Topic: College

[Rebecca Myers]

I've got a few simple questions for those of you who are rising Seniors like myself and are in the process of finding a college, for those currently in college, and for those who had done their time:

-How did you pick the college you are at/were at?
-Are you happy/were you happy with your choice?
-Rising Seniors: How many campuses have you visited so far? How are you approaching your search?
-How many colleges did you/are you applying to? How many did you visit?
-Did you go to college far from home? How was it?

I'm in the midst of my second college visit road trip and the pressure is starting to get to me. So far I've visited Cornell, Vassar, UVM, UNH, UVA, Washington and Lee, Gettysburg College, Dartmouth, Umass, Amherst, Bucknell. On this trip I have one more to visit: Lafayette. Later in the fall I'll visit SUNY Binghamton, maybe SUNY Geneseo, and Rutgers- NB.

[Kyle Rudolph]

1. I'm a professional aviation major. I.E. I fly planes. That narrowed my schools down fast. XD

2. Sorta. I dunno if it's what I want to do with my life. But I've made plenty of good friends and started so much down here so I am hesitant to leave.

3.I applied to 35 different colleges. Not all for aviation because I changed majors halfway through the application process twice. Should do no more then 7 usually.

4. I am 7 hours away, but I also fly planes. I get home in less then two hours by using a school plane.

I attend Louisiana Tech University. I am a Professional Aviation Major with a minor in Airport Management.

[Jake Vigil]

Kyle... I just stared at your post with my mouth open for a few mintues.  I sorta want you now...


As for me...

Shit, I cant compare.
 
1. In highschool, I did this program my senior year that allowed me to leave highschool and be a fulltime college student, which my highschool paid fully for (I was basically dual enrolled). When I officially graduated my senior year, I just decided to stay at the school I was at the previous year because its fairly cheap, and its good. Dont get too caught up on what school to go to, because nowadays, a college degree is like a highschool diploma was 10 years ago. You gotta have em, and it doesnt really matter what your major is in. A college degree just proves you CAN be taught, and employers look for that. So by that logic, Im in a school that offers a major that interests me now (Human Performance - Adult Fitness), and at the end of my last year, Ill have a degree which I can show emplyers, whether or not the degree is applicable to my field of work (And like 90% of people who get degrees end up with completely unrelated jobs)

2. Yeah, I like my school. Its in the middle of the city, the campus is huge and great, tons of people, which I love. But really, im just happy not to be in highschool anymore . College is 100x different.

4. My school is a 15 minute bus ride, a 20 minute bike ride (The bus goes abit of a roundabout way), or a 5 minute drive. Its like a few miles away from where I live.


Though... I would like to live in dorms somewhere for a year... just to get in on the experience, but I cant really afford it

[Gabe Arnold]

Currently: A Junior, attending Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. Major - Health and Exercise Science, Minor - Journalism.

-How did you pick the college you are at/were at?
Because of financial issues I had to pick a college in state (NJ for me) because the out of state fees for most others were ridiculous. I also wanted to be at a larger college (5,000+) that had the type of major I was looking for (Health and Exercise Science) After that my list had been narrowed significantly and the choice came easily.

-Are you happy/were you happy with your choice?
Yup, I have no reason not to be. My teachers are helpful, the students are cool, the area suits me well. My college isn't flashy or terrible, it just is what it is. Which I think that style of 'is what it is' is better than most because it allows you to think outside the school. You can have pursuits and dreams beyond the dozen or so acres you're living on.

-How many colleges did you/are you applying to? How many did you visit?
I visited only 3 campuses before choosing. I only applied to two. Overloading yourself on trips and choices fries your ability to sit down, look at what you have, and make informed, thoughtful decisions. With too many things mulling in your brain you get distracted and end up chosing one just to make the confusion and pain stop.

-Did you go to college far from home? How was it?
My college is exactly one hour's car ride away from home. I think that works very well for me because I feel like I'm really "away" from home, but I'm still close enough that I can get home easily if anything happened or I needed anything.

[Kyle Rudolph]

Kyle... I just stared at your post with my mouth open for a few mintues.  I sorta want you now...

Trust me man, flying airplanes is nowhere near as exciting as one would think.

[Harry Smith]

4. I am 7 hours away, but I also fly planes. I get home in less then two hours by using a school plane.

How does that work might I ask do they have system like the library or something? I also would like to be a pilot too so I may when I get closer to college be asking alot of questions if you don't mind.

[Brandan Mendenhall]

1. I'm a professional aviation major. I.E. I fly planes. That narrowed my schools down fast. XD

2. Sorta. I dunno if it's what I want to do with my life. But I've made plenty of good friends and started so much down here so I am hesitant to leave.

3.I applied to 35 different colleges. Not all for aviation because I changed majors halfway through the application process twice. Should do no more then 7 usually.

4. I am 7 hours away, but I also fly planes. I get home in less then two hours by using a school plane.

I attend Louisiana Tech University. I am a Professional Aviation Major with a minor in Airport Management.

Aight, I skipped everything else, I'm not gonna lie.

You fly a plane to school? Seriously? That's... goddamn you. That's awesome.


-How did you pick the college you are at/were at?
It was easy for me, because I wanted to attend an art school. So I just chose the best art school in the state and went for it. Picking a college gets much easier if you know exactly what you want to do with your life. I went through a few different colleges and community colleges when I was still unsure of my major, so I think that's one of the most important things you have to ask yourself.

-Are you happy/were you happy with your choice?
Extremely! I'm surrounded by people who are as weird as I am, but together, we're normal xP.

-How many colleges did you/are you applying to? How many did you visit?
I didn't go crazy with the application process. In my mind, applying for a whole slew of universities is just too much to handle at once. I narrowed my choices down to 3 and applied for them before switching majors. At the time, I was majoring in Linguistics, so I went with the school that had the most reputable linguistics program.

-Did you go to college far from home? How was it?
No; because of financial issues, I also had to go to college in state. Honestly, though, I prefer it that way. I can stay here and hang out with my friends and associates who didn't leave state for college. That, and I don't like making road trips for reasons other than vacation.

[WQ F]

Kyle,
That is awesome! I never knew that you can major in flying planes and be able to use a school plane to fly home. I think I might just have to tear up all the applications I did and find a school with aviation major.
Applying to 35 schools is also quite insane.

[Carissa V]

First off : CLASS OF 2010 FOR THE WIN

Secondly: I'm a rising senior but still--

-How did you pick the college you are at/were at? The current college that is my #1 choice is Washington University, because the campus is absolutely beautiful, I was born in St. Louis (where the campus is located), I love the midwest, they have the major I want, and it's a really good med school.
-Are you happy/were you happy with your choice? I have not even applied yet... *sigh*
-Rising Seniors: How many campuses have you visited so far? How are you approaching your search? So far I've visited 5 colleges: Concordia University River Forest, Concordia University Irvine, Washington University St. Louis, Northwestern University, Penn State. And I just found a bunch of colleges that I wanted to visit, made a map, decided the best ways to visit them (geographically) got in the car, and went! Although I still have like...6 more to visit. Goody.
-How many colleges did you/are you applying to? How many did you visit? I'm applying to approx 10 colleges. Still have more to visit. The list currently includes : University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Washington University St Louis, University of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh University, Cornell, NYU, Rutgers, Penn State, Drexel...
-Did you go to college far from home? How was it? Personally, I don't want to stay in PA for school, but might end up doing it just because of financial reasons. I want to be close-ish to home, so I can come back and visit, but don't want to spend the rest of my life in Pennsylvania.

[Kyle Rudolph]

Yeah, you guys should come to my school and fly with me and join our Parkour club.

If you guys have aviation related questions I would be glad to answer them, but if you have any please PM me as I do not want to derail the main start of this thread. I thought all of you knew that I was a pilot by now though. 0_o

JUST FYI though, I don't fly to school in a plane. I fly from school to home, but I don't do it like every day. If I got home I'll usually do it on a weekend or during a break. I have to pay for fuel and the plane so it is expensive. Not something I can do all the time.


P.S. DO NOT. I repeat DO NOT do what I did and apply to that many schools. 35 is completely insane and you will not be able to keep up with all of them. As said before, my total was 35 but I also changed my major 2 times while applying to schools so I had to apply to many different schools for my ever changing mind.

[Mitchell]

-How did you pick the college you are at/were at?
I was confident in my choice of major, so I picked the one with the best program. (Graphic Design, Minneapolis College of Art and Design) If you don't know what you want to do, I highly highly recommend going to a cheaper college for your generals. Make sure they'll all transfer when you go to the college of your major. If you go to the big, high cost school and end up hating your major, that's a lot of money down the drain. Even if you already know it, you still might want to get your generals out somewhere else. I myself went to the University of Wisconsin Stout for my art generals my freshman year before going to MCAD. If you have your major in mind already, try and talk to some of the students actually in the program at the schools you're visiting. The administrators want your money, so they'll hype up the program. The students will be 100% honest.

-Are you happy/were you happy with your choice?
Very, couldn't be happier. Then again, I've known what I wanted since 9th grade. I'm a senior in college now.

-Rising Seniors: How many campuses have you visited so far? How are you approaching your search?
I only went to 3 campuses. Applied to 4 schools, got into 4 schools. I only went to places that had strong Graphic Design programs, everywhere else was a waste of time.

-How many colleges did you/are you applying to? How many did you visit?
See above.

-Did you go to college far from home? How was it?
Neither one is far from home. Honestly, even being an hour and twenty away from home might as well be half a country away, except that you can make it home for holidays easily. You still don't visit often, you don't get family visitors often (in a whole year of being that close, I was only visited once), and all your friends are at college anyway so you only see them on vacations.

[Rebecca Myers]

Right now it looks like I'm applying to: Vassar, CORNELL, UVM, UNH, Bucknell, Rutgers-NB. I still have 3 left to visit, though


Carissa- CORNELL FOR THE WIN! I basically live on their beautiful campus, and spend all of my time there. I wish I was kidding. School, wrestling, judo. All at cornell.

[Hannah L]

Hey Rebecca!  (Oh by the way, Cornell and Bucknell for the win! )

-How did you pick the college you are at/were at?
     Well, I'm in an interesting situation here.  I was homeschooled, and now am attending community college full-time as an honors student.  For me, there wasn't too much choice in the matter.
-Are you happy/were you happy with your choice?
     I am happy with my choice; it's given me many opportunities that I would not have had, had I gone away my first two years.  For example, I got into parkour   I was also able to adapt to college life much easier than if I had gone away immediately.
-Rising Seniors: How many campuses have you visited so far? How are you approaching your search?
     Not a rising senior, but I'll tell you where I visited: Lenoir-Rhyne University, Concordia University-Chicago, Concordia University-Nebraska, Bucknell University, Mansfield University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 
-How many colleges did you/are you applying to? How many did you visit?
     For transferring (this makes me similar to you in a way) I'm mainly looking at Concordia University-Nebraksa.  I applied in June, have yet to hear.  I also am thinking about applying to Cornell, Bucknell, and Moravian College.
-Did you go to college far from home? How was it?
     Again, weird situation, but not yet.  Living at home for the rest of this year.  But next year at this time I'll either be in NY or NE.  We'll see how that goes.

Good luck with your search, Rebecca!

[Rebecca Myers]

Thanks Hannah! And you should definately apply to Cornell because...we rock

[chiemi11]

-How did you pick the college you are at/were at?
i just figured i would try get into uh hilo and applied for the chancellors scholarship and got it, paid tuition for 4 years

-Are you happy/were you happy with your choice?
i love it despite living in paradise without being able to have a view of the ocean (from the dorms), i live on the biggest island of the hawaiian chain with 8/14 of the worlds climatic regions, the people are sweet and its hot

-How many colleges did you/are you applying to? How many did you visit?
one

-Did you go to college far from home? How was it?
40 km from my grandmas house or 7000 km from my home in new zealand. i have no family here thats why.

you forgot the best question; majors.

im doing geography - the GIS part of geography. creating GIS maps using ArcGIS software. also minoring in japanese language.

[aricmazick]

Yeah!! Class of '10 for the win!!!

It looks like you've got me beat in the colleges you're visiting/applying to.

-How many colleges did you/are you applying to? How many did you visit?

I visited Stonehill, Providence College, Rhode Island College, and Westfield State College. I'm applying to all of them.

I'm looking in to majoring in computer sciences or environmental studies, if that helps.

[WQ F]

During the past 2 months, my preferences for different colleges greatly changed many many times. At the moment, my most likely choices are MIT, University of Chicago, and Johns Hopkins.
I still haven't decided on my major, but most likely it will be biophysics, bioengineering, or applied mathematics. I'm looking for schools with lots of Nobel prize winners as teachers and students who are much smarter than me. I'm looking for places with lots of money for me to waste on crazy science experiments. I'd also like to have the experience of being the only one running, jumping, and flipping through campus while everyone else is studying for exams. If I end up at MIT or Chicago, it is because I want to get away from my parents but is still bound to them financially. If I end up at JHU, then it is because I would not have to rely on any financial contributions from my parents (I'd only have to deal with living in the same city as them). I have nothing against them, they just care too much.
I'll be applying to these 3 and up to 10 more depending on whether MIT or Chicago accept me through early action.
I visited MIT, Johns Hopkins, and all the Ivy League schools except Dartmouth and Brown (I will not go to any of them even if I get around to apply to them, which I probably wouldn't). My visits had little effect on where I would go. They simply gave me a false sense of how the school really is like. From the visits, I liked Yale the best because it seemed real laid back and relaxed and MIT the least because it was not very organized. Apparently in reality this is not true. How did I approach my search? Well, if I do not end up at a good college, I will not waste my time at a lackluster place (no offense to anyone, I'm sure I could learn quite a bit at any college; I would simply not appreciate the environment) that I've never heard of. If the absolute worst thing happens, I will run off to a jungle, practice parkour, buy lots of textbooks, and learn whatever I want myself. One thing I do not care about is campus safety. I figure that if I'm still alive traveling through the worst part of Baltimore city everyday, I have no worries. I laughed when some rich kid's parents questioned JHU's safety at the info session. It's probably the safest place in the city.
I suspect my approach to the college search is radically different from everyone elses. Oh, I've also made several lists ranking my top 15 choices in various pointless categories. In the end, I have over 10 pages of stats and no clear conclusion. I can't wait until this process is over.
Tomorrow, I'll probably end up completely changing my mind and restarting again and decide not even to apply to my top choices of today.