Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus Top Questions

Write a list of goals that identify what you want to get out of your college career. Visit colleges your sophomore and junior year of high school, not just one, but many to understand the character of the university and the programs they offer. While at the campuses, make sure to talk to some of the students around campus, not the auto-programed tour guides to achieve a more in depth feel of the university. Match your goals with the universities and select many (4-8) that appeal to you and you have a realistic shot of getting into. Of the ones you get in, revisit, pick your best choice, and accept there. While at college, go to class-easiet way to get decent grades. Do the graded work; that is whats matter for the GPA. Keep on track for meeting your goals ( with grades, leadership, clubs, and networking) but for remaining time - spend it having fun, whatever that may be for you personally.

Finding the right college. This step is obviously extremely important and, personally, I think is too often overlooked. Finding a college that has a lot to offer is huge. If you are bored from lack of outside activities and your school isn't hospitable when it comes to helping students, you won't be happy and this depression will be reflected in your academic performance. This is why I urge parents to please, unleash your children from their cage and let them be free. College is about exploration and making the best out of the those 3-5 years. This is impossible if the parent chooses the college instead of the student. Once you choose a college that offers a lot, it is imperative to take advantage of that. In order to make the most out of your college experience, be active-and more importantly, be yourself. Think of college as a clean slate. You don't have to conform to fit in like you did in highschool. Go there with an open mind, choose a club or two that you enjoy being a part of and get involved.

When it comes to choosing a school do not let finance be your main reason. Always include other factors that will also be important to you. There will always be a way to pay for school.

My advice about making the right decision for college would be is to follow your instinct. I know that I was very torn up when deciding where I wanted to go, and the final decision came down to where I could best see myself. My decision was based on what I felt was the best for me, not my best friend or boyfriend. College is about finding yourself, which will bring you to meet many people you will never forget and experiences that will last a lifetime. I believe that the main thing that you pull out of college is the experiences you have and not the degree you graduate with at the end. This is also why I believe that to make the most of your college experience, you should be involved in everything you like to do. Don't be afraid of trying something you never dreamed of doing, like studying abroad. The sky is the limit and only you can pick the direction you will go.

Most good schools will have the proper criteria for the subjects that is needed however, the best practice should be to talk to each college student aid department to see how readily available they are to assist students to find the necessary fianancial aid. package.

The best advice I would give parents, is to know your child. Know the environment in which they will thrive in, and their weaknesses when it comes to peer pressure and not doing their best in classes. If the child is strong willed and dedicated to their work, then they may do well in a big university which is dedicated to the child's future. If the child can give in easily to peer pressure and have trouble in classes, then a smaller university may be most beneficial. Pick the school which will help the child's future. To make the most out of your college experience, the number one thing I can say is to always remember why you are there. You are there for an education, and having fun comes in second to that. I strongly think that enjoying one's self is an important factor in any college experience, but it should not come in the way of learning the most you can. Getting involved in many clubs and organizations not only broadens the childs social network, but can also help them make the best out of their college experience by preparing them for the future.

For me, the college I was to attend was planned out from the beginning of my highschool carreer. Although Penn State is a fantastic school, it's possible there was a better one out there for me. The best advice anyone can give about finding the right college is look around and explore your options before deciding. For all future students, remember that school is important, but so is remembering your life. Study hard, but always leave some time for fun.

My advice to finding the right college for a new student or student parents would be to visit the school more then once. I have visited Penn State University, University Park at least 15 times before I attened. I knew that was the place for me! I really enjoyed the large crowds and the activity of the students, and the school spirt. Everytime I visited here I knew I wanted to come here. So find somewhere that if you were just visiting you would enjoy visiting, and eventually living there for at least the next four years of your college career. Also talking to current students and Alumni are very helpful to learn more on what the school is all about if you still have questions or concerns after visiting. With today technology you can just search on such websites as facebook to obtain more information from students, staff, Alumni, and teachers to also help you with questions and concerns of your new school experience.

My advice would be to look for the school that most closely identifies with your major. Some schools can have the program you are looking for but, really are not as fit as other schools to handle it. Location is also pretty important. It is part of the college life to be in the enviornment you want to be in and that best suits you. This includes campus size, location, and class size. Friends, learning and a good time are guarenteed.

School rank. Higher is better.

Get involved. The most important thing you can look for in a college has to be activites you are interested in. If you're headed to college, you are already intent on recieving a good education. Make sure when you're looking at potential schools that you're looking at clubs and organizations on campus. I have met most of my friends through extracurricular activites. They are a good way to keep organized, manage your time well, blow off steam and socialize. Many clubs offer ways to reach out to the community, to give back, which is always good. All of the clubs and activites you participate in while in college will help you after you graduate - they can help you to communicate effectively with others, they can give you leadership experience, and they help with self-confidence. Making the most out of college means being as active as possible during your time there, taking advantage of every resource available to you - most especially clubs and organizations.

Make sure that it is the best choice for you and not for anyone else. Make sure that you as a student will be happy and comfortable because you are spending 4 years of your life there.

Do your research, you have a limited amount of time before deciding on what you can do with your life.

I would advise them to visit each college campus at least once, and ask any question that they can think of of the faculty/staff, to make sure they know all they want to know about the school and to make sure the school is the right fit. I'd also ask already enrolled students what they think about the school-since they are not being paid to speak nicely about the school they may provide the most candid and helpful answers. To make the most of the college experience, I would say that a student should get involved with on-campus activities to meet people and make potential friends.

To Students: Visit the campus because if you're not happy with the way it looks or with the facilities they have, you're not going to be happy most of the time. Collect information about on-campus vs. off-campus living, such as meal plans and rent costs, and think about how it would be living with someone else; not only can you put up with other students, but can they put up with you? Think about any activities that you might want to be involved in. If sports isn't your thing, maybe they have a club or a subject you can tutor while making some extra money. Think about how you're going to travel from place to place: will you have your own car, will you rely on someone else, or is everything close enough that you won't have to worry about transportation? To Parents: This is the time that the ambilical cord is severed. Unless your child will be living with you during their college career, things will drastically change. Let them know you miss them, send them an extra $5 from time to time, and most importantly: support them emotionally.

Go with what your instinct tells you. Don't go to a school just because it has a good reputation or that's where Mommy and Daddy went. Otherwise your going to have a bad college experience.

Is to keep a good balance of school and social life. Try to participate in alot of activities and clubs, always try to meet new people.

Make sure you visit the college first, and let your kids stay there for a few nights to get a feel of life in that school.

Don't stress out about which college is 'right' for you. No matter where you go, you make friends and find your niche. Be sure to balance out your social life and academics. If you do too much of either you will go insane either due to a low GPA or stressing out about being behind in classes. Make friends on your floor. Join clubs. College can be the best years of your life. Live it up without any regrets before having to get a real job and be an adult.

The educational level at schools are very important, but that shouldn't be the major factor in determining which school is better. It is really important to visit the campus to understand weather you belong here or not. Extracurricular activities and social life at the university should be plentiful, so that students won't get bored or do the school work only for the whole time in college. The place that most describes where you want to be is you. The students should always be picky about the universities that they want to attend to insure that they made a right desicion and won't regret for a year or so.

It might be best to take a year off of school to discover what you really want to do in life. I know I just jumped into school and I got lost in all the options that I had.

Don't pick the place that 'ought to be the best,' pick the one that feels right when you step onto campus. From my first tour of Penn State University, I knew it was the place for me. I was accepted to numerous brand-name universities, but I knew I would be happier here.

I would tell them that it is important to visit the campuses they are interested in attending, especially when classes and students are in the full swing of a semester. It is important to see what a typical day is like at the campus you are looking at, not just what it is like on the weekend or in the summer. Also, to talk to future professors, they are glad to help you and give you any information you may need, whatever contacts you cant make, MAKE THEM!

Visit the college for more than just a day. Take a weekend and see what the social scene is like on and off the campus to see if it's really a good fit for you. Once you choose the best fit for you, get involved! Find a campus group that you can relate to and enjoy it!

To both parents and students. Vist the colleges you might possibly attend! Parents should allow their daughter or son to explore the school without them, but should also explore the campus separately. The students should consider their gut feeling very important. Put aside academics and school rankings for a moment, if you don't see yourself happy at that school, you probably won't be. (Atleast at first) Look around at the students and talk to them! They'll have the best advice for you. If you want to make the most out of your experience than talk to people and make friends right away. Meet people who live in your dorm, and try to get involved with extracurricular activities. If alot of people from your highschool are going to the same college, try to make other friends separately at first. Don't fall into that safety net! Make sure you put enough time into studying. It's easy to just let it slide and hang with friends but sometimes you really gotta kick yourelf into shape if you want that A. Not hanging with friends for a night isn't nearly as bad as a low GPA.

Be sure to visit the college first and go at a time when the campus will be most active. Durring the week is best. While visiting, ask random students about their likes and dislikes. They will provide the most honest answers.

In order to find the right college it is important that you research you're top choices very thoroughly. If you can, definitely visit and take a tour of the campus during the school year so you can see how students interact on campus, get a glimpse of the campus culture, and talk to students if possible. Visit a student sites, where videos or pictures are uploaded, such as college humor so that you can see how students really party and spend their time; this may not be everyone, but this way you won't be so surprised. Furthermore, factor in other costs of attending the school, the cost of living in the area, and how those affect the aid you receive. Lastly, it is important if you can't visit the school, try a virtual tour, and try to send correspondence to any student liasons.

I would tell parents and /or students to start looking early. The earlier you look at schools the more time you have to visit them and learn sbout their programs. I would also tell them to try to have an idea of what you want to do. Knowing what you want to do with your life will make it easyier when looking at schools to see if they have what your looking for.

Finding the right college and subsequently making the most of the college experience is such a huge and involved process. Students and their parents need to keep the big picture in mind when choosing a school. If I could go back to my senior spring, I would have thought more about choosing a college for who I was right at that moment than choosing a school that I thought would impress others. Think more about the college itself than its location: Your school is where you will spend most of your time, and no matter how close you are to a hip city, you need to think about whether the area around your school is accessible and somewhere you'd like to be. Think more about the student body itself than the fact that you got into the honors program or that the school wants you to be on their lacrosse team: Even though these things sound great on paper and will surely open doors for you, they just aren't worth it if you don't love your school in the first place.