University of Alabama in Huntsville Top Questions

make sure you check out all the colleges before you make a decision. college life should be the most enjoyable part of life

When choosing a college the student should first look at the school that best fits the degree they plan on attaining. This first step should give the student a short list of colleges. Then the student should look at the price of attending the prior mentioned colleges, this cost analysis allows the see which college is the best buy. The final deciding factor should always be a visit to the college, in which the student gets a feel of the environment (social life, teachers, accommodations and the city in which the university is located) of the university. Thank you for your consideration for this scholarship Sincerely Jason Haraway

Pick a field of interest and find out what the school has to offer in that field. Some schools are more oriented in certain departments than others. This does not mean that you have to pick your major yet. Think about if you would rather live at home or on campus. Visit the school and decide if it has a good learning atmosphere as well as suitable campus housing. Keep in mind that the total costs should be affordable and that you should be able to pay off any student loans on time. Also see if the school accommodates all of your needs such as a special diet or any disabilities. Apply to more than one school of your interest and see how much money in scholarship each school is willing to award. Do not pick a school just because of your favorite football team, unless you are planning to play on the team and know that you will make the tryouts. Education comes before athletics. Finally analyze all of the criteria and pick a school that will guarantee you the best experience and a valuable degree.

Pick what is best for you. Do not do what your friends are doing. You will make new friends, friends that will last a long time. The way to be the most involved is to go Greek. Be in the sorority or fraternity that you fit into. Your sisters or brothers will be your life long friends, and most likely be in your wedding. Enjoy it, do not rush through it. Take it all in and grow because of it.

I suggest that in order to find the right college for a particular student, the student and parents research several different schools in depth. The colleges that they look at should definatley have acredited programs in the student's desired major. This ensures that the student will be taken seriously in the modern competative job market. The size of the school should also be taken into consideration when choosing the right college. It is easy for professor to overlook a particular student in a large school, so if a student needs help academically, a smaller school is probably better. Another thing that should be taken into consideration is the social activities that students engage in at the campus. If most people at the campus have similiar social intrests as the prospective student it is more likely that the student will make friends easier. Making good friends quickly is very important and can make the difficult transition to college alot easier. Ofcourse these are just a few of the issues that a person faces when choosing a college, but these are the issues that I feel have the most impact on a student's success at a particular university.

As a student looking for the right college for you, it is important to do your research and find a handful of colleges in a variety of locations with different pros and cons. These different schools can offer a broad range of possibilities for you to experience, so once you choose these core schools, visiting them and seeing where you feel most at home is the best idea. Once you find your school, get yourself involved in student activities to make those long term friendships that you will always remember. Find those friends that will encourage you and push you to do your best. Most of all, enjoy yourself! Do not stress over the little things, just try your hardest and know that you will succeed if you put your mind and heart into it.

visit the campus and talk to people who are currently going there, the campus atmosphere is everything

Find a college that will focus on the major you want. Live on campus.

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People should not go to college until they are ready. I went to college immediately after graduation and quickly discovered that I was mentally and emotionally unprepared. Success in high school does not always translate into success in college, especially for students who did not have to work hard to make good grades. In hindsight, I would have either taken a year off to work or enrolled in our local community college. Community college is slightly more demanding than high school but less demanding than a four-year school, thereby giving students a taste of college without overwhelming them. Starting at community college is also a wise financial decision because students can earn credits for core classes at a fraction of the cost. Tuition at community college is far more affordable than four-year schools, and most of the credits can be transferred to another university. Also, community colleges have more flexible class schedules to accommodate working students. This means that students can easily find a full time job while they are enrolled full time in college. After two years of community college, most students will be much better prepared than high school graduates to succeed in four year universities.

I would advise parents to visit as many colleges as possible in order to compare the schools of interest. The college experience is completely up to the student.

Do not allow an athletic team to sway where you decide to go. Choose a college or university that has an emphasis on acedemics, getting a great job, and not one on paying a head coach of an athletic team.

Advice that I would offer to parents and students regarding selecting the right college and making most of college experience lies in pure intuition. It is of utmost importance to feel comfortable with whichever University the parents and student are looking into. Campus visits are a great way to seek out the right college selection and its insightful and helpful to feel as if you know someone at the college and know your way around. As far as making the most of college experience, parents need to be careful about crowding their students- this is a common occurence when a student first goes away to school. And students need to get involved as soon as the arrive to campus and not be fearful to drop their name to various organizations and people. Getting involved is the first step to having an amazing college experience. The next step is persisitence academically. Your at college to learn- so, get to know your professors- they can be great mentors and wonderful friends as well.

First of all, keep everything in perspective. Many students want to run off to other universities out of town just to get away from home, when they have a perfectly good and highly respected school right in town or nearby. Financially speaking, the cost/benefit analysis of what you get from most local universities far outweighs the benefits of spending thousands more to go to school a few hours away instead. When many students think of the "college experience" they imagine wild parties, hot dates, and all sorts of new and crazy experiences. In reality, if this is what you are seeking then you must choose a school in which that is possible. However, the college experience can be so much more than that, and it can be something much more mature. We must begin by making sacrifices, choosing the goals of our futures over the goals of the here and now. Our transition in life through college is the last bridge we must cross before entering adulthood, and it is the best time to learn what it really means to be responsible. Parents, let the students earn their own success, let them work to make it happen.

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Make sure that it offers what you want. There are plenty of opportunities at the larger universities, but if you want a more homey feeling to your school go for a smaller one.

find a college like UAH that focuses a lot on research and not partying as much, a technology based school.

Make sure you go through the pros and cons of all your options and pick the one that is most comforable for you, yet still challenging.

When looking for a college to attend take into consideration many different criterion. First make sure you can afford it. No one should graduate with so much debt that they can not afford to live...student loans can not be expunged from one's record! Second, choose a school that is challenging enough that when you graduate your diploma means something to employers. Third, for parents, do not send your children to schools known for partying. Your children need an education not a drug/alcohol induced coma, and most college students cannot seem to resist the temptation when they are thrown into that environment. Overall, just go somewhere you feel comfortable and makes you smile whenever you drive or walk onto campus. Four or more years is far too long to be miserable all the time, especially when you are paying a fortune for it.

First look at the surrounding area of the campus. Many parents/students look only at the specific aspects of the college ignoring its location. The city in which the college is located can be just important in a student's academic life as the college itself. Know your interests and what kind of environment you want to spend the next four years of your life in. Also determine the major that is right for you as soon as possible without constantly changing your major. This will allow for the student to take classes that suits their needs immediately without wasting a lot of hours on classes that are unimportant for the field they want to study. If done right it is possible to graduate in less than four years which would save a considerable amount of money. Also move off-campus as soon as possible, college is supposed to lead to an education as well as teach someone to be self-sufficient. Living off-campus teaches a student how to live in the "real world" and provide for themselve. Money management is a lesson easily learned and is just as important as anything learned in college and often overlooked.

Go to a school that you feel most comfortable and comfidant at. Try to have a balance between both having fun and school work.

It helps to know what field of study the students want to go into because most schools are known for certain fields. I find that those who are well known for a certain field have lots to offer for those students. But even if a student goes to a school and doesn't go into that well-known-field, doesn't mean that there's nothing for them. Go to the University Center, there's usually a bulletin somewhere telling the students what's going on for that week or month.

Before deciding on a school, talk to the students there inorder to get an honest view of the campus life and curriculum. Be stable enough in finances so that while you are a student you dont have to work especially if going to a acdemically demanding school.

Don't rule out small schools from your choices. UAH has been a great school for me largely because is a smaller school (7000 total students). I get to enjoy eating lunch with my faculty every other week and engaging them in casual conversation as well as in ways to improve the school. The smaller classes are definately a plus.

Finding the right college can be tough process, you should begin early. Apply to as many colleges as you think you would like to attend, keep your options open. After you get your respones then you can start being picky. Visit the colleges that you are very interested in, often the website and description is not a complete picture of the college. Ask questions, ask students who currently attend that school if possible, often students work in the admissions office, and they will give you a tour. Make sure you find out what you are getting for your money, ask about amenties that students get (my school gives you free acess to the fitness center if you are full time). Find out what kind of college that it is, is it an engineering/liberal arts school or a conservative school. This information will let you know what is important to the school. To the future student, the best advice that I can give you, is to take time for yourself and relax. Take in the culture of the city, get invloved in the community through your college, this will serve you well when it is time to get a job.

Go whereever the money is.

In order to find the right college to attend, do a lot of research, take tours, meet students, ask counselors any questions one might have, and be open to making friends. The better relationship one has with the college and community around it, the easier it will be to enjoy the college experience.

Find a college that fits who you are and one that you feel comfortable in. These years can be the best ones of your life and you will find friends that will last a lifetime.

Spend time thinking about what you want to do for a living before you schedule a meeting with a college counselor to determine your schedule. Go and observe the work in person. Meet someone and question them concerning that occupation. College is not like high school- order and rules within the classrooms are far less strict. Also be certain about what you stand for; what you believe and hold as true will be challenged. Your basis for truth has to be greater than just because parents say so. As a person you have to be able to stand by yourself, without your parents present to aide. The right college can be found by researching the local businesses and communities. If the institution has a history of putting out successful workers and making a difference then it would be best for the individual who is searching for a college.

Look at what is around in the area (parks, jobs, disc golf courses... etc)

I would encourage parents and students to determine what five criteria are most important in a college (focus of college, environment, cost, etc.), and then to search thoroughly based on those criteria. Do not discount colleges based on a lack of name recognition or specifically choose colleges based on name recognition; simply qualify colleges based on how well they meet the criteria. There are many universities that are overlooked completely because few have heard of them, becoming hidden gems. There are others that have a bad reputation, such as a reputation as a party school, that have good academic programs that tend to be overlooked due to their unfortunate label. Once you have a list of good choices, visit their campuses and talk to the universities' students, alumni, and professors. Once you have a feel for your best options, pick the one that feels right.