what school is right for you?

[piscesbabi09]

Originally Posted by centaur532

The first thing to do is figure out what you want in a school. Big or small, rural, suburban or urban campus, student population size, location (north, south, midwest etc.), public or private. You also look into the relative strength of the degree programs you're interested in...for instance, if you're poli sci, consider a school close to Washington DC.
Using collegeboard.org will help you with a lot of your criteria. It will also give you a heads up on financial aid and scholarships for each school. The most important part of your college search is how you feel when you set foot on campus. A gut feeling.
For college tours-try to break away from your tour guide and talk to regular students, ask them how they like the school. Pick up a copy of the campus newspaper-that's a very telling sign of campus life glossed over by tour guides and brochures.
Good sites:
http://www.collegeboard.org
http://www.colleges.com

I'm sure others have great suggestions too. I bought a couple of big books by the Princeton Review which gave good statistics on every college, including average SAT scores and gpas. I recommend getting a copy.
That's all I got, anymore questions, ask away, and I'm sure someone else has a lot more to add.

thanx...what school do you go to and how do you like the atmosphere?

[AlexMack]

Originally Posted by piscesbabi09

thanx...what school do you go to and how do you like the atmosphere?

First I started at the University of Vermont. I thought I wanted to go pre-med, but when I found out how hard those science classes are (and seriously guys, it's not me being dumb, UVM has an oustanding science field), I wanted to be a nurse. Their nursing program is practically impossible to get into, so I finally transferred to UMASS Amherst.
UMASS Amherst has many negative reputations attached to it. It has earned some, but not others. When I first toured there, it was because all juniors in MA high schools look at UMASS and many consider it a safety school. I never thought I'd want to go there. It was too big and just 'not me'. I started having problems with UVM and when I couldn't get into nursing up there and I was paying $32k a year to go to UVM, I decided to transfer to UMASS. I have since fallen in love with the place. All the residential areas are different, if you like urban city life, southwest is for you, if you like a quaint New England feel, right in the center of campus, Northeast is for you, etc etc.
There are a million clubs, if you don't want to drink or party-guess what? There's so much going on, you don't have to.
UMASS is a big diverse mashup and ranked in the top 50 schools in the world. It does have its problems but I'd never go anywhere else.
You have to be happy at college. That's the number one rule. I wasn't happy at UVM. As soon as I arrived that first night at UMASS and checked into my dorm room, I instantly felt at home. My floormates came out to meet me and helped me carry my belongings upstairs. That never happened at UVM.
You'll find the right place for you.