you're going to be living somewhere and spending so much money for years at a time. There's weather, the area surrounding the campus, and things like class size to think about. You could think you like something, but until you actually go there and see the atmosphere with your own eyes, you won't fully understand, and maybe you'll find out you really don't like something as much. Fraternities and serorities have a different role and provide different experiences than dorms or a dry campus. So, I would say go visit it. I also would say to talk to people about the school and what the student is interested in. Talk to the teachers, and ask the seniors about their college experiences and for advice. There are many different colleges out there, and there will be one that fits you or your son or daughter perfectly. Good Luck!

I would consider the distance from home. the most available financial aid that you will receive. the least amount of loans that you have to take out the better it is for you in the long run. you don't have to know what you want to do right away so choose wisely where you are going if you want to spend a lot of money you better know what you want to do. i would look at all of the school that you are thinking about going to. if you want to have fun travel go some where. just make sure that you are going to do something with the rest of your life. Not just to waste on a bunch of student loans.

My advice would be to look around as much as possible and try to feel the universities out. Try to look for compatible size, relevant extra-curricular activities and see if you can feel the sense of tight-knit community and purpose radiating from the students, the professors, the location. The pricetag is important as well, but not nearly as much as the growth potential within those four crucial years. Besides, if you find a place that wants the you, too, they will help you find a way to pay for it.

Although every college would like to claim that it is utterly unique, that is not true. So come up with a list of basic features you want in your school and you will be able to find dozens of schools that fit the bill. Once you have several schools that you think you might like you need to go and actually look at the schools, then you need to look at the area around the schools. If you hate rural areas do not go to a school in the middle of no where. Make sure that there are things that interest you around the prospective schools, because you are not going to be spending every moment of your free time studying, and you will want to remember your college experience for the friends you made and the fun things you did together, not just the four years you spent learning - hopefully - interesting information.

I would suggest that parents and students join together to figure out which of the schools they applied to will offer them the best financial aid package. I would also suggest that they visit the campus and possibly even sit in on a class or two so that they can get a feel for how things are run. The more the prospective student is able to familiarize themselves with the campus, the more comfortable they?ll feel on the first day of school and the more certain they?ll feel that they made the right decision. As far as making the most of the college experience, there are areas of the school website as well as the campus that are devoted to campus life, including the various organizations and clubs you can get involved in, how to find internships and volunteer experiences, and how to find jobs on campus and off campus. The staff and students tend to be very helpful in that area, as well.