St Lawrence University Top Questions

Make sure to schedule a visit with Admissions. This way you and your child can have an interview, tour the campus, sit in class and see what the campus is like on the weekends.

Do not pick a school based on what you think you want to do with your life. You will change your mind. Pick a school where you will enjoy yourself and where you can find out what you really are interested in studying.

A good academic program isn't the only thing that makes a school a good school. You should also look at what social oppertunities the school provides!

I think it is important for parents to understand that the ultimate choice is their child's. Although parents always want to be involved, they will not be there when their son or daughter goes to college. It's important to help them in the process, but not to overwhelm them with what you think they should be looking for in a school. Try to present them with oppertunities and make them think out of the box. If you child is an athlete, try to push them to find a school that they would be happy at if something happened and they could no longer be athletic. If you child is shy, try to push them to find a place where they will feel welcome! Don't be afraid about the drinking and drugs involved with college - your child will be just fine. Every person has to find what fits them best, and there is a college out there for everyone.

I would recommend you visit as many colleges as posible. Talk to not only administrators, but also current students. Get their feel for their academic and social life. You will get a feeling that certain colleges are a right fit. Once you narrow your list, go back for at least a second visit. This time take a harder look. Will they help you out financially? Will you like the housing? Will you like the community surrounding the college? Look hard. An education is a huge investment. Money does talk when it comes to financial aid, campus jobs. Do the alumni participate in career searches? Your education will be broken down into four basic areas: 1) Academic. Does the college have the programs you need? 2) Housing & social life. Does the college have not only proper facilities but people that share your social interests? 3) Extra-curricular activities. Not only social but altruistic. 4) Career placement & guidence? Bottom line as mentioned before, once you visit a few educational institutions, your gut will tell you which ones are right for you!

Make sure you do a lot of research on the colleges you look at. Visit the colleges and walk around and ask random students questions about their experience. Tour guides will answer you but will try to avoid giving you a bad perception of the school. Get the truth from someone who won't risk losing their job. If it doesn't feel right, don't go there even if you are being pressured by relatives, guidance counselors or friends. In the end, it isn't their life or education but yours. Take advantage of every opportunity that you come across. Take a step out of your comfort zone and try something new and/or learn about a different culture. Go abroad! It is an unbelievable experience that you will cherish forever. Take the time to plan out your course work but be sure to make time for yourself and making the most out of your college experience. It is a great place to make lifelong friends and memories. Take that course that sounds interesting but isn't relevant to what you want to do, you'd be surprised at how much it impacts your life. Enjoy every moment.

look around and apply to as many colleges possible and find the one that best fits you

Do not talk to just your tour giudes when you visit. They are paid to tell you good things about the school. Find students to talk to, maybe someone you know that is attending. Also, visit the department that you are interested in; talk to professors and students there. Take advantage of outside research as much as possible. This is a really good experience and may even get you off campus and around the country for free. The college experience is not just about the college that you attend.

The best advice about finding the right college would be to visit the schools. Attend a college that you feel comfortable with not one that might have the best reputation. You will only do your best at a school you are comfortable at and can enjoy yourself.

I am sure that the preferred response to this question is to send your kids to the best possible school so they can go the furthest they can in life. I am far from a hippy but so far what I've took from life is that you have to follow your dreams within the confines of society. Parents want the best for their kids and the kids know what they want from life. If your child has always demonstrated that they are capable of making good decisions , that they view things from all angles and know exactly what they are getting into and what the reprecussions will be...then let them go. Parents have to let their children make their own decisions, but children must demonstrate that they are capable of making mature, practical decisions as well as follow their dreams. Something my dad once told me that makes more and more sense to me every day is..."I don't care how you do something, as long as you can justify it." This is not meant to be taken to its limits, but it is a good philosophy to keep in mind. Thank you for your time.