Transcript:

I’m here on the campus of Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida and behind me, you can see the Performing Arts Center. This is where one of the three presidential debates in 2012 between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney was held. But it’s really the Performing Arts Center for a music conservatory here at Lynn. It’s a smaller program but it is highly renowned. It’s primarily international students, kids come from all over the world to study music here. And, bonus, it’s free.

So if you get in, you don’t pay tuition. And if you still need more money because you have a financial need. Then scholarships might be available to help pay for the cost of room and board. So if you’re looking for a music conservatory. There are not many better deals in the country than the Lynn University Conservatory.

The post Lynn University’s Free Music Conservatory first appeared on Great College Advice.

TRANSCRIPT:

So I’m on the campus of Stetson University here in DeLand, Florida, central Florida. Not too far, about an hour or so, from Orlando. Took a tour today. It was interesting, I asked about fraternities and sororities. As we were going down Sorority Row and I was asking, “Well, how does it work here?” And it’s definitely something that you should think about. If you’re interested in Greek life or not, you should understand that extent, or the organization of the Greek life system at every college. So definitely ask those questions.

Questions about Greek Life

So what did I ask? First I asked, “So how many students, or what percentage or students, are involved in Greek life here?” And I got a couple of different answers. I think the official statistic is about 30%. But then I talked to the student guide and she said “Oh, no, that’s not true; it’s really more like 60%.”

Okay, well, that’s a big difference because if you’ve got 60% of the students are that 40% is not. Then you’re going to have a different experience than if it’s the other way around. Because if you’re deciding you don’t want to be part of that system. You just have to know which side of the balance, does the tail wag the dog or not? So you have to understand that, and you have to get at the bottom of that statistical difference.

Recruitment System

The other thing that she mentioned was that here at Stetson, the rush system. They call it recruitment, they don’t call it rush anymore because that’s politically incorrect and sounds like hazing. But recruitment begins in the fall of the very first semester when you arrive. So as a freshman, you’re eligible to rush or be recruited, by a fraternity or sorority.

So most of the students, because they’re desperate to make friends, are going to jump right into that system. Versus a school, and we were just at Rollins a little while ago, rush or recruitment doesn’t happen until the second semester of the freshman year. Some colleges delay it even until the sophomore year, so you can’t even become a member until your second year. That makes a difference because it’s the pressure.

The social pressure that you may feel when you arrive on campus. To jump into the fraternity or sorority system without really knowing whether that’s something you really want to do. And the other thing is that on a small college campus like this, it’s interesting. There are some colleges that just don’t have any fraternities and sororities. But in a small college like this, like Stetson, it’s a relatively large percentage.

When the good thing about going to a small college is that it’s easier to meet people anyway, without having to divide up into these social groups.

Do You Want to be Part of it?

So as you’re thinking about which colleges to apply to, you need to think about Greek life, you need to think about what it means to you and are you sure you want to be a part of it? If you’re absolutely sure, great. Think about how it’s structured and when the recruitment process begins.

If you’re not interested in it at all, you do want to know how many students, and is it 30%, is it 60%, get to the bottom of that statistic before you sign up and pay your tuition. It’s an important aspect of any campus’s social life. Whether it exists or it doesn’t exist, know what you want and then ask the questions of the people that you meet on the campus.

The post At Stetson: Is Greek Life for You? first appeared on Great College Advice.

TRANSCRIPT:
So here today I’m on the campus of Rollins College, it’s in Winter Park, Florida, not too far from Orlando, big city. And it’s a beautiful campus, kind of Mediterranean style, and really nice buildings, architecturally harmonious, we might say. And the location is great because not only is it warm, although it’s January right now, it’s a little nippy, sunny and beautiful but a little nippy, and it’s got the best of both worlds: it’s a smallish town, Winter Park is an older town in Florida that’s been around for a long time, but then you’ve got Orlando with Disney and Universal and all the attractions of a big city. So it’s kind of a nice combination being in a more suburban or residential area of a very large city.

So a great place to come if you’re looking for the place where you can wear your flip flops every day and enjoy the Florida sunshine. The other thing that’s really beautiful about this campus is that they are on this lake, Lake Virginia, so you’ve got a big waterfront down here that is absolutely gorgeous. So there’s a reason why Princeton Review recently called this the number 1 most beautiful college campus in America.

The post Rollins College: A Beautiful Campus first appeared on Great College Advice.

We learn everything about you so that we can understand what you are looking for in a college. Like tailors, we measure you up. We figure your preferences, your priorities, your personal style. We help you consider the environments that might suit you best–especially the classroom environment, for it is in the classroom, after all, where you get the greatest value from your education. We give you some questionnaires and surveys and personality assessments and aptitude tests. We help you be better able to articulate your strengths and weaknesses, your likes and dislikes, your hope and dreams, so that you can more systematically try on different colleges for size. We make the process efficient.

By the same token, we have to learn a lot about the colleges, so we can quickly and efficiently (and correctly) identify a short list of colleges that fit you. We spend a lot of time on the road investigating campuses, snooping around classrooms, talking to librarians, chatting up the faculty, and asking students about their experiences. We take the tours and listen to the information sessions so we can get a better idea of what sets each school apart, and to learn what they seek in their applicants. Sometimes we also call admissions offices or coaches or financial aid officers directly, to be sure that we understand the processes and procedures, and so that we can effectively share this information with our students and their families.

Your Personal Shopper for the Best College Fit

We get to know you.

We get to know the colleges.

So we can help you find the right fit.

In this sense, we are, indeed, personal shoppers. Just as you must try on jeans or sweatshirts or t-shirts, you have to try on different colleges to see how they look on you. Of course, choosing a college is a bit more complex. And it’s certainly a service that is much more costly than even the most expensive pair of designer shoes. But the same principles apply. You need to know what you want. You need to understand what is available. And you need to make choices that reflect your knowledge of yourself and the colleges.

How do you think these look on me? Do they fit?

Lewis & Clark	Wheaton College
Manhattan College	Stanford University
Emory University	Haverford College
Muhlenberg College	University of Delaware
Lehigh University	Lynn University
University of Central Florida	University of Miami
Eckerd College	Fordham University
Saving the best for last…. Macalester College

For the Best College Fit, Try It On!

You see, what looks good on the rack, may or may not look good on a particular person. What looks good on one individual may look awful on another.

You are picking the college for you. You need to think carefully about what you want or need. A little more room in the waist? Something that shows off your best features? Or how about something in aqua?

Seriously, it’s not easy to pick the right college. You need to think carefully about what criteria are important to you, and then you need to systematically search for those colleges that fit those criteria. It’s not an easy process, with over 3,000 colleges in the United States (that’s a lot of sweatshirts to try on).

So consider getting a “personal shopper” as you go through the process. The investment will be well worth it.

After all, you wouldn’t want to spend $250,000 for that little pink number, now would you?

Mark Montgomery
Great College Advice
720.279.7577

The post College Fit: How Does the Shirt Look on Me? first appeared on Great College Advice.