University Life
meal plan
What is: a pre-paid account for college meals (e.g. 10 meals a week plus 400 spending dollars, etc.)
minor (as opposed to major)
new student activities
What are: new student orientation, orientation week, other activities specifically designed for new students to get to know each other!
college vs. university vs. trade / vocational school
What is: colleges are usually smaller, universities are usually larger and offer undergraduate and graduate programs and often emphasize research, trade schools generally focus on one set of skills for one certain job
teacher:student ratio
What is: the ratio of teachers to students; important to think about!
location
What is: where a school is geographically! Take note of weather, landscape, and others!
different kinds of post-secondary / college degrees
What are: bachelor's, associate's, technical degree (later: master's, doctorate, professional)
diverse student body
What is: something that's important for getting to know people from all different backgrounds! Usually, colleges will have pretty diverse student bodies!
community college
What is: an institution that generally offers open enrollment (anyone with a high school diploma), can offer as great an post-secondary education as other colleges and universities
lecture vs. discussion
What is: lectures are usually bigger and where a professor talks at you, discussions are usually smaller and much more interactive between you and the teacher (professor or TA)
things to look for when thinking about housing
What are: roommates, rent, proximity to locations (plenty more: laundry, food, etc. what else can you think of?)
things to look for when thinking about what classes to take
things to look for in student organizations
What are: things you're interested in, things that can help you get to the future you want!
where to find scholarships
What is: it depends! It really varies based on school, location, who you are!
TA
What is: teacher's assistant, usually a grad student who will help with grading, answer questions, and have discussion/recitation sections
good time management
What is: finding the right balance for classes, social life, future, self, and anything else you want to balance. This is really important to find, and it's a very unique balance per person!
the best way to study
What is: it depends! It really varies based on: who you are, what you're studying for! Find a study method that works for you!
university resources
What are: health centers, libraries, career centers, academic advisors, and probably many more!
public vs. private college/university
What is: public institutions receive public funding so are generally more affordable and generally have more students; private institutions generally have higher tuition and smaller student bodies
research
What is: independent work outside of classes that you can do with professors to gain extra experience and learn about a field (while doing cool things!)
working while in college
What is: a very common thing! Most universities offer lots of on-campus employment and there could be programs similar to work-study
office hours
What are: specific times that you can meet with professors and ask questions or talk, GO TO THESE!!!
how unique is/will your experience be?
What is: 100% unique! Your experience will be different than every single other person's, so enjoy the ride, and don't feel the need to be comparing yourself to others!
you need perfect grades to get into a good school (true or false?)
What is: FALSE! There is a LOT that goes into a great application, not only grades but also extracurriculars, essays, letters of recommendation, and plenty more!
high school academics vs. college academics