<p>I graduated from college 10 years ago, but I found that there are many things I didn’t even consider when I applied for college. Fortunately, my undergraduate experience was wonderful and my school was a superb fit for me. However, in Graduate School, I noticed that the undergraduates at the school were treated in a <em>MUCH DIFFERENT FASHION</em> than my personal experience.</p>
<p>Because of my own experiences, I thought I would put out a couple of things in writing for some of you to consider when looking at where you want to go to school for the next 4+ years… Perhaps showing a couple of things you might not be thinking about when you examine where the best fit is for you.</p>
<li><p>In most of your high schools, your class size is probably somewhere in the range of 15 to 30 students. Your teacher, without question, will know you by your name and is familiar enough with you to perhaps write recommendations. When looking at Universities/Colleges, consider the average sizes of the classes. Are they taught by Tenured Faculty (with PhDs), or are they taught 23 year old Graduate Students? Are the classes typically seminar style ? Are the science labs crowded? Do people call their professors by their first name? Have any of them gone to their professors house? Do the professors allow you to chat with them outside their office hours? Do they have open door policies? Do their professors ask them to do research with them? Are all the exams multiple choice or scantron style exams? Are science students required to write technical work and research papers? Does the average student write a thesis for their major? All of these are things to reflect on when looking at School A vs. School B.</p></li>
<li><p>How much of a roll does the student body at the college/university have on issues in campus. It can be incredibly frustrating to have the faculty/staff at a university changing the rules/regulations on you without any type of recourse. Does the school you are considering have a student government that holds any weight? Do students serve as representatives on faculty committees (e.g. are there student reps on the curriculum committee?). Are students a part of the room selection or room draw process, or is it done randomly? Are students involved in the admissions process? Do students get to be involved in the food and cafeteria selections? Are student opinions <em>valued</em> as an undergraduate on the campus?</p></li>
<li><p>Does the average student take 4 years to get a degree, or does the average student at the school take 6 years? This could mean a small fortune when planning for cost to a school. What is the average class load for a Freshman? What is the average class load for a Senior? How many students go on to Graduate School/Law School/Med School? For those that don’t choose to pursue further education, what is the career development office like? How many internships and research programs are available to undergraduates? Is there a peer mentoring or tutoring program available to students who need extra help? Is it free?</p></li>
<li><p>Are the computer labs 24 hours? If not all the time, is there any time of the year where the computer labs are 24 hours? Even if you bring your own computer to campus, there is often specialized software you will have to use in a class that you won’t have on your own computer. Does it cost to print items in the labs? Is there a color printer available? Can you print things from the library? How does the school regulate who gets to use the computers, and for how long? Are there both Macs, Windows PCs and Unix based computers in the labs, or is only one type of machine? Is there software bundled together for students available to purchase at a discounted price?</p></li>
<li><p>Does the average student live on campus? Does the school make you move out of your dorm during Fall Break? Winter break? Spring Break? Summer Break? Is there coin operated laundry facilities in each dorm? Is there a coin machine if you run out of quarters? Is there some form of schedule that you must adhere to in order to use the laundry facilities (e.g. no laundry past 10 pm, scheduled sessions, etc.) Are there co-ed floors or bathrooms in the dorm? Where do the smokers go to smoke if the dorms are non-smoking? (e.g. do they hang out in the front door so you will have to go through the clouds of smoke to get inside). Do the upperclassmen live with the freshman in the dorms? Do the upperclassmen socialize with the underclassmen? This can be something that is invaluable to a freshman. Getting advice and wisdom from experienced students can be a really big help.</p></li>
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<p>Other advice:
Since almost everything is available online these days, I would recommend the following:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Read some archives of the student run papers. Look at the archives at different times in the school year (e.g. finals period versus the middle of the semester). Read the editorials. Read the articles. Get an idea what bothers the students, and what makes them happy.</p></li>
<li><p>Find links to the student government online (if available) and read some minutes of their meetings. What kind of issues have arisen and how are they handled? Are they resolving the problems they are experiencing, or is it just a joke? Do they have any impact?</p></li>
<li><p>Talk with alumni if you can. Though most of us will admit that schools will feel radically different from when we went to school, it will still give you an idea of what people think of their time years later. Do they reflect on the time there with a positive outlook, or do they feel it was a relative waste of money in the long run? Do they feel that they could have gotten the same value going to school X instead?</p></li>
<li><p>Remember that the name of the school won’t always follow you around. If you go on to work in business, most people will not even know where you went to school, let alone what you majored in. Some highly ranked schools are not even known by name to the average person in industry. Also, remember that even if someone went to a big name school, it doesn’t necessarily mean in the real world that they are any better prepared for real life and working to put food on your table for your family.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>About Me:<br>
I went to a small, highly rigorous, Liberal Arts College for my bachelors degree and went on to study Computer Science in Graduate School at a State University. In my undergraduate world, I was able to become a Teaching Assistant, Tutor, and do paid research. I held office in the Student Government, sang in the college chorus, and was in charge of the Math Department’s computers and labs. All of the experiences helped mold me into a great candidate for Graduate School. When in Graduate School, I was allowed to be a summer lecturer for a second level Computer Science course at the State University when I was only 23, and some of the students in my class were older than me. Is that the kind of experience that you are looking for, or do you want something else? Just some thoughts to consider…</p>