The College Coach

 Distance: As stated before for some students this is really important.

Do you want to live on campus? If yes, look at the residential life website. Contact the housing office. Get answers to the following: Do you need to fill out a Housing application? Are you guaranteed housing? Is there a wait list? Are the apartments walking distance to campus or am I going to need transportation (I'm looking at you New York)?

Do you want to drive to school everyday or take public transportation? If yes, will you need a parking permit? How much will it cost you? Do they have a carpool or vanpool service? Does the school have special shuttles to takes you from different part of the campus? Do you qualify for students rate if you take public transportation? Answer to these questions can be found on the website for Residential Life or Parking Services. 

Do you want to move to another part of the state or another state? If you move far away, how often to you want to come home to visit? How much is it going to cost you to come home for all the Holidays? Many students want to experience living in another city or state but are afraid it might be too expensive. Some of your financial aid money follows you to whatever school you wish to attend, some is dependent on you staying in your home state and some is absolutely dependent on your school. There is also the always present SCHOLARSHIPS!!! Like this one: 

Southwest Airlines Education Travel Program

Applications are available for the 10th Annual “Giving Flight to Your Success™/Dándole Alas a Tu Éxito™" ¡Lánzate! Travel Award Program, sponsored by Southwest Airlines and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

Through this national education initiative, Southwest Airlines will award roundtrip airline tickets to undergraduate and graduate students across the country who travel away from home to pursue a higher education and meet the eligibility criteria listed below.

The application deadline is May 15, 2014, 11:59 p.m CDT. 

http://www.hacu.net/hacu/lanzate.asp. 

You started to receive your admission decisions...Congratulations! You are going to college! Now, to figure out where you will actually be attending.

Don't freak out about it! Deciding where to go should be a fun but thought out process. Sometimes distance from home (you want to stay near or go as far away as possible) or cost will allow you to make a quick and pain-free decision but for some this could be a much harder task.

To start off....you are a young adult and colleges will expect you to act as one. If you are over the age of 18, colleges can no longer give information about you to your parents. If you have questions, guess who has to actually pick up the phone and ask them? Yes, you. I know scary! But...don't be! Everyone who works at the college wants you there. Without the students there is no college and during enrollment time (which is now) everyone on campus knows this!  

If talking over the phone is something you dread..thank the internet! Colleges and universities work very hard to try to keep their websites as updated as possible. So, start working on those research skills early!