How Not to Get Mugged

I may be a little too careful. But better safe than sorry. I read up on  crime statistics on campuses, and realized that like any place, campuses are little cities- some not so little. And like cities, there are good parts of town, and there are bad parts of town. As a newcomer, I wouldn't know which was which. I heard of horror stories of a famous university, where its immediate environs is crime infested. Needless to say, I'm sure my parents have already done some research of their own on crime statistics, I don't want to compare notes with them. What I propose is that we discuss the first campus visit will be to an urban school, with a reputation that may not be so good. We need to be there and actually see the place. We want to talk to people on campus, like students, teachers, and staff about their daily experiences. I know I will play even more attention to the staff, because they are likely to know the town better than the students, and they will have more candid opinions. Now we have to make the decision: when will we visit the campus in order to see as much as possible, and talk to the widest variety of the campus community. I need to know where the safe parts of town are, and where the dicey parts are.

Meet The Locals

Unlike many prospective college freshmen, I'm actually remembering that I will live in a town as well as in a dorm. My life is not going to be in a bubble made up of the school, the dorm, and sports. I actually will leave campus, which means I want to know what the town is like, and get a sense of the people. I have always heard about town and gown rivalries, where sometimes the locals hate the scholars, and the scholars hate the locals. I want to fit in, and be perceived as me, not just some kid at a university. And who knows, maybe I'll meet the woman of my dreams, and settle in that town. But of course, more immediately, where are the pizza places, other cheap eats, good bookstores, and sports bars? This is what a college student will need for at least the next four years. So, with that in mind, I asked for some brochures from the local visitors' bureau, and highlighted all the places the towns featured. Now I got smart. I went to the college website, and found email addresses of students. Basically, I emailed them, and asked them about their honest opinion of the college and town, because I didn't want the hype from the visitor's bureau to be my only source of information. This is painstaking research I know, as I reach for another slice of pizza, but it is absolutely essential, because I will live in the town too.

Seasonal and Regional Adjustments

This category really has two different areas. The first for out of town colleges, is to get a good sense of how the weather will be during the school months. For example, will I need to get an entire new winter wardrobe, or do I need to buy more beachwear? Related to that, if I plan to stay at that college during breaks, will there be jobs to help sustain me? What about housing, are the dorms closed during breaks? Sometimes colleges close dorms during major breaks. I need to know this in order to better evaluate different out of town colleges. Those that make it easier for me to stay, will take preference to those that make it hard to make seasonal adjustments. Even for colleges near home, but this will apply for both, what about internships, and year-abroad possibilities? Those that facilitate these between breaks, educational opportunities will go to the head of the list because they will allow me to either explore my major more fully through the internship especially, or to perhaps make a change in my study plans through my exposure in a college experience abroad. In the case of the latter, this could include a language immersion that would support my major. These seasonal and regional adjustments are too often overlooked, usually overlooked to one's chagrin.

The First Visit

How to select the first college that I will visit? What pre-information do I need to schedule the visit at the right time? I want to arrive at a college at perhaps its most normal week. It can't be a time when some special event is occurring at the college, or its surrounding town. I want to avoid both crowds, and an overly positive picture of the college. I want to see it for what it normally looks like. Visiting at homecoming, or alumni week, will make the college appear like a scene from a movie. It would all appear too glamorous, and a little too pretty. I want to see the college when a typical student sees it, when it's not too fancy, when alumni are not visiting in droves, and when the college is not putting its best face forward. This will give me the sense of whether I really like the place, and the people. After all, most colleges look great during homecoming. I also need to be practical. I need to be able to get hotel rooms for my parents and me, when we visit. If we pick the busy season, that in itself, will be a hassle. So selecting the time to visit is critical. One way to arrive at that decision is to visit the college's website, and take a look at upcoming events. The less events that are scheduled in a particular, will be the best indication that it is time for me to visit.

Thinking it Through

Before I can decide on a major, a college, or my future life, I need to take a hard look at what I really enjoy, what I can't live without, and what I can't live with. Some of this is high level, and some of it isn't. Do I enjoy making long trips from college to visit family? Do I really enjoy washing my own clothes, preparing my own meals? Or do I like to linger at home a little longer. There are no easy answers, and the are pros and cons to each decision. Living independently is a big step, but am I really an adult at age eighteen? Perhaps it would be advantageous not to subject myself to too many choices, and decisions so early in my life. School is hard enough, without trying to be an adult about it. I need to portion out time for fun, time for study, and even time to have a part-time job to earn some money. Of course, I don't need to make these decisions immediately. That is part of thinking it through. So my first job, is to develop a checklist of those things that I consider essentials, and those qualities that I value, and perhaps break them down into two categories. Colleges near home where I could still live near my parents, and colleges not near home where I would have to live independently. If more of those qualities that I find essential can fit only in the colleges near home category, that would be an easy choice to make. I think.

Scoping Out a Major

It's not too early for me to think of what my college major will be. After all, I need to make sure that I am on track with my high school credits, especially in math, english, and science. For all three, I need to be able to have under my belt the highest level offered. This will ensure that I don't have to take any repeats in college in order to qualify for courses. So now, my job is to both look forward, and look backwards at the same time. I'll explain. Forward by checking prerequisites for courses I can expect to take for my major, and of course I need to think that I will be in a pre-major situation for my first year. But everything goes in sequence. If I go "light" on my pre-major, I will probably have to take extra classes, and won't graduate on time. And now backwards. I need to say where I am at present to plan my senior year, and select those courses that will allow me to start my freshman year at the next level up. Each step will be the natural progression. I won't need to make my life more complicated if i stick to a schedule where I pick a course that has a prerequisite of the one I'm taking, and serves as a prerequisite to the next one that I will need to take.