University of Illinois at Chicago Top Questions

The best advice I could possible give to a parent and/or students about finding the right college is to research before they make their decision. Just make sure that you select a school that seems to be appropiate for your needs and not so much about its name.

As a student is making a very important decision about choosing the right college, there are many aspects to consider. To begin with, academics are very significant in picking the right school. This takes research into finding out which school has the program and classes you are looking for and best fit your future goals and ambitions. It is also important to consider the length of these programs and what requirements they entail so that proper thought and planning can be given. Another key factor to consider is location. If you choose the city, then there are always many things to see and do. The city is an opportune place for internships at various businesses as well as research and clinical positions at hospitals and a wealth of volunteer opportunities. If you choose a smaller town or a rural area, then there is more of a college town feel and a greater sense of community. Yet another important consideration is extracurricular activities and clubs that are diverse in culture, religion, and societal views. This can help you find the right crowd to fit in with and help you to meet new people and make friends that will last a lifetime.

Keep your options open, don't just pick one school to apply to check out a wide selection of schools. Also, to me the best experiences happen when you go to a school that is out-of-state. I know that out-of-tution can be expensive, but it's worth it. I lived in Grove City, Ohio and moved out to Chicago, IL to go to UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago) and I love it! To be in a totally different place then your use to it gets you prepared for living on your own, and make your own adventures. Lastly, pick a school that has the best program for whatever field you want to go into, for example, if you want to do someing that allows you to be outdoors (e.g. Natural resources, archaeology, forest ranger, wildlife management) go to a college/university that is surrouned by a national forest, they have the best classes! (Hocking College in Nelsonville, OH is one of them). If you want to go into law, bussiness/marketing, pre-med, etc. I would sugest a city college/university or one near a major city, they will have the best programs.

Don't worry about price because studies have shown that students with a better education are better off financially. Choose which college will help you accomplish your goals and don't settle for less.

I would tell parents that they should go to the school and talk to students about the school, classes, the professors, and other departments.

Focus on your work and do you best with academic.

I would say first decide what kind of location you like, whether that be urban or rural, or with mountains or cornfields, making this choice first narrows down alot of colleges for you. Next go visit the colleges that strike your interest. There's no better way to get to know a school than to actually be at it. Visiting schools help you see the atmosphere that you'll be in if you do attend that college. Also talk to some students at the school and try to get the inside story about what really goes on there. After you make your decision about where you're going to attend, get out there and be social. Talk to the people on your floor and start networking. Find out what the hotspots are on campus and just be yourself and have fun. Don't forget the real reason you're there though and study hard! Form study groups and be sure to ask plenty of questions to you professor so you can make yourself stand out more which comes in handy later on for letters of reccomendation. Don't worry, you'll figure out the school thats best for you!

I would advise all prospective college students to take the time to visit college campuses more than once before deciding to chose that school, and really observe the way people interact in different settings. Put in the effort of researching that school's academics and how their professors are rated to see if it fits your learning needs. Once you start attending, become involved in the things you didn't have time for before. Don't stress yourself out with too many commitments, but be open to new ideas, people and ways of learning and you will succeed. Get to know your professors, bosses, advisors, etc. because a personable letter of reccomendation will come in handy after graduation. One more thing, don't forget that you are young and that you only live once!

Finding the right college is being comfortable in the environment you are going to learn in. Do you like the city life or would you be happier in a small town? Some Universities provide smaller class sizes than other larger Universities. Its knowing what you can handle as a student. You have to ask yourself if you can handle having a 250 person lecture class, or would you rather have 40 peers. It all depends on the kind of student you are. Also you make the most of your college experience. You need to have the determination to be out-going and join the organizations which interest you. Finding organizations and groups that are also interested in your major or career goal not only make it well worth the time but also fun, creating friendships that will last a lifetime.

College is not only about continuing education, it's about developing as a person. A student should choose a college based on personal interests, not solely for "a name". Sure, Yale sounds better than Arizona State but it might not offer the same kind of life experiences ASU would. The student should pick a school that he actually wants to go to, not some institution his parents expect him to go to. Remember, college is ultimately for the students, not the parents. Too many times students attend schools that they are expected to attend and become heavily burdened with schoolwork, depressed, or antisocial. They don't feel comfortable in their environment and it affects them mind, body, and soul. A student should feel at ease at his school without feeling anxiety or nervousness. In the end, the right college can only be chosen by the student using his own preferences. His college experience will then blossom on its own; the right school will lead to the optimum college experience without much effort. This is because the student will enjoy his time at school and voluntarily make the most of the experience.

Get good grades in the first 2 years, 300 and 400 level classes are hard!

Choosing a college is a very difficult, and sometimes overwhelming, experience. What school should I go to? How much is it going to cost me? What am I going to study? All of the preceding questions are those that potential college students ask themselves each and every year. Often, we find ourselves feeling alone and without guidance, but there is a cornucopia of resources that are at your very reach. High schools have many resources such as guidance counselors, and the internet is a great tool to research potential schools. One area that many studnets miss out on are campus visits. These visits allow you to picture yourself at the campus and this alone can possibly be the deciding factor for you. I believe that in order to create a positive college experience it is necessary to completely emmerse yourself in the school's culture. More specifically, it is the student's responsibility to become a part of the university; the university will most likely not come to you. Therefore, I would tell any potential college student to take that weary step and make the effort to learn and grow by participating in as many clubs and organizations as possible.

It's important to look both at the cost of tuition and housing as well as the location of the school. Living at home is the worst thing a college student can do. Yes, it saves money but it is ultimately detrimental to the full experience of college life. Live on campus, get involved in extracurricular activites, and make friends. Make sure to watch what you eat and work out as often as possible. Develop good study habits from day one because it is very hard to boost an ailing GPA later on in school. Also make room for a social life but avoid wild parties, especially on weekdays. The most helpful thing you can do is take AP classes in high school and don't set your mind about a certain major. Experiment your first year or two and take a variety of classes so that you can get a taste of all the different professions out there. Take off the blinders!

If you want a bigger school with a lot of options, this is a great school. The classes are more challenging than most schools, but the professors are great at offerring assistance. You or your child won't develop much of social life towards school if you commute unless you make a conscious effort.

I think it is important to reflect on what you want out of the college experience. Consider what you are looking for socially and academically. Consider the amount of students attending the school to determine where you would be comfortable: in a school with thousands of students or hundreds. Consider is the faculty members. Are they diverse in their teaching methods? Are there facilities to help you if you need extra help? Do the teachers use a variety of teaching methods? To make the most of your college experience, it's important to put yourself out there - take advantage of every opportunity you have. Time goes by so quickly, and while it's important to make sure you are succeeding academically, it's equally important to ensure you have time to spend doing things for yourself. College is a perfect opportunity to meet diverse people and find out who you are and what you enjoy: maybe it's volunteering at a local school; maybe it's dancing, singing, or acting; or maybe it's just hanging out with friends at the local student center. Whatever it may be, make time for exploring your interests, giving your time, and having fun.

One piece of advice would be to do your research. First, it is extremely important to determine what it is that you would like to earn a degree in. After that, research as many schools as possible that have programs that match your choice of major. Another thing that is important about finding the right college would be to pick a college that is situated in an area that you are most comfortable in. This may mean a bigger college that may be in the city or a smaller college in a rural town. The choice is yours. Researching a college is extremely important because you will be spending at least 4 years there so the college of your choice should be somewhere that is safe and yet academically appealing to you.

First off, listen to your child. Don't push him into a school just because you went there. Find out what your child has an interest in learning. Once this has been accomplished search for schools close to home. The need for distant schools is ridiculous when there are fine schools in the vicinity of your residence. If the child is competitive in athletics don't push them to play on sports teams. Athletes have twice the work as the average student because of game schedules. Many athletes receive incomplete grades due to the schedule. Second, find out all you can in regards to financial aid. This is important because the majority of parents sit astride of the median income level. The parents are not poor enought to receive full rides and are not rich enough to pay for the education. In so doing student loans come into play. The student loans make the child a learner for life because in today's economy it will be hard for them repay their student loans and begina family if they so desire. O

I transfered to UIC from a smaller school down south. I still think of the transfer as the best decision I have ever made. For a while I thought of the previous school as a waste of my time, but I realized that all my decisions there have helped shaped where I am at now. It was a large change for me moving to the city and into a new major i had little experience with. The instructors were great, the classes were so wlecoming and encourage participation. I would tell a student to not be afraid of change and to take chances. Dedicate this time to finding yourself without the worries of a "4 year" time line. Education is a priviledge. FIND A PASSION and take all the time you need to harness it. In the end you will be able to use it to make yourself happy, and help others. Following your passion leads to happiness.

Make your academic Advisers put absolutely everything they tell you in writing and sign it. Save your academic catelog and figure out what courses you need before talking with academic advisors. Otherwise they will make you take courses you don't need and/or do not have the prerequisits for. When they do this, you loose large amounts of money and you waste a lot of time.

Make sure that counselors help your child instead of killing their dreams. Small classes are more helpful. Support laws to help students with financial aid.

Expensive schools are not the answers. The best choice is a school you can afford, that offers classes in your field of choice, and is committed to providing real world exposure for their students. Do not focus on a perfect curriculum fit. Your academic and career interests may change my graduation. Do not focus on the size of campus. Big or small school unimportant, what is important is how much tutoring and other academic resources does the school offer? In the end what you put into your college education is more significant than where you attended.

To find the right college one must ask himself/herself what exactly they are expecting to get out of it and, in what kind of environment they feel most comfortable. It is very important to take into consideration the size of the future school and the average amount of students in a classroom. Big schools usually offer many more activities, clubs and community service opportunities, but the student must be motivated to learn about them and get involved. The future students should also take into consideration the cost of tuition, and if they will be able to get any scholarships. It is an extremely rewarding feeling being able to study without the parents? having to worry about paying for your education. To get most out of the college experience is to be able to apply the material learned in the classroom in the real world setting, already as a college student. The best way to do so is by volunteering and giving back to the community. Only through serving others and trying to contribute to peace and equality can the college experience start making deeper sense and give real satisfaction.

I would tell them to really find out why they are going to college; if it's because they want to have a fun time partying for four years, or if they want to study a lot to reach their career goals. UIC is a good place for studying a lot to reach your career goals because there aren't many distractions at night and on the weekends, although, there are still many fun things to do. I want to go to medical school and I think UIC is the perfect place to prepare.

Researching a college is only the first step. Be involved in your child's college experience. Stay interested in their students and motivate them to consult you when in need. Sometimes professors do not provide the necessary support.

Since I am a parent that attends college full time, I have much wisdom on how I will approach other parents and students about finding the right college. It starts with your major in life whether it is business management or civil engineering in considering which college you want to attend. After this, I will illustrate the option to attend college whether online or on campus. Once they have chose the right college; however, I will give them several more colleges in comparison to tuition, faculty / staff, and academics etc. They will read all the information from other colleges that have the same programs but different teaching methods within each college. They will make their final decision within educational success in college. Knowing who to communicate with, pay for college, and create wealth will only be the beginning of the student / parent success in college. Lastly I will say, ?Success only comes from what you can change and therefore the college needs you far more than you need it.? Thank you for choosing a question that all college students and parents seek to answer. These words that I speak are of truth and sincerity. God bless Education: Jonathan Sebastian Gibson

My advice to students is explore many options for different degree programs and schools, then throw away your pros and cons lists, and go with your gut feeling of where you will be most happy. Listening to the influences of friends, parents and teachers is helpful, but in the end this is your four years to gain as much knowledge, experience, and growth as possible to transform you into a more complete person and more prepared for the path you have chosen or wil discover along the way. It is a true disservice to yourself to not follow what you feel is best, and make the situation much too complicated with worry and over thinking. When you do find the school, career path and interests that are right for you, embrace your opportunities and the challenges they bring to the fullest by taking advantage of the new, diverse environment, extra-curricular activites to make the most of the people, potential friends, and learning experience, and the education you recieve in the classroom and in learning who you are. Basically, don't let your fears hold you back, remember that it is your four years, they are what you make them.

Be open to all options

College is a time where many of us find ourselves, and the only way one can truly do that is by starting off with an open mind about what they're about to experience and see and taking everything that the world has to throw at them in the following years. People need to experience everything that intrigues them even a little bit, because if you don't make mistakes now, you won't be able to once you're out of school...

The best advice that I would be able to give parents and students it would be to think about what college is best for the major that the student is considering. Another piece pf advice that I would give students is for them to go visit colleges,

The college experence is something that you will remember for the rest of your life. The friends that you make, the clubs that you join, the things that you learn will last forever. College is important part of life not only for occuring the education that you need for the future, but for learning about yourself. Enviroment is key to when picking a college. Go to the college and look around, talk to the staff before you make a decision. Talk to other students about what they think about the college. Most of all, pick a college that you WANT to go to. Don't focuse your college decision based on your major, that's what gradurate school is for. If your major is dediced or not, don't worry about it. There are career counselors that can help you with your interests when picking and finalizing your major. There is always something going on and things to do. Make new friends, talk to your teachers (I know they're scary, but they will talk to you almost about anything!), get involved in sports and/or clubs. Soon, your sociall life will be school, but in a good way.

Make college visits.

I would suggest to strongly consider what type of environment you would like to be in throughout your college education. If you want a typical college experience, go to a Big 10 school, or something similar. If you are more independent, city schools are great. A lot of people are dissatisfied with where they choose to go to college so try to tour the school and speak to students that go there before you make your decision.

A lot of high school students are so eager to leave home that they will jump into any setting where their bedroom is not under their parent's name. Of those eager students, some survive and some don't. It's all about picking the right institution. At UIC, for example some kids spend a while wading at the shore, then eventually drown in the sea of students. In the past two years of attending this massive university, some times it feels as though I have not seen the same face twice, except of course for the ones that belong to my friends. If you know you are the type that always needs that extra push from someone to get stuff done, then a big state school is not the proper scene and you should go with a small university, where you can recieve more personal attention and extra motivation. In college, you are given the gift of time and who you are when you graduate is a direct reflection of how you spent every single minute. Allocate it to the right place, manage it intelligently and you will, without a doubt, flourish and have the time of your life.

Don't go to a college that will put you in debt. When you graduate it will be difficult to have to pay off thousands of dollars of school loans.

Start getting focused on college early, know what you want to major in so you can take the right classes at the right time and don't end up wasting credit hours on classes you thought you needed for the particular major you wanted at the time. It's not all about partying and social life, in the end your career depends on how well you did in college.

Make sure it's right for you. Setting a standard for yourself helps when choosing colleges. If money is a problem, then going to community college and transferring may be the better idea to save money. If it isn't, find a college that has programs that fit your interests or major(s). Upon attending classes and have some time on your hands, join as many activities as possible. It's a great way to network and keep yourself busy if you have time to spare.

check out the campus! get a feel for the school. when i stepped onto my campus for the first time, saw the people, and the view i new it was the right place for me!

Explore your options thoroughly, don't just weigh one category such as academics or friends, weigh them all equal. Make sure to tour the school maybe even a few times throughout the school year and talk to actual students, don't rely on advisors for advice.

Just sit down and think about everything.

Apply early and learn a lot about the campus life.

Understand what you or your child wants out of a school. If they can handle large crowds and socializing, state schools would be okay. However if you like smaller, intimate settings or places where the professor will know you one on one liberal arts colleges are a better outlet. And you don't need to know what you want to be when you go into college - what's more important is knowing what kind of person you want to develop into and what you will bring to society.

Not everyone knows what they want to do right out of highschool so it is important to just go with what you feel is right for you and your future. Choose a college that best fits you but at the same time will encourage you to learn and grow. It is important to go to a school that inspires your future to be SOMEONE. Going to college is the first BIG step in getting your life started so it is important to choose the school for YOU. It is important to take advantage of what the college has to offer because those opportunites are there for a reason! Expereience and do as much as you can in your college years beacause time goes by so fast and you will never get that chance again once you are out in the real world with a job. GOOD LUCK!!!

It really depends on the student preference in school. If they just want to be a number or if they want to be known by the staff.

Allow the students to stay at the school during a week of school at the university to see if they like the atmosphere.

College is NOT high school. If taken seriously from the very begining you would have no problems at all.

For a student, I would tell them that foremost, they need to make a decision that best suits their educational goals. While it is important to like the campus and the city, most people grow to like their campus, if they do not immediately like it. College really is the best time of your life, so enjoy it while you can. Though you should make sure to study enough, you need to also make sure that you have fun. Apply for as many scholarships as you can so that you can graduate with as little debt as possible. For parents, I would tell them to allow your student to live on campus. Living with fellow college students allows them to find their group, but more importantly, find themselves. Understand that school is stressful, and that they often need time to go out and have fun, so respect this need. Your child will always need you, so show that you are there for them by calling periodically and sending care packages. Most importantly, though, allow your child to become an adult, and allow them to make their own decisions.

Do not let money be the deciding factor when choosing the right college. It is important that you talk to the financial aid offices of all the colleges that you apply to and see what they have to offer you. Also, it is best to visit all the colleges that you applied to, provided that you applied to more than one which you should have. In order for students to get the most out of their college experience, they have to get involved on campus with some of the many campus clubs or organizations. At the same time, it is important for students to remember why they are in college, and to be able to separate social life from academics. Doing these things not only increases your chances of success in college but at the same time it helps with what ever comes your way in the future.

I would suggest making a list of everything that the student wants out of a college and what they expect that experience to be like. Discuss what is feesible and then always take a tour of the schools you are looking at attending. Ask questions and never be afraid to apply to more than one school. Start early in your desicion making processes and look for certain aspects from the school that are most important to you. A school will never have everything that the student and parents are looking for, but one that has a good compromise is always worth trying. The student should always try to get involved with clubs and organizations, or on-campus jobs. This opens up the student to meeting new people and making friends, thus creating a support group that you can rely on when school seems overwhelming. I also suggest living on-campus. It's a learning experience that has a lot of value. It teaches respect and sharing and forces individuals to bond and cope with differences. Usually roommates become close friends and it's just one more positive force in the campus life.

Just let your children go to the schools that they wish to enroll in, and let them decide where they want to go. college is a fun time, and at some times it is hard. the benefits of college outway the cons, so it is a good choice to go where you want so that you control your future.

Parents should be supportive of their child's descion. Allow their children to feel free when it comes to choosing a school. But students should carefully research schools.