w88 casino games login How to choose a college: Tips for high-achieving students

Feeling wanted and knowing w88 casino games login belong.

In my opinion, these two things are at the heart of deciding which college to attend.

I was chatting with a National Merit Finalist last week when she expressed that she had hit her breaking point of information overload. After receiving hefty amounts of college mail over the last few months she said,“Quentin, the 10 pounds of mail a week is getting excessive and the emails are getting worst. I have never even heard of these schools before. How do they know so much about me? I don’t know what to do.”

My response was simple. “Let’s be real, there is a thin line between being wanted and just being annoyed. Do not fall for the optics of mass produced 'personalized' mailings and emails. Colleges and universities usually do mass-produced mailings and emails to pique your interest. Everybody does it, even us. w88 casino games login can always opt-out. Simply say, ‘Thank w88 casino games login. But, no thank w88 casino games login.’”

But w88 casino games loginareinterested in some of the colleges sending w88 casino games login mail.

w88 casino games login have never gotten less than a B+. For the real ambitious, an A-. w88 casino games login have worked extremely hard busting your tail on every assignment. w88 casino games login have broken every exam bell curve known to humankind. w88 casino games login are actively involved at your school and the greater community w88 casino games login call home. w88 casino games login even managed to score in the top 1% of PSAT test takers, becoming a National Merit Semifinalist. Congrats! And, w88 casino games login are a really nice person that knows how to use the proper their, there, and they’re (a pet peeve of mine). w88 casino games login are a true scholar. w88 casino games login have applied to America’s top universities, according to some college guide. As a side note, I find it very odd that the “top” 20 universities are never public colleges (side-eye emoji) and lack diversity too. I digress, that is a blog article for another day.)

How to decide which college to attend

With a stellar record w88 casino games login have lots of options. So, as w88 casino games login continue to expand your college search, w88 casino games login go through the stack of brochures piling up on your desk.

w88 casino games login ask yourself, “What really matters?”

Location, location, location

I personally hate extreme cold weather, this is why I live in the state of w88 casino. Find a college location that you can call “home” because you will be there for the next four years. But also, find a college environment that gives you a sense of belonging. It may be the sheer size of the school or the many communities within in it, but consider your place within that school.

Scholarship: Show me the money?

No, not that kind of scholarship. I will cover that in second. I am talking about Merriam-Webster’s second definition of scholarship defined as: “the character, qualities, activity, or attainments of a scholar: learning.”

We have established w88 casino games login are intelligent and love learning. Other people know it too, hence the 10 lbs of mail w88 casino games login are receiving each week. When we talk about scholarship, we are talking about something that goes beyond the degree or major. Scholarship is much more.

Does your university provide ample opportunities forundergraduate researchand academic mentorship? Experiences such as these will propel you into new endeavors. Many National Merit Finalists and Presidential Scholars at the w88 casino, Reno are competitive for international fellowships, internships, and academic conferences because of early exposure and experience within their fields of study. A hallmark of scholarship opportunities is the ability to be published. Access to undergraduate publication can be very rare, but at colleges that offer meaningful scholarship opportunities, like the w88 casino, Reno, it is a real possibility.

Show me the money (yes, that kind of scholarship)

In the 21^stcentury, w88 casino games login and your family should not be breaking the bank to attend a Tier One Research University, especially if w88 casino games login are taking challenging high school courses with an amazing grade point average and scoring in the top one percent of test takers. As the national student loan debt sits at 1.6 trillion dollars, more college students are taking a hard look at the realities of taking on college debt. I would argue that no college is worth slowing down your future dreams and personal ambitions because of incredible debt. “A borrower is a slave to the lender,” I learned that from my Jesuit College colleagues.

Do I matter?

That is how I initiated this conversation. Feeling wanted and knowing w88 casino games login belong. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Has an admissions representative reached out to w88 casino games login by email or text? If so, did w88 casino games login receive a generic reply from a chatbot? If it was in fact a chatbot that responded, sounds like it may not be the college for w88 casino games login.
• Have w88 casino games login received an invitation to meet current students and teaching faculty? If yes, it is a good sign. Hearing from current students breeds lots of honesty. And, when a teaching or research faculty member contacts w88 casino games login directly, that is a really big deal. It shows two things. One, the university is interested in learning about w88 casino games login and the new freshman class (your future colleagues). And, two, the teaching faculty is accessible to undergraduate students. If teaching faculty are not accessible to undergraduates students, it is a no-go for me.

I did not cover everything w88 casino games login might be considering but, I hope w88 casino games login have gained some perspective in making this big decision. As we have gone through a global pandemic, I have personally reflected on what truly matters in this world for our applicants, and that is w88 casino games login. w88 casino games login matter, and don’t w88 casino games login forget it. Best of luck with your future endeavors.