This will be the final article in a series of three examples of a methodologies for choosing a career, as a prerequisite for choosing The Best School For You. The question marks simply indicate that you are considering a particular subject or discipline. The progression from IT to computers to hardware simply represents the process of narrowing down a broad subject toward a more specific one. As mentioned in the previous article, do not limit yourself to three. The more specific you are about the subject, the easier it will be to find the best school for you and, ultimately, find the best career for you. As a high school senior or a college student still searching for the right career, our objective here is to give you a strategy to follow.

One possible additional progression beyond “hardware” might be the following:

IT —> Computers —> Hardware —> Memory —>High Capacity Storage Devices

IT —> Computers —> Hardware —> Chips —> Processors —> Fastest Processing Speeds

Again, these are just examples. However in both, the result is a very specific segment of IT; in this case high capacity storage devices and processors capable of fast processing speeds.

Information Technology?
You have always been fascinated by technology. The “magic” of all those ones and zeros being transformed from binary code into numbers and letters at extremely fast speed is something you would like to study more. How does it happen? What determines the speed? Are there speed limitations?

Computers?
You have had several desktop computers, a few laptops and numerous cell phones; now you have the latest smart phone. Learning about software and programming is intriguing to you, but you just do not have the logical mind for it, or the patience to write code. So you are looking more into hardware. You have installed many hard drives, upgraded to faster processors and installed numerous video cards and various types of PCI cards. You actually have some confidence while working inside a desktop computer.

Hardware?
How do all the components communicate with each other? You have some idea; but the subject of hardware compatibility is both confusing and challenging. You would like to know more.

Maybe data storage and memory are something you would like to know more about. How can hard drives now handle terabytes of data, when only a few short years ago 80 to 500 gigabyte hard drives were considered “massive capacities” of data? (Reference the first progression above.)

Alternately, maybe data processing is more intriguing and fascinating. Computer manufacturers formerly advertised processing speeds in the hundreds of megahertz. Now Intel, AMD and others are putting several processing chips together in groups of two, as “dual processors,” and even groups of four, as “quad processors.” Why do they no longer market computers by referencing processing speeds? Will the next processors be in groups of six and eight or in groups of eight and sixteen? (Reference the second progression above.)

As you can see, the questions you ask can guide you to areas of interest. Then, those areas of interest can guide you to the best school for you, which will lead you to the best career for you!

Good luck! And thank you for reading!

This is a continuing series of articles on choosing a discipline toward a career. We will address three disciplines from general to more specific to very specific. When choosing a career, you should do the same; however, there may be four, five or six steps. Do not limit yourself to three or even six. For example, may you enjoy the outdoors and be considering a career in which time is spent with mother nature. Here are two sequences:

1. Outdoors —> Animals —> Mammals —>Hunting —> Big Game —> Elephants
2. Sky —> Astronomy —> Stars —> Materials —> Radiation —> Astrophysics

For those high school students, high school graduates and maybe even college students, who say, “I don’t know what I want to do…” You need to pick something as broad as “outdoors” and “sky” and go from there. This week we will pick Artistry, then Writing and finally Fiction.

Artistry
Do you like to create images in your mind, then see them in the real world? Is there a sense of creativity inside, which you really have not known how to express? To any degree, do you enjoy just doodling with pen and paper? Do you enjoy creating something with the keyboard and mouse, and then watching it appear as an image, text or both on the monitor? (To me, it is almost magical how beautiful images and text can appear on a monitor or screen, especially when I created them!)

If these questions and queries intrigue you, maybe “artistry” is something you should look into further. For example, consider “writing”!

Writing
There are many types of writing to consider. These include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, news articles, help articles (this article), short stories, novels, plays, movie scripts, biographies, autobiographies and many more. If you are not sure what some of these are, or would like examples, look them up on an online dictionary, such as Dictionary.Com. If you want to discover still other types of writing, use a search engine with key words such as “writing, type” or “writing, type, author”; similar searches may be done for types of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, etc.

Try creating some of these types of writing yourself. For example, write a poem, short story or news article and proof read it. Make sure it says exactly what you want it to say. Then, and very importantly, have someone else read it. All writing must be for consumption by somebody; you want people to read your work. However, then you must be able to take the criticism. In fact, if you and your work cannot withstand criticism, writing might not be for you at all. Other people will and must critique your work; this true in many disciplines but particularly true in writing.

Fiction
From the above suggestions, you may have found that you are better at, and enjoy, making up stories more than describing actual events. (Or maybe vice versa, you are better at, and enjoy describing actual events more than making up stories!) Now, you are on your way toward seriously considering a particular discipline as a career. Once you have decided, then you are ready to seriously look at finding The Best School For You!

Thank you for reading!

Starting this week, we will periodically pick specific disciplines or fields of study and ask some probing questions to help you decide on a career. Then, you will be in a much better position to choose The Best School For You! For example, if you believe “aviation” is what you want to pursue, put “aviation” and “degree” in a search engine as keywords. You will get many websites listing tens or hundreds of schools in the U.S. and thousands worldwide; an example is BestAviation.Net, which lists 2,513 aviation schools around the globe. And some sites will even aid in comparing different schools. As we have suggested in earlier articles, talk to trusted and respected relatives and friends about their suggestions; then, look at a particular school in more depth.

Other keyword examples might include: aviation and college; aeronautical and university; flight and education. For electrical engineering you could try: electrical and engineering; electrical and degree; etc. Remember, with most search engines if you want to search for a two word phrase (or more words), put quotes around the phrase, such as “electrical engineering” or “aeronautical university.”

Aviation?
If you are considering an education to be a pilot, here are some questions for you. Are you intrigued by anything that flies? Do you like or enjoy driving cars, trucks or motorcycles? Piloting an airplane, helicopter or glider is really the ultimate in manipulating a vehicle and involves much hand/eye coordination. Do you thoroughly enjoy video games? Do you like math, especially mental arithmetic? You do not have to excel at calculus; but you do need to make fast and accurate estimations; for example, in a car moving at 50 mph how far will you go in two hours (100 miles), how much fuel will you use in those two hours while consuming 10 gallons per hour (20 gallons) and when will you get to your destination if it is 600 miles away, you stop for an hour to eat supper and you left at noontime (1:00 AM).

Physical fitness is important. But uncorrected 20/20 vision is only required by the military. The best school for you will probably require a physical examination before entering any aeronautical degree program requiring flight training.

Electrical Engineering?
If considering an education in electricity, are you good at math? Have you taken both calculus and chemistry in high school? Did you excel at either or both? More importantly, did you enjoy either or both? Are you fascinated by the huge variety of appliances, gadgets, gizmos and electronics, which use electricity? Are you computer literate and really enjoy computers? Have you ever built or taken apart a computer or a radio? Did you try to understand why it did not work after you put it back together?

If you answered “yes” to all of these inquiries, pursuing a career in electrical engineering may be perfect for you. But you might also consider a computer science degree, or a major in electrical engineering with a minor in computer science.

Business?
If you are very well organized, enjoy math, tend to enjoy keeping accurate records of both your activities and your money, business may be for you. But do you also enjoy meeting new people? Can you relate to a variety of personality types? Have you ever been cheated out of some money? If so, did you get mad or just “chalk it up” to experience? Do you enjoy seeing others be successful, or is life all about you being successful? Do you work well with others? Do you mind working long hours if you have a reasonable expectation of making an excellent income five or ten years in the future?

Again, if you answered “yes” to most of these questions, a business school may be the best school for you!

Thank you for reading! See you next week, when we will address additional questions about other disciplines and fields of study.

If you are very interested in one, two or three schools and cannot decide which one to attend, why not talk to someone who has already graduated? With four or more years of experience, many alumni will already be registered as alumni and will have supplied much contact and other information about their current employment.

Review the school’s website for alumni. Usually, a prominent link will be found on the home page. If not, use the site’s “search” function with key words describing those former students with the major you are considering; for example, “alumni, bachelor, electrical, engineering” or “alumni, associate, geology, science.” Also, you might find alumni from the school through Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter; then search for alumni having the particular major you are considering.

To save you some time, our Internet research did not discover any directory of all alumni associations in any given state, nation or country. Most searches resulted in alumni pages or alumni associations, but only for a particular school. However, these web pages did have a wealth of information about graduates, as well as the usual mass of accompanying advertisements and links to associated web pages on the school’s website. We also discovered many sites and advertisement for companies offering to setup alumni web pages for high schools, colleges and universities.

Therefore, search the alumni pages, or alumni association pages, for the school you are interested in attending. Look for names, addresses and contact information from a few recent graduates (3 or 4), a few graduates that have been working in their fields for a two to five years (2 or 3) and then some (1 or 2) alumni who gradated eight to twelve years go. You may not be able to contact all of them; but it won’t hurt to try. After identifying yourself as someone seriously considering enrolling in XYZ University, here are some suggestions for pertinent questions:

• How well did the University prepare you for your current employment?
• Did the University help you find employment before and after graduation?
• Did many of your fellow employees also graduate from XYZ University? If not, what are some of the schools they attended?
• Do you plan on staying with your present employer?
• Do you plan on staying in your current discipline?
• What level of compensation can I expect right after graduation? How about two years later? Five years later?
• What course or courses taken at XYZ University were most helpful in your transition from college to your present employment?

Be sure to thank them for their time and wish them well in their future career.

Now you have some first hand idea about where you could be going and what you could be experiencing after graduation. That may be invaluable information, in some cases even a game-changer, in determining your college and career aspirations.

Thank you for reading!

Those You Know
Do not ignore relatives, friends, acquaintances, work colleagues, neighbors or anyone else you know who is currently employed in a field of interest, even a casual field of interest. They may inspire you to investigate their chosen career field further; or, they may provide you with ideas about a related field.

Other Courses of Action
So you cannot think any other relatives, friends, acquaintances, work colleagues, neighbors or anyone else you know. Then, your next step is to find people you do not know, but people already employed in careers you are considering. Start with those in your community. Retired airline pilots, carpenter, artists, plumbers, astronomers, pastors (although they should be rare), teachers, etc. Use the phone book, both white and yellow pages, to come up with names and people to call. Also, query those you do know about people they know in these fields.

Be polite, ask if they have a few minutes to talk and that you are thinking about becoming a …; and be specific. Do not say, “I’m thinking about carpentry.” Rather, say “I’m thinking about becoming a finish carpenter, who builds kitchen cabinets.” Do not say, “I’m thinking about becoming a pilot.” Rather say, “I’m thinking about becoming a pilot for a Part 121 carrier, specifically United Airlines.” Do not say, “I am thinking about nursing.” Rather say, “I’m thinking about becoming a cardiac nurse.” The idea is to express a keen interest in exactly what they are doing as a professional. Your interest in them as a person, as well as them as a particular professional, will inspire them to give you much more information and in some cases guidance toward that profession. Almost always, they will have a story to tell about how they got to their present status in the profession. Listen carefully and ask questions, such as “How did you first get interested in …” and “How did you get started?” and “What do you believe is the future of …?” And show some enthusiasm for the professions, even if you have little and are simply inquiring about a possible career field. If they are a true professional, they will be enthusiastic, energetic and have plenty of ideas for aspiring young professionals.

Do you have any small, large or community colleges in your city or town? Visit their Admissions Departments. Even if they do not have a major or even courses of interest, they may be able to give you some ideas. Look over the faculty and their backgrounds, possibly from the institution’s website. When you find someone with knowledge or expertise in a field or related field that may interest you, call or visit them, again being aware they may be busy at the time. Often faculty members are retired from specific professions and may have a wealth of information and guidance for young people; after all, that’s now their chosen profession – working with young people!

Don’t Give Up!
Use your ingenuity. Speak to people who, you believe, have more ingenuity than you do. Looking for a career, just like looking for a job of any kind, should be viewed as a full-time commitment or a full-time job in itself. There is something out there just for you. And there are people ready, willing, able and enthusiastic about helping you to become a laborer, worker, supervisor, administrator, expert or professional in that field. Often, all you have to do is find the right person and ask questions. By being polite, assertive and enthusiastic, people will respond! Now go for it! It’s an exciting world out there!

Thank you for reading!

One of the very first steps in determining the best school for you is choosing a major to match your interests, aspirations and goals in life. Should you choose a hobby, a singular intense interest, a special talent your possess, or your parents’ or other relatives’ chosen source of income? Or, maybe you should choose none of these; for you really don’ know. Well, here are some guidance, directions and ideas to think about.

Choosing The Obvious
A hobby, interest, talent or a relative’s chosen source of income may be a fine choice. However, think long-term. Do you really want to pursue a hobby you now simply enjoy doing? Are there facets of the hobby you really detest? For example, you build model airplanes, but have always been deathly afraid of heights. You love skateboarding, but a friend of yours was seriously hurt (or even killed) in a freak accident while skateboarding. You love to help mom in the kitchen, but working with you hands is not your favorite pastime.

You have always had an interest in a number of areas, but are not sure you really want to pursue them as a career. Ask yourself, “Do I want to learn more about …? Do I want to learn almost everything about …?” Regardless of the interest you pursue, there will often be aspects of it you would rather not pursue. However, that is part of becoming a professional or an expert. That is often why doctor’s specialize in a certain anatomy. It is why scientists specialize. It is why policemen or policewomen become detectives or administrators. It is why trained pilots become air traffic controllers or center controllers or one of many other aviation related fields. Do not think that just because you choose a particular major that you have to be an medical doctor, a police officer, a nuclear scientists, a pilot or some other stereotype profession. No education is ever a waist of time. Choose a major, but do not feel locked into a particular employment job. There are almost always many related fields, which you may eventually choose as a career.

You are a talented pianist and thoroughly enjoy playing. However, being forced to practice for hours each day is a major turn off! You have a talent for drawing images of people and animals; but doing it for a living would cause you to soon get burnt out, mentally if not physically. Just because you are talented in a certain area does not mean you have to choose that area as a career or even a major in college.

What about your parents’ chosen source of income or profession? Responsible parents will allow their son or daughter to make that decision. Eventually, you have to make your own choices in life; and this is one of the first and a big one. Can you envision taking over your mom’s or dad’s business? Would you want to do that? Is there a passion or any interest? If the answer to all of these is “no,” look elsewhere. If some are “yes,” consider it carefully.

Choosing The Not So Obvious
Study, investigate, research and read about a wide variety of disciplines. High school students who do this will often discover a hidden interest, or even an earlier talent used in a forgotten past hobby, which now could be pursued as a possible vocation. Search engines on the Internet are a wonderful tool. Be careful of the sources of your information; however, there is a wealth of data, facts, statistics, research findings, etc. on just about any subject.

What do you do in your free time? Who do you admire or aspire to be like? Have you ever been fascinated by how something works, how an airplane flies, why a star twinkles, why dogs bark, how a digital camera works or why a baby smiles or cries? Think of other similar questions and investigate or research the answers.

You Really Don’t Know!
And if you have not done so already, read, read and read some more. Too many high school students do not read enough. If eyesight, problems concentrating, self-imposed or parent-imposed time constraints or limited physical or financial resources are inhibiting your opportunities to read, find a way to overcome or address them. Do so with your parents, relatives, teachers, doctors or others. Choosing the unknown discipline for a college major may seem a daunting task. But embrace the challenge with all your might, resources and ingenuity. And don’t give up! The effort will be well worth it!

Thank you for reading!

Analysis of the Wrong Reasons
Quite naturally, parents want the best for their children. However, for some parents factors adverse to the best interest of the child may be present. One of these is pride. One or both parents, or other relatives, may have gone to college and secured an excellent career as a consummate professional. However, securing one of the many scholarships for high school seniors and convincing or even forcing a child to attend college, just because a relative wants be able to say, “Johnny went to …” or “Mary is attending …” could be one the greatest disservices a parent could provide for their child. Addressing parents for a minute, “Does your child want to learn? Does he or she hate school? Is there a long-standing predisposition against education? Does your child have a learning disability? (Actually, this is rare.) Does your child have a passion for something, anything?” Parents must capitalize on the answers to these questions and not depend on convincing the child, or debating the pros and cons of pursuing higher education.

“All my bothers and sisters (or my bother or sister) went to college, so I must go also.” This is another wrong reason. Other than identical twins, everyone is unique. A brother or sister may not even have similar interests, talents or natural abilities. Parents should encourage children to explore the possibility of pursuing further education beyond high school, but not demand it.

Materialism, or seeking the highest paying job, is often a motivation to attend college. And it is true that college graduates average a much higher income than those with only a high school diploma. It is also true that a bachelor’s or master’s degree today is often a minimum requirement for many employers; whereas a high school diploma was often the minimum requirement forty or fifty years ago. However, money alone is a poor reason for attending a college or university. And students with that sole motivation, along with students whose parents pay all college expenses, seldom excel or find the “job of their dreams” – because there actually is no dream and often no passion to achieve. The disappointments and frustration of becoming a “college dropout” can be temporarily devastating for both the student and the parents.

The Right Reasons
One key here is “passion.” Others are natural talents, keen and ever present interests, something I always wanted to try, wonderment about “what would it be like to…,” the sincere comment “Dad (or Mon), I want to be just like you!”, lifelong hobbies, aspirations to be a … or something Johnny or Mary spends an inordinate amount of time doing or pursuing.

Parents, watch your child carefully and note their fears and their joys. Do they love to be around people, or do they prefer to be by themselves? (Either could also be a key; and neither is necessarily bad.) Do they excel in school at any of the basics – reading, writing or arithmetic? Query your child’s teachers about this and anything else they may notice about your child’s intense interests, not matter how bizarre or unconventional they may be.

Finally, sit down and talk with one of the high school guidance counselors. Do this with the child present and without the child. If the guidance counselor does not know the child, or is having problems communicating with him or her, have the counselor visit your child’s individual teachers. Guidance counselors are often very insightful and intuitively may come up with some excellent suggestions; for that is their field of expertise!

Is College Right For Me?
For both parents and the student, the above considerations will often provide the answer. However, if this question still lingers, consider the following. Ask, “Someday, do I want to marry and have children? Do I want to be doing manual labor all my life? Do I have a passion, or even intensely enjoy, simply driving a car or a truck? (There are professional drivers of both, who are true professionals and are paid very well!) What do I enjoy doing more than anything else in life?”

If none of the above inspires any motivation to attend college, then I hope you (or as a parent your child), pursues a God-given talent, even if there is no passion or interest. Otherwise, a wide variety of miscellaneous manual jobs, and none for more than six months to two years, are very likely to be an accurate description of their future. And any hopes of successfully entering into marriage and raising a family may never be realized.

A college education is an insurance policy for the future! By whatever means, and college is probably and usually the best, learn and never stop learning. Life is too short to do anything less!

Thank you for reading!

There is a wealth of information available. But where do you start? The Best School For You has done some extensive research to locate some of the best sources of information on the Internet. Start with the section most pertinent to your current questions, but read through all of them. It will give you a broad overview of both the most important information and where to find it.

Listings and Statistics
CollegeStats.Org list colleges and universities by cost, size and demographics as well as by “specialty” – Historically Black, Christian, Catholic or Jewish – and “online” schools. Demographics include institutions with the highest percentages of men, women and minorities. Additionally, schools can be listed by state or by degree subject or type or by choosing campus & online, online or traditional campus. There is also a choice of listing accredited online colleges in a number of categories. The site is very well organized and easily navigated. However, most of the information is from 2007; so be aware that you need to go to the individual college websites, or some of the websites below, for more current information.

Excellent Overview with Useful Links
College Education Cost provides an excellent overview article along with numerous links for college education resources to help you make an informed choice in financing your education. These include such subjects as the average cost of a college education to financial aid award letters to comparing associate’s degrees with bachelor’s degrees to determining if a college degree is worth the cost and many more. In addition the website features an explanation of state-by-state college savings plans, including a description of the tax benefits of “State 529 College Savings Plans,” plan providers, qualified expenses and contribution limits.

Additionally, this website gives specific guidance on financing an education in business, health and nursing, online degrees (including online PhDs) and online colleges in general.

What Were College Costs 12 Years Ago?
This website, titled “Archived Information,” provides an excellent reference for the cost of education for the 1998/1999 school year. By comparing the graphs, charts, tables and other statistics from this period to those charged by your chosen or prospective school, you will have an excellent understanding of how much the cost of a college education has increased over the past 11 or 12 years. Additionally, categories of typical college expenses and a dissertation on tuition costs at public and private colleges provide you with additional useful background information. The site also includes a chart allowing you to determine how much you need to save each month to have $10,000 saved by the time your child begins college.

What Services and Loans Can Banks Provide?
This page of Charter One’s website on “Education Cost” provides an excellent overview of college education costs and financial aid information. Links to numerous student services provided by the banking industry are also included. A student loan specialist is also available through an 800 number. Be advised that other banks may provide similar services; so also check with banks you may already be doing business with and may prefer.

Current Useful Links and Guidance
This Financing For College website stood out by its simple but well designed and easily navigated format. The home page includes a well-written article providing a useful overview of financing options. The website also includes a listing of ten recommended college and university resources and a “contact section” for questions or comments.

A Global Perspective
Although published about 18 months ago (May 2010), Financing Higher Education Worldwide, subtitled “Who Pays? Who Should Pay?,” provides an excellent perspective as financial responsibility for higher education is shifting from governments and taxpayers to individual students and/or their families. Public revenue streams to support higher education are drying up around the U.S. and many other countries. Thus, today students are carrying a greater share of the cost of their higher education degrees. This book provides a comparative approach as different countries face the challenges of cost sharing. Click here for more information and ordering details from Amazon.Com.

Thank you for reading! If this information and the listed Internet resources were helpful, please let us know. Your comments and questions are most appreciated.

Family Pressures
Quite naturally parents and other relatives want the very best for you. And if they have a college education and have realized the significant advantages of obtaining an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees, then they may expect you to do so as well. And the same could be said for a close uncle, aunt, cousin or grandparent. Additionally, you may and should have great respect for that special relative, or relatives, and do not want to violate that respect.

Then there are college students who have always wanted to follow in the steps of a parent or other relative. A good friend of mine once said, “Dad is a pilot; he taught me to fly; and I have always wanted to fly.” That was 25 years ago and today he is a senior captain for United Airlines. However, he had two very significant advantages: his passion for flying and his relationship with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Regardless of your passion, nothing should be able to stop you from attaining your aspirations with both your passion and the Lord working together!

Taking Advantage of Natural Talents, Abilities or Passions
If you have natural talents, abilities or passions for a particular field of work, seriously consider enrollment in a school specializing in that field. Recognize that there are others who have had similar, maybe even identical, passions; and you can learn much from them. And very often they have become teachers, or have significant experience in that field, and now have a passion to pass their knowledge on to others. A college or university can provide you a great boost toward your chosen career; but unless you are extremely talented (e.g. a child prodigy), lucky (a term I use reluctantly as a Christian) or both, you still will have to work very hard to attain your aspirations.

Its Your Life!
Whether you want to study how to become a gunsmith, chef, journalist, pilot or something else, think carefully about your chosen career field. But once you have consulted with relatives, friends, high school counselors and teachers, people in that career field and college faculty and students at your chosen institution, it time to make a definitive decision. Make it boldly and put all your effort into pursuing that degree and career. As I have told many college students pursuing a flying career, “If you want it badly enough, you will attain it. But Part 121 carriers (major carriers like United Airlines, Delta Airlines and American Airlines and the U.S. military), only take the ‘best of the best’.” Today there are many pilots flying for Part 121 carriers, and many international foreign carrier pilots, that were my students in one capacity or another; and some of them I actually taught how to fly! For this former college instructor, there is no more rewarding experience than meeting one of these consummate professionals, whom I had the privilege of training many years ago.

Thank you for reading!

Having provided you with guidance on Web resources, reading and studying college websites and evaluating student online reviews of colleges or universities, we are now going to turn to guidance on actually visiting a traditional college or university campus. Even if you plan on attending one of the top online universities such as the University of Phoenix Online, you will benefit from actually visiting their traditional campus or one of their traditional campuses.

Preparation Before Arriving On Campus
Usually the Admissions Department (or a department with a similar name) will be your main source of information. Study their emails and mailed hardcopy materials carefully. Note any questions you may have directly on the brochures or mailings; or respond directly by replying to emails. You will often be directed to the institution’s website, so be very familiar with that website, especially the pages dealing with your selected internal school or college and those dealing with extra curricular activities you may be participating in when you start attending. (See my article no. 03 on ” Reading and Studying College Websites.”)

Also, learn something about the community where the institution is located. You may want to visit the downtown area, investigate local recreational facilities (e.g. a YMCA), churches or other businesses or points of interest.

What To Expect
Usually, the Admissions Department hires and trains students to provide prospective students with a tour of the campus. The busiest time of the year is early to mid summer before the next academic school year begins. However, tours can be done at any time of year. To increase your chances of having a personal tour of the campus, just with you and your parents or other close relatives or friends, let the Admissions Department know you will be arriving early in the day on a weekday; then if your trip to the campus is during the fall, winter or spring, you will probably obtain a personal guided tour!

If the weather is nice, expect to be traveling in an electric golf cart, open SUV or even a convertible vehicle. For poor weather, you will be riding in a closed Admissions vehicle. They will make every attempt to accommodate you and your relatives or friends, especially if they or you need extra assistance walking around the campus.

Who to See Most Importantly
After you have seen the campus highlights and have a good overview of the size of the campus, including the location of your classes, dormitory (if living on campus), the library and the student union (This may go by a different name; but each college one place where students frequently meet and socialize, usually where their are restaurants or food vendors.), make special note of the location of your chosen internal school or college. Make plans to return there after the campus tour is complete.

Most importantly, talk to students and faculty members within that school or college. Tell them you are going to be, or are seriously considering, attending in the near future and would like to know what to expect. Also ask students how they like the school, their instructors and their classes. If you know you are going to be participating in specific activities or sports, ask if they also are involved with those.

Finally, leave a little time to talk with your accompanying parents, relative or friends to get their impressions of the institution; this should not be just casual conversation, but meaningful impressions of the campus, the facilities, the faculty and the students. By putting all of their thoughts together with your own, you will have taken many of the steps necessary to determine if this college or university really is the best school for you!

All comments and questions are welcome and encouraged. Thank you for reading!