Five Things You Need to Know When Selecting a College

SHS alumni returned to Scarsdale High School on Thursday night May 29 to share the inside scoop on the colleges and universities they attend with high school juniors who are now immersed in the process of deciding where to apply. Tables in the cafeteria were set up by school, giving high school juniors the chance to meet with college students to discuss questions they might not feel comfortable asking an admissions officer.

Ultimately, the feedback was great. A lot of the juniors were quite happy to see some old friends who had gone off to college, and the juniors unanimously agreed that this night was interesting and fun. Junior Nicole Stapleton had a lot to say about her student to student night experience: "I thought it was pretty informative. It wasn't heavy on statistics or scores regarding the admissions at each school because we were talking to students and not admissions officers. The information given was more about the student experience at each school. A lot of my friends went as well so it was also interesting to see which schools interested them. It was also really nice in that I got a better idea of student life at each of the schools I am looking at."

There was quite a large selection of colleges at student-to-student night including Tufts, Bucknell, Oberlin, Bowdoin, Vanderbilt, Tulane, University of Wisconsin­Madison, New York University, Georgetown, and SUNY Binghamton. Obviously not every school in the country was represented, but the range of different types of colleges that were represented was large. The majority of the students were extremely satisfied with the variety.

Commenting on the night, Adrienne Travis said, "For me the student to student night went really well. I found it interesting to learn how happy all of the students were at their respective schools and how strongly they advocated for their schools to the juniors. Everyone was willing to answer my questions whether it involved academics, living conditions, or even food. I loved hearing about all of the successes Scarsdale alums have had and how, despite living apart for so long at different schools, when they were all back together in the high school, it was almost as if high school hadn't ended for them. I learned a lot about several schools I was interested in, especially Tufts, where I got the sense that no matter who you are there is a place for you and that you are capable of prospering there."

Though each school is surely unique in its own way, I noticed that the questions people were asking were pretty consistent from table to table. What kinds of things should you know about? What should you be thinking about? For incoming juniors (and possibly sophomores), here is a list of questions (in no particular order) to answer before finalizing your college list:

1. What is the social life at the school? What do people do for fun?
Though your parents may relentlessly remind you that you're going to college to get a higher education and not to "party hearty," learning about the social scene at any given school is extremely important. If you aren't interested in participating in Greek life, why go to a school where students say it's hard to have a social life if you aren't in a fraternity or a sorority?

2. How is the food?
Since I live off of salad and frozen yogurt, this question is important to me. I've visited a couple schools that did not appear to have appetizing food options, which made these schools extremely unappealing to me. If current students agree that campus food is barely edible, then ask a followup question about food options off­campus and find out whether or not you can swipe a meal card at these other places.

3. Is it safe to walk around campus at night?
Living in Scarsdale, I feel pretty safe walking around day or night and know that wherever I go to college I want to feel just as safe. You should never feel scared to go anywhere on campus. Be sure to ask if there is a blue light system (a telephone linked directly to the campus police) on campus. Most colleges have blue light systems, but not all do. By having a blue light system, colleges are showing potential students that they really care about their students' safety. If you know that students feel safe when walking around campus, not only will it help ease your nerves, but it will reassure to your parents as well.

4. How's the weather?
Since I have lived in New York my entire life, sometimes I forget that weather varies by state, and the temperature could have a big effect on your state of mind.

5. How are the dorms?
You should definitely consider the living accommodations at schools on your list.
Are the dorms nice or are they barely livable? When visiting a dorm room see if the room can comfortably hold two or even three students. Ask students who attend the school what a typical dorm room looks like if the ones shown on the tour appear to be staged for the tour.

Contributor Megan Shelton is a junior at Scarsdale High School and loves her honors English class. Megan spends her free time writing, reading, exercising, hanging out with friends, and doing work for the Epilepsy Foundation Club, the American Red Cross Club, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Club.