Thinking about College

As you think about going to college, it is important to talk things over with your friends, your family, your teachers, etc. Below you will find a variety of discussion questions that might help you focus your college conversations.

• Are you eager to go to college? In other words are you enthusiastic and committed about college success?
• Are you a dedicated student? Do you feel you have the learning habits, motivation, and skills to be successful in college?
• What is your ideal school? What characteristics, offerings, and/or special learning options are an absolute must? List three to seven “essentials” that any school you select must have.
• What strengths do you have that you feel will help you be successful in college?

Questions for Grades Nine and Ten

• Why is it important to think seriously about college now?
• How are colleges different?
• How is college selection a “discovery” process?
• What do we mean when we say a college must be a good fit?
• Who should be involved as you go through the college selection process?
• Why is college a personal choice?
•  Why is it important to think about your own strengths as a student before you select a college?
• Why is it important to get your family involved in the college selection process?

Questions for Grades Eleven and Twelve

• Discuss the importance of “knowing yourself” as a vital part of the college selection process.
• Explain what people might mean when they talk about a “selective” school.
• Explain what people might mean when they talk about a school’s academic environment.
• Explain why college is more than just attending classes.
• As a small group, can you agree on what it means to find a school that is a “good fit”?
• Why is it important to have college goals?
• Identify the influences that shape a student’s decision to go to a particular school or particular type of school?
• Write three college questions that you feel you should discuss with your parents