Question:
To all college students:
Knowing what you now know about your college, what questions do you wish
you would have asked in high school before applying? To admissions office?
To financial aid office? To enrolled students? resume example ?
Answer:
I'm not in college anymore, but I can give a list of things you might
want to consider. Some of these things you can find out from brochures
or the college, but when you get down to the final selection I think
its crucial to visit each school you are considering; you are going to
spend 4 (or more!) years there, so its worth a day to make sure you
will really be comfortable there. Most schools have a program where
you can stay overnite in the dorms with a student, arranged through the
admissions office.
I'll break questions about college down into 4 areas: what the
environment like, location/housing, what the academic life is like,
and how you can prepare for life after your undergraduate degree.
Environment:
How many students are at the school? Are they primarily from the local
area, in-state, or national? What are the students like? Are the
students studying late into the nite, or socializing? Do they seem
politically involved or not? Conservative, liberal, or radical? Is
preppy dress in, or is it 60's attire, or what? Is the mood intensely
competitive or more relaxed (you'll probably have to ask people about
this)? Are intramural sports popular, and are there exercise
facilities available? What do they have at the student center? Is
social life organized around the greek system or more independently?
Are there clubs for activities you might be interested in? What is the
weather like (if you're not used to cold weather, it can be a big
shock!) There's no "right" answers here, its what you want or could
grow comfortable with.
location/housing:
2 big factors that could affect your enjoyment are: 1) is the school
residential or a commuter school? 2) Is it part of a larger city or an
isolated college town? There's no "right" answer here, it depends on
your preferences. For example, I went to UCSB, where most students are
living away from home on/near campus, and the school is relatively
isolated. I loved it, but I knew people who transferred to UCLA or Cal
because they wanted more of the "big-city" attractions.
Housing really runs the gamut at various schools. At some places you
can't even be sure of getting in the dorms as a freshman, others
require you to live there 1st year, still others guarantee on-camus
housing every year if you want it. Housing may be traditional
tower-structure dorms, smaller dorms, on-campus apartments, suites,
etc. Dorms may be "theme" dorms; foreign language, academic, or other
special-type interest. At some schools the housing is just a place to
live; others organize students around a "house" that you will be
affiliated with all your years there. Find out what housing is like
at the schools you consider.
Academics:
Look at what the academic program is like. If you're not sure what you
want to major in, when do you have to decide? Are classes taught by
professors or TAs? Do the TAs speak English fluently (trust me, you
want to ask students this question!) What is the typical class size
for freshmen? For upperclass students? (be sure and ask students this,
because administration numbers can be misleading, especially at larger
schools). How wide an array of majors is offered? Is the program (for
some majors you are considering) highly structured, or do you get a lot
of choice in electives? Ask the students how easy it is to meet with
their professors; are they easily available, or is teaching
undergraduates a burden to them? Is counseling provided by whoever is
at the window when you walk up, or will you get a faculty advisor? Are
there opportunities to do research with professors? For summer
research positions? (If you are interested in grad school, the
opportunity to have a professor get to know you and your work by more
than the grades you got in her/his class will be important for getting
strong letters of reference). Are there seminars, or do lectures
predominate? Do they have a semester overseas program? Are they on a
semester or quarter system?
life after undergrad:
Right now it sounds strange, but also think about what you might want
to do after you finish college (strange because you haven't even picked
a college to attend yet!) As a general question, do many of the
school's grads go on to grad-school, or do they enter the job force
after college? If you have a major you're contemplating, you can be
more specific; how many history majors, for example, go to grad school
and where do they tend to go? Ask about the placement office; what
services do they offer? What firms come to recruit on campus (ask who
came this year, for example)? How about internships? Is there an
internship program with companies that come to campus each year, or
does the placement office merely review your resume and point you to
books listing employers? Ask about the alumni; do they have a program
where you can talk to alumni about their field, how they got started,
etc?
These are lots of questions, and you will be sure to come up with more
as you reflect on your interests and what you hope to get out of
college. Rather than being overwhelmed by all of this, organize your
questions onto a couple of sheets of paper (perhaps academics, social
environment, career, etc). That way you can compare the schools
against each other, and perhaps even discover that there are other
schools you would like to apply to.
There are also many good books about applying to colleges, and most of
them will have sections on selecting colleges to apply for and choosing
among your acceptances. Perusing these could give you additional
ideas about how to reach your decision. One I have liked is "Scaling
the ivy wall in the '90s" by Greene & Minton, since it talks about
selecting schools, visiting them, etc, as well as the mechanics of
applying.
Choosing a college can seem like an intimidating task, but as one
of the first major decisions you get to make it can also be very
satisfying. The time you spend deciding will be greatly rewarded!
