Ursinus College Top Questions

If you are planning on attending a small liberal arts school, you should worry more about location than anything else. You will meet amazing people, be able to study what you are passionate about and will ultimately recieve a great education and a great deal of good memories no matter where you go. Don't worry about making friends, because you will end up meeting people who will change your life even if you don't actively try to. If you don't know what you want to do for a living, college is a great place to learn about everything that interests you and to help you find a path in life. Take classes that appeal to you and not just ones that pertain to your major or future career. It is not only more fun, but you will become a more well-rounded person for it. Bottom line: I only got into my last choice school, and I am having a wonderful time. College will be a lot of fun and a lot of work, sometimes both at the same time. It is absolutely worth it!

I would say that parents need to ask as many questions a possible when touring a college. sometimes students do not care about the specifics and will not think to ask them. i know that my parents helped me out about asking the more important questions that i should have asked , but did not. As far as maing the most of your college experience , i would say the most beneficial aspect i encountered was getting involved. this is how you meet new people along with changing your campus community .Being involved makes your campus overall a friendlier place to be .

Make sure to visit the college if you can. Spend the night so that you get the real experience and not just what the tour guide tell you. Eat the food and talk with the teachers to see if the campus is a fit for you.

Know what you're looking for. If you have a plan, that can help things for many people (though not all - some people are flexible enough that they can adapt to any situation without needing a prior plan). Get ready to take charge if you're a student, and to let go if you're a parent. Get ready for new experiences, both awesome and difficult. Get ready to make new friends, even as you keep those old ones. Don't play it safe when you get to college - get out there, have fun, throw yourself into academics and campus life, maybe make a few mistakes - we all do, and we all have. But finding a college is such a personal choice - it really is up to you the student, and your family. So many factors play a role in your decision, but remember - are you looking forward to it? Is this going to be a positive step? Whatever fits you best is going to be the right choice, and that right fit is different for everybody.

Make sure to visit the schools that really interest you. Sometimes a school can look excellent on paper, but in actuality, the visit to the campus can show you that it doesn't feel like a good fit, or vice versa. Make an effort to speak to the students on campus - not just your tour guide, who may not be able to give you honest answers to all of the questions you would like to ask, but the students you see walking around. A lot of times, just their willingness to stop and talk to you for a few minutes can show you the true nature of the community on the campus. Once you do pick a school, try to always keep an open mind. You are probably going to now be in a situation where people have radically different views and backgrounds from you, and it's absolutely necessary that you are ready and willing to accept those people and discuss issues with them in a healthy and constructive way, rather than judging them for being different from you. In my opinion, this will allow any student to get the most out of his or her college experience.

make sure you visit it a few times, spend a night, try an get a real sense of what it means to be there. also look into the academic programs and whether it fits into their overall goals

Take every opportunity you are given to visit and experience the school to ensure that you will enjoy the next four years of your life and then take every opportunity to ge involved and to do well at the school. Don't waste this experience. It is four years of your life.

Don't spend too much time looking at the numbers the school throws in your face. Take a couple tours with different tour guides and talk to them. Then, take a walk around the campus itself and talk to as many students and professors as you can. The administration is just going to hype up their school, but the professors (especially if they have tenure) and the students will give you a much more realistic view of what life at the school is like. Try to find out what social activities there are, what clubs and greek organizations exists as well as what cultural activities happen. Check out the theater and music departments to see where performances are held, and make sure there is both a theater and music department. In addition to this, sit in on some classes. Make sure that you not only see classes in your potential major or majors, but also some potential core required classes that you may have to take. If the professors don't care about lower level core classes, then its a good sign they don't care too much about the school either.

Find a college that feels like home

Plan for somewhere you can afford. Choose a community, not a location.

Make sure you visit the campuses to see if you feel if you can fit in. Also find out the different majors available in order to see what you really want to do and weigh your options.

The most important advise I can give to students and parents is you will know when you "fit" in a college. Something just clicks and it happens. It is important to apply to colleges that are academically in your range. You should also apply to a few reach schools and know they are just that. Know how you feels about size. I personally applied to both small and large colleges. I recommend sitting in on classes and doing over night stays. The overnights are extremely important because it allows you to make decisions based on real classroom experiences and campus life. Ursinus was the last place I expected to be and after my over night I realized it was for me.

Always look into a college or university in depth, so that they understand how the school functions, how they think the student will function, and if the student is successful. Always make sure that the school has the appropriate facilities and departments in the field that the student wants to study in. The school needs to accomodate the student so that they can be as successful as they can be. It is also important to make sure that the campus is safe and that the student will be taken care of and nothing bad will happen to them. As well as academics and security, the amount of activities and sports offered is also important. A students social life is important in college. If a student doesn't make friends, their college career might be miserable and they won't get the best experience that they can out of it. My uncle went to the same school I am surrently attending, and he lived at home, made no friends, and absolutely hated it. I am living on campus and joined a sorority, participate in activities, and made a good amount of friends, and i am loving Ursinus College, and always will.

Visit!!!!

Make sure you are comfortable first. I knew Ursinus was the right fit for me becuase I felt so at home on campus. Academics are important but also make sure you pay attention to your needs , how they will be met and your comfort level!

The best advice I can give is to make sure you explore the different settings and types of colleges. Don't set out looking for a specific kind (i.e. small or rural) and ignore the others. You probably don't know what will suit you best. Spend some time at the colleges and try to set up an overnight visit. One night at a college can teach you a lot about the students' demeanors and the social atmosphere of the campus. Make sure you pick a school that is strong in your field of interest, but pay attention to the other programs it offers. Many students end up switching majors, and you don't want to be stuck at a school that prides itself on one program only. If you are looking to be far away from home, you don't need to look across country. Two hours is plenty of distance; the parents won't visit randomly but you can still come home for the weekend if you need to. For the parents out there, be critical of the colleges your child visits, but let him/her choose. Don't worry about the cost.

Look outside of the universities that are typically en vogue, especially if a student wants to pursue an advanced degree after a bachelor's degree. Often times smaller schools are better known in the academic community than the high school counselor community and can offer a more comprehensive learning experience that will bolster a student's chances at acceptance into a fabulous grad school and be much more focused on them. Many of the more prestigious schools in American minds are very graduate-student focused. Also keep in mind that the admissions officers are the best judges of whether or not you fit at the school. They aren't out to get anyone, but they are in the best position to tell if the school is a fit or not. You may have a perfect application, but if they know you'll be unhappy there then they're probably right. When applying talk to students who go there and really try to figure out if you can be friends with people like them for the next 4 years. Once on campus it's important to get to know professors and get involved in a wide range of different organizations.

I would say that you not only need to interview, you should also have the student spend the night (preferably two) at the college to see if they really like it. Also, before roomming with your roommates, you should get to know them first by meeting before hand and deciding on what each of you will bring. Meet in person is most preferable as the student can better evaluate how they will get along with their roommate in a real-life, every day experience. Before you go to school too, you should invest in a good laptop. Finding how much of the school is wireless is important too. Investing in insurance is a must for your laptop, especially theft insurance. Ask about extra curriculars, and ask whether you'd be able to participate in events that you may have been interested in high school, but never had a chance at enrolling. I always wanted to play an instrument in high school, but if you don't enroll early on, then it's very difficult to get in to in senior or junior years, but some colleges have a low-level entry program for instruments where no previous experience is needed.

Choose the school that you become attached to. Dont worry horribly about financial situations, most school have extensive financial aid for those who desearve or need it.

Every student has different likes, dislikes, needs, and abilities. It's all about finding a school that is a good fit for each person's unique qualities. Find out whether you would like a big campus or would feel more comfortable in a smaller sized school. If you are interested in playing sports do not be afraid to talk to coaches and players to find out how to balance playing a sport and doing school work. Personally visit the schools you are looking at so you can tour the campus and get a feel of on campus life. Don't stress about finding a school, more often then not students will just pick a school because of a feeling they get about the school, and a lot of times the students end up doing very well.

Looking back at the intimidating college application process, it is nothing short of amazing that I ended up at my dream school. I went against the grain by putting all of my eggs in ?one basket.? Hidden in the enormous piles of college mail was an aesthetically pleasing pamphlet by Ursinus College. After reviewing it, the school with the weird name seemed quite promising after all. I fell in love with Ursinus during my overnight visit. I was completely hooked on the school and decided that I would go forth with the admissions process. ?What did I have to lose?? This step eventually paid off when an acceptance letter came in the mail that next month. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. I was accepted to a school with a slim acceptance rate and a rigorous academic agenda. My dream school became a reality right before my eyes. In chosing the right school, go with your heart. A name will not guarentee you a successful four years, but a place that makes you happy gives you so much more! Remember to work hard and enjoy what should be the best four years of your life.