University of St Thomas-Saint Paul Top Questions

I would tell future students that it is very important to do your research before selecting a school. It is extremely important to find a school that you feel comfortable at because you will have to be there for the next four years of your life! Take time to visit the schools you think you will like, talk to some of the professors, take a tour and ask the tour guide about specific aspects of the school that you know will be important to you. Make sure the school has a great program for the major of your choice. I would tell parents that the most important thing to offer child is support throughout their years in college. This doesn't just mean financial support. Whenever your child needs you, make sure you are there without being judgmental or overbearing. Even though it is difficult to maintain a close relationshipt with your child once they start college, they still need your guidance more than they would ever admit. Also, even though a school may seem to be out of your price range, dont let that hold you back. There are grants, scholarships, and financial aid that will help you out!

Never choose a school to get away from your home, family or friends. I come from a small town and attend school in a large one, and while I have many more opportunities, I realise now why I had the friends that I did.

Don't go to an expensive college unless you know what you want to do in life/what major you will pick.

Make sure you visit the schools and get a good feel of the school before deciding on it. Stick to your morals and who you are, and don't compromise just because of your peers

Find something that fits for you, not your parents, high school teachers, or expectations set by others. when you fin the right college, you will know it. Think ahead of what you want to do and where you want to be after you graduate. Look ahead. remember, if you don't like the college you choose, TRANSFER. it does not mean you're a failure, it just means you foun soemthing better. Finally, short on cash? Don't know what you want to be? Go to community college for a couple or years to complete your gen eds. then find the right college for you to finish your major.

First of all, do not let the listed tuition prices deter you from applying to certain schools. Many schools offer financial aid which may make up for their high tuition costs. Second, keep in mind each college's location. Is the location comfortable for you and your parents? How far away from home are you willing or capable of traveling? Thirdly, take a tour and get a feel for the campus climate before you commit to a school. The last thing you want is to commit to a school, move into your dorm, then realize that you have nothing in common with your floormates.

As corny as it sounds, you'll just know when you find the right college. As for me, I went to my college my first visit thinking I was going to hate it, and instead fell in love with it. I really suggest you go to a couple and go to some that you may think you have no interest in. You may be surprised what some have to offer other then what their stereotype makes them out to be. College is about discovering who you are as a person, not who you thought you were in high school, or what you think your parents what you to be. Find the place that will make you happy, because you're going to be spending the next four years there. Make sure you love your college and they will be the best four years of your life.

I don't think anyone ever told me that picking a college is more of a crap shoot than anything else. In my mind the goal is to find a place that after close examination would minimize your unhappiness, not find the ONE place that is the PERFECT place in EVERY way. People put so much pressure on finding the perfect place, people should just know there might not be a perfect place.

This transition is not one to take lightly and is also not one to loose sleep over. Advice I would give to parents is to be very involved in the process but do not, by any means, try and cram certain schools down your son or daughters throat. Coming from a student who had little to practically no help, this process is more that capable of sending one to the psych ward. You should discuss financial implications of schools along with what majors or subject your student loves or enjoys. Do your best at trying to get the real answer from your child and not just what you think your child wants you to hear. So, in other words if your child tells you they want to study exactly what you want them to, you might want to investigate further upon your results. Ultimately what school you want to go to depends upon a.) What you one get into b.) How much money one can afford to dish out and c.) What concentration of major your student wants to embark upon. Make sure they are doing what they love making themselves happy not you. Trust my words through experience.

I would tell parents and students to go and experience the college on your own and attend a class. Look around during a typical weekday and see if you can picture yourself as the students you see around you. Eat at the dining halls, read in the library, play frisbee outside. Do what a normal college student would do and ask yourself if you feel comfortable doing those things there. Also, find out everything there is to know about each college you're applying for. Make sure you have some sort of checklist of everything you want in a college and each college matches that as much as possible. As for making the most out of your college experience, step out of your comfort zone! You are not in high school anymore. Your friends are not wherever you are. You have to go out and do things on your own. If you do that, you will learn who you truly are and be more comfortable making decisions about your future. Just be confident and make sure what you get involved with is a good portrayal of you, because college is where people set the foundation for who they will be.

Bottom line, do what makes you happy. Don't choose a school because you want to appear impressive to your friends or because your parents went there, choose a school becaues you think you'll like it. A college should challenge your thoughts and beliefs and allow you to challenge there's. It should be indusive to free-thinking and a place where you can discover yourself. Look for somewhere that's in the midst of a lot to do - that will allow you to get out of your comfort zone and experience. By all means, choose somewhere that is in your financial means. You can get a great education at a lot of instiutions, but it's all about what you do with your degree. With the current state of the economy, this will be more important in coming years.

The one crucial part of selecting a college is how you feel about it when you visit. A college may look great in the brochure or get the best reviews, but if a student cannot picture themselves going there when they step onto the campus, then it is not the right school for them. One other crucial part to finding the right college is to look at what kind of resources a school offers. You need to make sure that they have the resources available to help you succeed there. The two very important things when it comes to making the most of your college experience: get involved and be active in the college community and take advantage of the resources the school offers. Getting involved will help you make friends and find your likes and dislikes while the resources presented to you are meant to help you succeed and get ahead in life.

Advice that I would give to students is that they should do everything possible to be involved on campus. Make the most of college by getting to know new people and making sure that you experience everything you can. Travel abroad, take a course you wouldn't normally take, do everything in your power to get out out of your comfort level and make the most of it. As for parents I would suggest that you let your child learn from the experiences at school. Encourage them to travel and participate as much as possible at school. Let them grow and just be there when they need you.

breath deep... if you dont really know what you want to do go to a smaller school the profs will help you out alot

Make sure that the reason that one is coming here is to get a good education. There is a lot of other things to do on campus and one can get sidetracked and not get much needed homework done. The neighborhood around campus is mainly residential and smaller businesses, but there is a lot of things for students to do in the neighboring area.

Go on tours and try to find a school that is geared toward your area of interest/what you think you want to major in. Don't worry about where your highschool friends are going or where everyone else in highschool goes. Just get excited about college because no matter where you go you can have the time of your life.

Make sure you go ona campus tour as well as an overnight visit. Ask advice of students not conducting your tours to get a feel for the true campus atmosphere.

get involve with school activities/organization.

As far as finding the right college, I believe it is important to view and research and visit as many schools as possible. If you can't afford to travel across the country to visist a school, then speak with someone who works there or someone who went there. Making yourself familiar with the school and its environment is crucial to picking the best school for you. As far as making the most out of the college experience, it's not about where you are or where you go, but what you do when you get there. Living in the moment, and making wise decisions honestly and earnestly is most definitely the recipe for getting the absolute best college experience.

In my modest opinion, there are several main criteria to alike to take into careful consideration. First off, the parent or student should attempt to get some type of feel for what it is the student wants to pursue upon the completion of college. Also think about whether the future college student works best in small class environments or not, and the overall environment of the school. Find a college that fits the mold. It is important to lay to think about life after of college before diving right into it, otherwise it may be like getting in a car with no destination in mind with inflating gas prices. Next, it would be recommended that the parent or student decide whether it would be best for the student to stay near home, or if it would be permissable for the student to leave the state. From there comes the financial aspect of college. How much financial aid can the student get for attending a particular school? Can the student pay for school and still have money left to enjoy life? How easy is it for that student to find a job around campus? Touring options in person is also key.

To parents and students looking for the right college I would say, make sure you go some place that you know you are going to love. If you don't love the school you are at, you wont have a good time!

Make sure you make an overnight visit so you can understand what the campus is like if u were living there. Attend a class to see if the class size is right for you.

One of the biggest statistics I wish I would've looked at when choosing colleges was the retention rate. Good schools have good retention rates.

Take time to go on campus tours. Get a feel for the school before you go there. You will know right away if it is the school for you because you will feel at home. Once you get to college, get active! Friends will be your most valuable asset when you are at college. Pick friends that have to same intrests or acedemic goals as you do. Acedemically, keep your mind on the prize, stay focused, seek help if you need it, and you should love your college experience.

Consider location

you might think far away is nice, but close to home is convienant

Make sure you explore every option. The only way to choose the right school is by visiting every school you think you might be interested. I believe that the first time you arrive on campus you will just get a feeling like "yes, I belong here." Don't be afraid to take a chance on a school either. If the school is far from home or if you think it might cost too much, don't worry about it because there are always ways to make it work, and if you truly want to attend that school you will discover those ways.

In my opinion, college serves as two major purposes. The obvious purpose is the education. It is important to make sure the college of your choice offers the majors/minors you are interested, as well as knowing you are capable of reciveing all your credits in the time you want to graduate. The second purpose is the atmosphere of the college socially. College is the time in your life where you define yourself; figuring out who you are and who you aren't. It would be in a new students best interest to make sure the college in which they are interested in offers many activites you can become involved in, and a feel comfortable and welcome. Advice I would give in order to learn weather the school is right for you is ask a student themselves, whether it be a student you know personally, or randomly find on facebook. Ask them any question you may have (academically, socially, athletics etc.) You would be surprised how honest the students are. Because lets face it, every school tries to make their school look like it would suit you best. It's important to look beyond and discover it for yourself.

If it is possible, tour every college you are thinking about applying to. It is so important to go and get a feel for the college. Picture yourself walking through the halls and around the campus. If the atmosphere feels comfortable and you think you could see yourself here it is probably a good choice. When you are in college, time-management and staying focused is very important. Keep a detailed planner and stay on top of your work. Make the coming years count because they go very fast.

I wouldtell them to make sure that they go over all the options. For example, a private university verses a public university, a community college verses a college, a college verses a university. Also I would tell them to make sure that they visit all these different types of schools, to see the classes and the majors the school has to offer as well as the type of housing, jobs, classroom sizes, and to inquire about the school's reputation as far as the teachers, administration, academic advisors, etc. I would also strongly suggest that they talk to students at each of the schools they visit to get an idea of how lifr really is there. They will want to be ina place where they feel comfortable, a place to call home.

To Students: Be honest with yourself when you're looking at a school's programs, campus, etc. Don't attend a school simply because it's the place you think others want you to be. Pick the school which is right for you, based on what you value in an academic and social setting. When you tour a campus, be sure to observe the students who already attend. Is there any diversity, are they friendly, do they behave in a fashion that you agree with? These things might not seem like such a big deal during the thrill of picking a school but two years and too much money down the road it isn't pleasant to regret the choice that you made. As for making the most of your college experience, get involved. Everyone will tell you this but really...you won't be making any friends by just sitting in your dorm room all year. If you're uncomfortable with the party scene broaden your horizons! You'll eventually find your nitch on campus, and if you don't, become involved in things off campus (a job, volunteer, etc) and then you'll be just fine.

For parents: Let go of the bike and watch your child pedal after their dreams. For students: Ride on with the wind in your hair!