Joe Said:

Need help choosing college foot ball team?

We Answered:

notre dame

Rhonda Said:

How does choosing college classes work?

We Answered:

Although it works a little differently at each school, you will be told when you start at college which courses you need to have in order to graduate. Some requirements are very specific (you need to take English 110), while some may be more general (you need 6 units taken from the following list - BIOL 379, BIOL 426, CHEM 379, GEOL 388, PHYS 483, etc., or even more general, like you need 3 units from the lower division courses in the humanities). Each class has a certain number of credits or units attached to it .

The course numbers usually tell you for whom the class is appropriate. For example, a class numbered 101, or something else in the 100s, is usually for first-year students. Something numbered in the 300s or 400s is designed for juniors or seniors. Some courses have prerequisites, which means that you can't take them until after you have taken these other courses. You wouldn't take Spanish literature without having taken basic Spanish, as an example.

Then you will usually be told how many credits or units is considered normal in each semester or term, so you will know that when you go to register, you will need a schedule with 12 or 15 credits.

At this point you can put together a schedule. Classes are offered, depending upon the school, between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., and that may also determine what you take and when. Some students take all of their classes in the afternoons and evenings, saving their mornings for sports practice. Some will take all of their classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that they can work or do an internship on the other days. It isn't completely up to you, however, because the class has to be available, and particularly as a freshman, you may have trouble getting into the particular section of a class that you want. Our 8 a.m. classes rarely fill up, but those between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. are usually very full. People also choose classes based upon the teacher; unlike in high school, you can choose a professor who is supposed to be good. Now that ratings are posted on sites like Ratemyprofessors.com, I'm hearing that students are going to the advisors saying that they don't want to take a particular class, or that they feel they MUST take a particular professor!

Once you have put together a schedule, you should see your advisor to make sure you are making appropriate progress toward graduation. I just got an email from a student yesterday who thought she could get away with a light schedule this year, but she didn't understand her schedule correctly, and she really needed almost three more classes to graduate than she thought she did. It was a good thing she contacted me, because without that, she might not have been able to graduate when she thought she would.

The actual signing up for classes is usually done online or by phone these days. Usually, once you have done this, you can continue to change your schedule until the end of the first week or so of classes.

Ellen Said:

Choosing college tips for parents of soon-to-be freshman?

We Answered:

Choosing a school:

I applied to five undergraduate schools. Three were in-state (one a public Ivy) and two out of state colleges. The criterion that I took into account when I was accepted into all five was:

1. In-state v. Out of state costs
Naturally you want to stay in state or in an area that has reciprocity so that you can get the most bang for your buck. However, if that is not an option, then you have to look at whether or not the school is public or private, has scholarship and work study opportunities.

2. Location, Location, Location
I come from a smaller suburban area and I like to be near a major city without any of the hassle. This is my personal comfort zone. So when choosing a school for your son make sure that he takes this into consideration. Being in a major city is hard for some students and adjusting to basic life on campus is hard enough without that. Also take into consideration (especially when you start to visit campuses) the bus systems (are they public buses or private), if he can have a car on campus, if it's mandatory that he live in the dorms and what on-campus housing costs in contrast to off-campus. The living conditions are a HUGE consideration because if he's not getting to class or if you're spending too much on his living arrangements you could see that explode in a huge way.

3. Major!
What does he want to do? Does he have a path? If not then you may want to encourage him to choose a school that is well known all together as opposed to known for only one thing. For example, I applied to UVA, a nationally known public Ivy. It has a broad balance of majors any one of which I could choose and prosper from, however, another choice of mine Old Dominion University has an awesome English department and is much smaller of a name. Choosing ODU for anything other than English may have been more difficult for me in the long run. Obviously UVA is just the better choice, but I digress.

Also, he will have to consider whether or not he wants to go to graduate school. In which case, he'd want to be more marketable to other universities after graduation. A GPA from UVA weighs more than one from ODU and hence that's the better choice.

4. Costs
Taking that same example, ODU would have cost me next to nothing, but with UVA I had to pay at total of 12k after scholarships. While a free ride is always a good idea, the 12k honestly amounts to only about four years of moderate payments to the USDE. With that taken into consideration, and the fact that I could probably get a better job with a name like UVA, I saw it as an even field.


Now you want to know about funding. File a FAFSA form as soon as you get your W2s. You will need to put in your income information and your spouse's. There are different types of loans and you'll have to research those that are best for you, but I found that a Perkins loan was my fave. The interest is low, the payments are moderate, and deferment is possible without penalty. No matter what loan you choose you'll have to file a FAFSA, and the sooner the better!

I have more, but I figure this is long enough. Good luck with it all!

Sandra Said:

What are the most important considerations when choosing a college?

We Answered:

The most important considerations are different for everyone. Decide if a large campus with a lot of resources is important to you -- or, would you prefer a smaller campus with more contact with the professors. Is getting a job after graduation your main reason for going to college, or do you have a passion for learning? What opportunities does each campus offer for internships, study abroad, and learning communities. What is their retention rate from first year to second year and what percentage of incoming freshmen graduate within 5 years? What kind of financial aid package can each campus offer?

If you haven't done so already, go visit your top campuses -- spend the night in a residence hall and attend one or two classes. This might help you decide which is a better fit for you.

Ramon Said:

Good book to read for choosing the right college?

We Answered:

One of the books I used was the Best 371 Colleges. I know I used other books too but that's the one I remember.

I'm not sure what kind of student you are or what schools you're looking at, but I would recommend checking out this page: http://makecollegereality.com/apply/reso… It lists the top rated books for choosing colleges on a variety of topics. I think you might find what you're looking for there.

Helen Said:

when choosing college majors how do i know what jobs that major will lead me to and the opportunities?

We Answered:

Many people end up working outside of their major, and many people end up in several careers over a lifetime, so to begin with, you aren't really very limited by your degree. When you are in college you will be able to look into the kinds of jobs you could seek after graduation, and you may be able to do a few internships while still in school to experience different work environments and jobs.

If I may end with a warning, sociology, social psychology, and general psychology are not the best of majors if you don't intend on grad school. Most psychologists with their own practices have higher degrees, and while sociology probably sounds highly interesting, it isn't a major that is in high demand, so unless you plan on grad school, you may want to look into majors that lead to more in-demand jobs. Those kind of majors are considered "soft sciences" and are less respected and less useful than say, an engineering degree. If math and science aren't your thing, you may want to look into a marketing degree, as business degrees are highly transferable and marketing is a bit like psychology, so you may find it interesting. If you want to help people, nursing is a high-demand field.

Raymond Said:

What Should I ask a college adviser when choosing colleges?

We Answered:

Your environment is going to be a big deal in college.

Do you think you'd be more comfortable at a small school or a large one?
Are you very focused on your studies or are you a party animal?
Are you religious or could you care less? Would you like to be around people who share your beliefs?
^These are questions I'd wished I'd asked myself before applying to college.

And of course, you need to talk to him/her about what courses you plan on taking and what you think you might major in. You'll also want to ask about extracurricular activities you might be interested in.