|
|
|
|
PLEASE NOTE: The Reality TV World Message Boards are filled with desperate
attention-seekers pretending to be one big happy PG/PG13-rated family. Don't
be fooled. Trying to get everyone to agree with you is like herding cats,
but intolerance for other viewpoints is NOT welcome and respect for other
posters IS required at all times. Jump in and play, and you'll soon find out
how easy it is to fit in, but save your drama for your mama. All members are
encouraged to read the
complete guidelines.
As entertainment critic Roger
Ebert once said, "If you disagree with something I write, tell me so, argue
with me, correct me--but don't tell me to shut up. That's not the American way."
|
|
|
"Looking for a college"
universityofkentuckyrocks 2575 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Survivor-themed Cruise Spokesperson"
|
01-13-06, 07:51 PM (EST)
 
  |
|
"Looking for a college" |
In a couple of weeks, I’ll officially begin the applying for college process. I need some tips about what to do and not to do. I have some college choices that are below. Have any of you taken the ACT before? What’s the best advice for when you take the ACT? I’ll be taking the ACT at my school on February 11, so I won’t need directions. I won’t be taking the SAT because Kentucky schools do not accept the SAT. You have to take the ACT or they won’t accept you. I heard my state is the only state that doesn’t accept the SAT. I’m not going to take it because; obviously, it’s a waste of time. College Visits? What should I be focusing on when I go for a campus visit? My dad wants to set up these visits during spring break. Is there any good question for me to ask that you or your kid used to help you to pick your best school? My major is going to be sports journalism; I am a member of the school newspaper. I’ll, likely be an editor in chief next year since there are only, a couple of juniors in the class. The three schools I am looking at. Note, I will be going to a state school because I lvoe Kentucky and I’m not ready to leave the Bluegrass State, but I will NOT attend any school in Louisville, its time to experience another part of this state. My choices in order. 1. University of Kentucky- Located in Lexington, Kentucky. Why? Because both of my parents went to school there and I have been there numerous time. It also only an hour and a half away from home. It has been a lifelong dream to go there. The Journalism school is solid and second best in the state. 2. Western Kentucky- Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky This school is located right on the Tennessee and Kentucky border. It’s a new time zone. It is considered the best journalism school in Kentucky. It has a great program. The trip home is only two hours, not a bad drive home. 3. Murray State- located in Murray, Kentucky. The school is located is located in Southwestern Kentucky and is right by the Tennessee state line. Once it’s in a new time zone. The journalism school is ok. It’s not the best. The trip home would about four and a half hours long. I would be driving off the interstate for quite a bit. The closest interstate is about 45 minutes away. Its has a good learning disability program, that’s why I’ll consider it. The thing is less trips home. The reasons I would like to be close to home is to be able to go to a couple of football games for my high school. I would be able to go to the biggest rivalry game in the nation. I am close to my parents. I am also able to go and see my Dad’s relatives whenever they get together. That’s why I would prefer WKU or UK. What did you look for in the college search process? Looking forward to seeing the advice in this thread.
ukrocks got a blog!
|
|
|
Top |
| |
cqvenus 9765 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
|
01-13-06, 08:17 PM (EST)
|
|
1. "RE: Looking for a college" |
you should ask about everything that is important to -you- in a school.
here are some suggestions:
if you plan to have a car, you should ask if freshmen are allowed to have cars. if they charge for parking. where you get to keep your car. when they show dorms, they usually show the nicest ones they have. be sure to ask where the -freshmen- usually live, and make sure you get to look at those, too. for safety, be sure your room has a KEY not a CODE. and check the bathrooms to see how gross they are. ask what kinds of items are not allowed in your rooms (usually candles and stuff like that but some schools don't let you have microwaves or mini fridges, either!). if you're a library studier, see the libraries. ask where they have wireless connections on campus (if you're into that stuff). ask what the hours are like. see the dining hall(s). ask a student who lives there who isn't giving the tour what the food is like. ask how many students your advisor has assigned to him/her. ask if you get accepted directly to your degree program or if everyone is 'undeclared major' and then has to fight each other in 2 years to actually be accepted into their program of study (for you, journalism). ask if printing is free with your tuition and if there's a page limit. ask how much the fees are (like technology fee, transportation fee, student activity fee) and if any of these are optional or if all are required. (this your parents will probably care about more than you). ask how many freshmen don't come back the next year or even the next semester. ask how big classes are.
ask if TAs teach or if professors teach.
ask if your professors speak english as a first language. (trust me, it can matter, especially in a huge class of 300 students). ask to meet with someone in the journalism dept and find out what classes you'd typically take the first year.
ask then which professors suck and which are good.
ask which classes suck and which are good.
also see this site for professor ratings at your school. but that site is more useful when you have already selected a college and are registering for classes. ummm... if there's anything else you think is important criterion for selecting your school, ask away! and most importantly, do not be embarrassed to ask questions of your tour guide or anyone else. the vast majority of universities are FOR-profit institutions, which means you are a potential customer, and you are competetive shopping between institutions. you should have every single question you want answered before you make the decision. and if there's anything you wish you asked but didn't, call the school and find out later. or go back for another visit, which i recommend anyway. good luck! ~ cq
|
|
|
Top |
| |
 |
|
|
HistoryDetective 9516 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
|
01-13-06, 11:59 PM (EST)
|
|
15. "RE: Looking for a college" |
LAST EDITED ON 01-14-06 AT 07:48 AM (EST)ask a student who lives there who isn't giving the tour what the food is like. That's the real key. Don't trust the indoctrination orientation leader to tell you what the school is like because they have all been brainwashed to give you scripted answers that talk about all the strengths and none of the shortcomings. Talk to other students that you seek out on your own. ask if TAs teach or if professors teach. Many graduate student teaching assistants are more than competent and will show more interest in your progress as a student than some professors will. Don't make assumptions about an instructor based on whether s/he is ABD or PhD. Again, this is a case in which you need to ask a current student (not your tour guide!) about the quality of instruction received from both teaching assistants and faculty. ETA: If it matters to you that you not be taught by a lowly teaching assistant, then you need to check on some other things as well. Are any classes taught by graduate student instructors (graduate students responsible for the entire class, not just acting as teaching assistants) as part of their professional training? If so, what level are these graduate student instructors? Have they taken their comprehensive exams yet? Are they ABD (All But Dissertation --- passed their comprehensive exams, have read the books and articles important in their field (often more recently than the faculty who administered the comprehensive exams), have significant research experience in their discipline)? What kind of professor is teaching the course? Is it an assistant professor in his first year or two out of graduate school? If his school had a bias against letting graduate students teach, then you may be getting somebody with little classroom experience, perhaps a glorified graduate student teaching assistant until s/he gets a few more years of teaching experience. On the other hand, an assistant professor could have previously gained teaching experience and might be very innovative in his/her teaching style. That would certainly be preferable to a professor who has had full tenure for three decades and now only teaches from the same lecture notes that s/he has used for years. (I'd take the teaching assistant who wants to be in the classroom any day over the full professor who thinks that it is a chore to work with undergraduates because it take him/her away from his/her research, the "important" part of the job.) Are courses taught by a member of the department, whether it be an assistant, associate, or full professor, or by an adjunct professor that the department refuses to hire fulltime and instead pays peanuts to teach specific courses? If the college uses lots of adjunt professors, ask why it won't take the steps necessary to create fully-staffed and viable departments. Be sure to realize that adjunct professors may be teaching courses at more than one college in the area just to make ends meet. If an adjunct professor (at least it's not a graduate student) is overworked from running from college to college doing mercenary teaching, then you need to consider the quality of instruction you will receive in that situation. Perhaps instead of worrying about whether or not you will be taught by graduate students or professors, you should ask about the quality of the instruction received in lecture courses, classes with discussion sections, courses with labs, and smaller seminars.    
Sigs by Tribephyl and Syren. Bouncie by IceCat. One and Only WeinerGuy.
journal
|
|
|
Top |
| |
J Slice 13166 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
|
01-13-06, 08:34 PM (EST)
|
|
3. "RE: Looking for a college" |
First, I bought US News and World Report's College Guide... a complete one. It's huge, and lists EVERY COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY IN THE STATES. Very Very helpful.The book lets you know what to expect re: the competition-level from fellow students, party school/non-party school, athletic focused/study focused... and it tells you what each school's specialties are. After jotting down some school names (my beginning list was something like 20 schools), check out each school's website. Read all the information you can about student life. Check your chosen department-of-interest's webpage; find out about professors. You should be able to wheedle these down. Since you're only looking at Kentucky schools, it'll be especially easy for you to go visit campuses... that's really the best way to see things. 
Warm wishes from Skadi
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
Fishercat 4168 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Jerry Springer Show Guest"
|
01-13-06, 09:43 PM (EST)
|
|
8. "RE: Looking for a college" |
I forgot to mention this in my post, so I'll echo what Slice said. Get some guide books. There are many good choices out there depending on what you're looking for. Collegeboard puts out a pure factbook, much like the website but easier to read. Slice's suggestion is better for actual life information.
|
|
|
Top |
| |
DooWahDitty 1615 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
|
01-13-06, 08:34 PM (EST)
|
|
4. "RE: Looking for a college" |
Hi UK, it sounds like your choices are really between #1 and #2.Because you seem like a person who highly values relationships and personal interaction, I would choose the school where you feel the most comfortable interpersonally. This week I have been realizing that I have found the absolute appropriate school for me (after one misfire) and I am very, very happy. What really matters to me is the quality of the professors and how personable and accessible they are, and how much in love with the material they are. IMO, you also want to be with students who are on fire for their chosen field, and who desire camaraderie with classmates. My kid is a year ahead of you in school, and while he's at a really good university (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) and in an absolutely beautiful area, he complains that there are too many students in each class and not enough professor accessibility. He also doesn't particularly like his dorm (and last week his $650 bike got stolen from the racks in front.  Do not take an expensive bike to school.) He doesn't like the dorms because they're too big and impersonal. (He's the quiet type, so you may not have the problem he's had in getting to know people.) Also, he feels like a just a number. Are the class sizes manageable or out of control? Is the professor accessible? Truly? Are they rushed, preoccupied, or patient and focused on you when you're there? If there are TA/s, are they nice and reasonably unharried? Try to find out beforehand who your advisor will be and assess these qualities. My kid's school is also the type that gives tests or quizzes at each class -- rather than focusing on discussion, weekly paper writing, one major oral presentation, and one major final paper. The foregoing is the way it is done in many schools nowadays. So you need to figure out which school has the best method of teaching for you - not just in your chosen field of journalism, but for most of the core requirements and outcomes as well. Another thing you want to think about is networking and building relationships with people in your chosen field from the very beginning. Does the school have a professional fraternity (i.e., UC Davis has a fraternity that all pre-vet students join). My school has the graduate program I intend to enroll in and by the time I enter, I will know most of the people involved both on an administrative level and a peer level. Last, I took the ACT in the dark ages. It wasn't very difficult, though as I expected, I did terribe in math and science, and superior in English and other related skills. Things may have changed, but my impression is that the ACT is a much more lightweight test than the SAT. 
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
|
|
DooWahDitty 1615 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
|
01-14-06, 00:35 AM (EST)
|
|
17. "RE: Looking for a college" |
Hi again UK. My son is a freshman at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, on the central California coast. What AKim said is very true re: (1) home visits, and (2) paying Uni prices for classes you don't get credit for. Once you really get into your new life at school, you won't be thinking much about home. My daughter went away to San Diego State a year ago last September. Within 4 months, she began considering San Diego her new - and indefinite - home. She barely made it through Christmas break this year. Just wanted to get back to her life, job and friends in San Diego. As for classes, select them carefully. 2-3 W's are OK but more than that doesn't look good. If you can knock off certain lower division classes cheaply at a nearby community college while at Uni, do it. The financial aid hoops are a nightmare but you will save a boatload of money on student loans. Money saved can be utilized for graduate school, which certainly you will need, no? (I don't know anything about sports journalism.) Whatever you decide, good luck with the process of your decision, and your experience at college!
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fishercat 4168 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Jerry Springer Show Guest"
|
01-13-06, 09:35 PM (EST)
|
|
6. "RE: Looking for a college" |
OK, assuming you refuse to change your mind about even thiking about leaving Kentucky (honestly, can't hurt to look. Could be good to see somewhere else). I'll go step by stepACT: I never took the ACT, but here are some general, test-taking tips that helped me. For refence, I did not study a bit, and I had base (verbal + math on the SAT I) scores of 1410 and 1460 respectively on the test. A. Get a good night's sleep. Honestly, I cannot think of any situation truly worth, on a Friday night, justifying getting 4 hours of sleep instead of 7. B. RELAX. I cannot stress this enough. There are many things in life to stress about, this isn't one. I was more nervous about the second one than the first one, and on the whole, I did worse. C. Just my opinion, get a baseline before you do serious training or anything. Some people need help with standardized tests. They stress, they are slower/meticulous workers, they don't get it. Some don't. Give yourself an unprepared test (junior year would be good) and see where you are, and if you're happy. Those are my three tips. If anyone can find the quote from Mr. Feeny to Eric Matthews about the keys to the SAT, he's right. If you decide not to leave Kentucky public schools, then don't take the SAT, but if you do, take it. College Visits: IMO, the best part of this process. They're fun, informative, and you get some walking in. The way I went about, and there are many ways, enjoy it, be yourself. If you're normally quiet, act as you would normally and see what you want to see. The only thing I would recommend is that you see an example of everything you would be interested in. One school didn't show us a dorm room, fatal mistake. One school explained why they couldn't, but I asked if the guide could show us and she did, good move. Enjoy the time there, get anything you need in materials. I can't do what the Gilmore Girls did and make pro/con lists, I go with my gut and if I like it. If I don't, I don't. These, more than anything, made or broke my application decision. My three best visits are my top three schools, my two worst (one was bad, one was mediocre) I didn't apply to. IMO, college visits aren't so much for asking questions, rather getting experience. Major: Luckily, you can change majors in college. You may want to go into journalism now, that's fine, and UofK is actually quite good for that kind of thing. Keep your mind open. Major Considerations
A. Reach. Match. Safety. Here's a personal thought, unless all of those are pretty much locks and you are SURE you want to go there if you get in, then look elsewhere and find some other choices, either easier or harder based on grades, tests, ECs, etc. You should be fine, but so many students under or overreach their potential that it's dangerous or disappointing. B. School Visits. Until I get my picks down to 2-3, the serious visits won't kick in. However, use your information tour/campus tour well. If you have any questions to be answered, ask, but I wouldn't make some up at this point for the sake of asking a question. Do that in an interview if need be. Enjoy yourself, and if you can't do that, you can almost be sure either you're nervous or nothing's right. C. Focus on Junior and Senior Year. A story, I have a friend named Mike. He was absolutely brillant for the first two years and levelled off a bit. He has a 3.8 GPA, good SATs, very devoted Church life (will be a priest). On the other hand, I have a 3.3 GPA, great SATs, and no real guide. I want to go into history/education. We both applied to a small, local, Catholic school, both got in with the same offers in terms of scholarships, and he applied Early Decision to boot, I applied regular. Why did someone with a B/B+ average and similar ECs with an edge in test scores get the same as a Church-devoted A-/A student? The last two years. Since junior year, we flipped a bit. I have done very well for myself, I stepped up. He levelled off when he moved up in classes. Colleges want an upward trend, because they believe they get Senior Year instead of Freshman usually, and typically a person will be rewarded for that upward trend from what I've heard. D. Talk to your guidance counselor this year, get a plan in action, give a basic outline on what you want to do. E. Do what you want. Sure, it's great to consider your parents, I suggest you do, and let them help you. However, when push comes to shove, you'll be spending 4+ years there and not anyone else will. Take everything into consideration. It may be worth it to sacrifice a little happiness or flexibility (not much) to save money or get what you need. Trust me, it's not nearly as daunting as people make it seem at times. Just keep your grades up, keep your extra-cirriculars on track, and enjoy your time in high school.
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
universityofkentuckyrocks 2575 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Survivor-themed Cruise Spokesperson"
|
01-13-06, 09:43 PM (EST)
|
|
9. "RE: Looking for a college" |
LAST EDITED ON 01-13-06 AT 09:46 PM (EST)The reason I'm not leavoing Kentucky public schools is that UK and Western are both top journalism schools. They both have respectable newspaper. Plus the money situation is part of it. In-sate is cheaper. I'm starting to lean on Western more than UK because it has won so many awards for journalism. my journalsim teacher reccomends that school. If I could get into the Univeristy of Missouri, i would go there. but i know an ACT of a 30 will not happen. On the practice ACT's I went from 15 -17. GPA is 3.67. But the level of classes I take might hurt me. I'm in the 3rd lowest/highest of five programs. Average person. I know I wouldn't be happy at any of the Indiana school or Tennesee schools because, well some students have had some bad experiences. ETA: For me, happy would be close to home for now. This is that first to getting out of Kentucky. I hope to live in another city and state some day.
ukrocks got a blog!
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
Fishercat 4168 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Jerry Springer Show Guest"
|
01-13-06, 09:51 PM (EST)
|
|
10. "RE: Looking for a college" |
Dangerous assumption. It's typically true, but not always in terms of in-state, public schools being cheaper than any other type. Base cost is cheaper of course, but a lot of private schools are quite a bit better in financial aid and merit awards, and many times, when everything is done, they'll be close.Personally, I think it's dangerous to make a choice based purely on a major. Give yourself some solid, all-around options. What if you get there, and you find out you don't like journalism, and you went to WKU. Nice school, but what if UK had more options or better options in other fields you're looking at. GPA is re-calculated by every school based on their own scale. From school to school, scales are weird, a B+ at my school is an A at others, a D- may be a C. Plus the reputation of the school matters. Are grades inflated? Does "C" mean average, or below-average to everyone? I know some schools (I was told this by a Keene State rep) do look skeptically on extreme test scores in relation to schools. If I have a 2000 SAT, but a 2.5 GPA, they'll think I just test really well and I'm a slacker/can't apply. If I have a 4.0 GPA but a below average SAT, they may look into the school and see grade inflation. Never assume you wouldn't be happy somewhere because of some people's experiences. People are different. I mean, I could tell a person I simply didn't like St. John's College in Maryland, I didn't have a good time on a two-night visit. Or that I had a bad experience in junior high, but it varies from person to person. Every school has a ##### or thousand.
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
anotherkim 14420 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
|
01-14-06, 05:22 PM (EST)
|
|
33. "RE: Looking for a college" |
LAST EDITED ON 01-14-06 AT 05:23 PM (EST)I agree with you to a point, HD, but IMO, there is still a vast difference in a class that has 250 people and one that has 25-40 and no amount of office hour interaction can change that. I do totally agree with you that it is the student's responsibility to seek out the professor. As a teacher, it amazes me how many kiddos think that I can read minds.  Miscellaneous Ramblings
--For example: How the FVCK should I be able to just divine if the 30 on a quiz means that you didn't read or does it mean that didn't understand the material if you didn't ask any questions or let me know that you needed help?edited for a typo
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Snidget 44369 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
|
01-15-06, 09:24 AM (EST)
|
|
36. "RE: Looking for a college" |
Yep the not finishing thing can really be a killer.The thing that helped the most for me in a test taking skills class (and I am naturally good at taking tests) was the concept that if you can skip a question and come back to it (some of the new computer based standarized tests do not let you do it) sometimes it is in your best interest to move on. Basically you don't want to miss answering all the really easy questions you can get right because you wasted a lot of time on a really hard question that you may never figure out. Unless the format of the test forces you to do it in order, it usually helps to answer all the questions you really know the answer for first, then do the ones you have to think about. And even if you have to take it in order notice when you are spending way too long on a single question and bale out with a guess before you waste too much time on it. Also work on making sure you work on being able to figure out what question they are asking. Sometimes reading a question to fast and missing the "not" in "which of the following is not" can cause some pretty major mistakes. Along the same line if they have the read a coule of paragraphs and then answer questions, if you can read the questions before you read the selection do that. If you know what things to pay attention to in a reading selection it can make things go faster. Also, since most of these are multiple choice, if you don't know for sure what the answer is, see if you can look at the answers and figure out which ones are likely to be completely wrong. If you have to guess, guess smart, not random. 
Imaginary friends by Bob!
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
DooWahDitty 1615 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
|
01-15-06, 12:49 PM (EST)
|
|
37. "RE: Looking for a college" |
Snidget, your post makes me wonder if they have now designed the SAT and ACT to function much like the current GRE test does - where one is timed and given a timeframe within which one should be answering questions and moving on. This is new within the past year or two, and there are classes designed to help one pace themselves. Not all that expensive, either.
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
|
|
Fishercat 4168 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Jerry Springer Show Guest"
|
01-15-06, 01:54 PM (EST)
|
|
39. "RE: Looking for a college" |
The SAT is still on paper (unless they have some different type for some disabilities), questions are segmented into three subjects, and then again into smaller sectors for each subject. So yeah, as long as you have time, you can skip within the section. So you can go from Section 1, Question 22 to Section 1, Question 7, but not to Section 2.
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
Sunny_Bunny 5597 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
|
01-14-06, 11:26 AM (EST)
 |
|
27. "RE: Looking for a college" |
I have to ditto Kim’s advice, but I also wanted to add a couple of things. If you choose to do the Jr. Collage route for some of your lower division classes, that will also help to deflect a lower ACT/SAT score. My oldest Son, who is completing his sophomore year had lower entrance scores, but has pulled off 4.0s every semester since he started. He’s applied to Berkeley (my Alma Mater) and UCLA and was accepted by both because it was obvious that the test scores didn’t reflect his true abilities as a student. The great thing about this, is that the cash register wont start running on student loans till he transfers, and paying off 2 years instead of 4 will make the burden lighter for him. My other advice is to make sure you really connect with your department, and your advisor. I declared Political Science from the beginning, and had definite ideas about what I wanted to do with it. The first time I met with my advisor after orientation, I remember going home and venting to my Mum about what a first class idiot he was when it came to women. I had asked him a question about internships, and it became very clear to me that he thought that I was in a mans field, and would most likely marry and forget I had a brain as soon as possible. Within a month of starting classes I really connected with another professor who, when I explained what had happened after orientation, quickly took me as her own. This woman pushed me to submit papers for competitions, to apply for every internship that came down the pike, and to join the political research team. What was great about this, was that every time I was pitted against one of those “men” of the other advisor in competition or for internships, I beat them. Also, in a discipline as competitive as journalism, I would suggest pumping the department for information on summer internships as soon as you start.
I don’t know about how well traveled you are, but I always advise my HS students to take advantage of any Study Abroad offers they may get for being on the deans/honors list once they get to college. The more you see of other cultures, the more you appreciate what we have here, and it is simply a great experience. Financial Aid usually covers some of the cost. This may be something you wont even consider at the moment, because of wanting to be close to home. Trust the people who have already told you this. Your need to go home will fade rather quickly as you make new friends, and get accustomed to the freedom that is scaring the heck out of you at the moment.
Good Luck in whichever school you attend! 
|
|
|
Top |
| |
DooWahDitty 1615 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
|
01-13-06, 10:02 PM (EST)
|
|
11. "RE: Looking for a college" |
After reading everybody else's posts, I have this to add: My kid has a car at school, and it's parked not that close to the dorm, so that's an issue. So far so good as far as vandalism, theft, safety, etc. even though his bike was stolen after only 3 months. Be sure to sign up EARLY for a parking space. They are limited and once they are gone, they are gone. My kid procrastinated on this and his dad had to jump through all kinds of difficult hoops to get that taken care of (bonk on his head - he would absolutely kill me if I referred to him DittyBoy so I will refrain). About bikes, if your campus is huge you're going to need one and want one. Cal Poly is too huge to walk between classes, so almost everyone who lives on campus has a bike. I think they should have pegs on the dorm room walls for bikes, but I learned this is not available or allowed at SLO for various reasons. But it should be. Printing in the library is cheaper IMO, since mine charges 5 cents per page. For dorm/home printing, find a place that refills your personal ink cartridges for half price (I found a kiosk at a mall that works well for this purpose). With those two things you'll save a fortune in ink and paper (the library provides the paper for printouts). You want to look at what kind of facilities the library has, like cq said. Mine has absolutely everything you need because it's small and not near a town center. i.e., computers, printers, paper cutters, hole punchers, staplers, copiers, report binding machine, all kinds of music, film and media computers, etc. etc. etc. IMO a school's library reflects where their priorities are. My former uni. didn't have much of the above stuff. They expected students to find their own. In a time crunch, the above is life-and-sanity saving. Visit the campuses at different times of day if possible and see how they feel to you. Mine has an old-fashioned Westminster Abbey chime every hour that is wonderful and peaceful. Don't believe everything you hear from hearsay about a college. For example, I went to UC Davis years ago partly because I heard it was a big party school. Wrong. People studied their arses off there because most were trying to get into one of the 5 prof. schools. Find out what the demographic politically is. I would have gone to Lewis & Clark but the demographic is much younger and much more conservative politically than I would be comfortable with. It's a lot to think about but it does all fall together when the right school presents itself. Since your heart is set on Kentucky, just pick the school that has the most things you want after making two columns - Assets and Liabilities - for each school in the running. If I had done that, I would have avoided a very time-consuming and frustrating mistake last year. Another good resource beside the one Slice mentioned is the Princeton Review of colleges The Best 361 Colleges Very funny reading -- and very accurate according to my roomie... she went to Oberlin.
|
|
|
Top |
| |
DooWahDitty 1615 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
|
01-13-06, 10:06 PM (EST)
|
|
12. "RE: Looking for a college" |
One final thing - there may be times when you are convinced you have made a mistake even if you thought you didn't when you finally chose THE ONE. Stick it out - at least a year - even if you're absolutely miserable. Chances are things will even out and you'll settle into happiness. My kid is not entirely convinced about Cal Poly but he's agreed that he needs to give it a year.
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
SherpaDave 8326 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
|
01-14-06, 00:26 AM (EST)
|
|
16. "RE: Looking for a college" |
Or take time off. Did that a couple times myself. College was the best six years of my life. 
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
|
StarryLuna 4771 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Stuff Magazine Centerfold"
|
01-14-06, 09:16 AM (EST)
|
|
22. "RE: Looking for a college" |
LAST EDITED ON 01-14-06 AT 09:17 AM (EST)As a former college tour guide (an Ambassador) and a freshmen mentor, I'll have you know they do not give scripted answers, despite what HD says. My organization wouldn't accept applicants who just read through the college catalog and gave the "required" answers when we interviewed them. A good tour guide will tell you about the school, it's history, and also share his/her personal reflections about life at the school. Feel free to ask the tour guide every single question you can - if he/she can't give you the answer, they will find someone who can. I know you're trying to schedule your campus visits during your spring break, but remember that's when everyone else is trying to visit too. See if you can talk your parents into taking a few days off from school and going during the middle of the week. Chances are, you'll be the only family in your tour group and you'll get a much more personalized tour. One of the best tours I ever gave lasted over two hours (I went to a school with a small campus so the average tour was only an hour.) It was one family and she knew she wanted to be a business major, so we spent over an hour walking around the business building, and several professors, as well as the department head, sat down with her and discussed her options. When I took the family back to the admissions office, they thought I'd gotten lost. The best advice about choosing a college I can give is this - you'll know the moment you step on the campus if it's the right place for you. It will just feel right - like coming home. I do agree with cq about trying to see a typical freshman dorm. We showed our own personal dorm rooms, which was fine my first two years when I lived in the dumpy building, but my last two years I wound up in the newest dorm on campus, which had larger rooms and newer furniture. The first time I visited the campus, I saw a room in a freshman dorm that had been built in the 70's, and it was fairly spacious, but I wound up in a dorm from the 30's & 40's (special housing for honors students) that was fairly rundown. Even my Dad was a little surprised. The funny thing was, I loved that old rundown dorm. It had the best atmosphere out of all the dorms. ETA: I visited UK in Lexington once. The 2001 Ambassador conference was held there. Great campus and the food was good. The students were extremely friendly also. 
Luna's Eclipses
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fishercat 4168 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Jerry Springer Show Guest"
|
01-14-06, 02:01 PM (EST)
|
|
32. "RE: Looking for a college" |
On a happier note, the feeling of getting an acceptance letter to a college you really care about in the mail? Doesn't get a whole lot better than that for a piece of paper, unless it has winning lottery numbers on it and is not a fortune cookie message.
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
|
geg6 14941 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
|
01-16-06, 09:40 AM (EST)
|
|
42. "RE: Looking for a college" |
I haven't read any one else's answers, but as a university administrator who is intimately involve in the admissions process here, I have some suggestions.First, campus visits are THE best way to help a student make a choice. It has been my experience, and all my colleagues will tell you the same thing, that post secondary success and satisfaction is intimately tied to what we in the business call "fit." Yes, academics and ranked programs are all important, but if a student does not feel happy and comfortable at the school then he/she will have a hard time being a success. The vast majority of students who either transfer here or who decide to transfer out will almost always cite "fit" as a major reason for making the change. Only a campus visit can give a student an idea of whether or not that "fit" may be there. See if you can set up an overnight visit, if possible, during a time when the students are on campus. You can get a good idea of what the dorms are like, what residence life is like, wha the food service is like, what the social atmosphere is like, and the types of students (are they partiers? are they grinds? is it an avante-garde student body? Etc.) that attend. Set up a meeting with a faculty member. If you know you want to major in journalism, meet with someone who actually teaches journalism. Take a look at student/teacher ratios. Students like you with some learning challenges tend to do very well in smaller classrooms with lots of personal attention. You will find college much more challenging than high school, so you should give yourself the advantage of a personal relationship with your instructors. Look at the facilities. Do they seem to be well-maintained? What is the level of technology available? Does the library provide widest possible range of information? Speak to a financial aid officer. Ask about scholarships, the application process, deadline dates, whether or not the school has an arrangement with preferred lenders, payment options, cost of attendance, and available institutional funding. If can think of anything else after I go back and read the other replies, I'll be back to add it. 
I'm such a slut for the blues.
|
|
|
Top |
| |
|
p l a c e h o l d e r t e x t g o e s h e r e - p l a c e h o l d e r t e x t g o e s h e r e - p l a c e h o l d e r t e x t g o e s h e r e -
p l a c e h o l d e r t e x t g o e s h e r e - p l a c e h o l d e r t e x t g o e s h e r e - p l a c e h o l d e r t e x t g o e s h e r e -
p l a c e h o l d e r t e x t g o e s h e r e - p l a c e h o l d e r t e x t g o e s h e r e - p l a c e h o l d e r t e x t g o e s h e r e -
p l a c e h o l d e r t e x t g o e s h e r e - p l a c e h o l d e r t e x t g o e s h e r e - p l a c e h o l d e r t e x t g o e s h e r e -
|
|
Email this topic to a friend
Printer-friendly version of this topic
Bookmark this topic (Registered users only)
