I’m getting close to ending my junior year, and college has been on my mind more often than not.
Although this question is mostly directed to the US Nameberries, I’d love to hear from anyone. So where did you go to college? Did you enjoy it there? Would you suggest for someone else to go there?
Right now I’m really considering [name]Colorado[/name] State University (in-state college) and [name]Auburn[/name] University, but I’m still doing plenty of research.
Thanks for any and all comments! 
[name]Hi[/name]! Here’s my two cents for you:
I went to UNC-Chapel [name]Hill[/name] for my undergrad and master’s, and I loved it The main reasons I chose it were the in-state tuition and great reputation. I’m lucky that NC has really good state schools, so I didn’t feel the need to go out of state and pay soo much more for the same/lesser quality. Also, Chapel [name]Hill[/name] happens to be a great place to live: close to the beach, mountains, great weather… You can get a good education most anywhere you go, so just make sure you’re going to be somewhere you’d like to be! Yes, the school’s reputation matters somewhat for your resume, but I think most employers just want to know that you got a good education. And you certainly will at either of the schools you’re considering.
My impression is that [name]Colorado[/name] is similar to NC in that the state schools are really good. Also, I’ve been to [name]Fort[/name] [name]Collins[/name] and to me it seems like a fantastic place to live. It’s close to Boulder and [name]Denver[/name], and lots of places to ski, hike, etc. I believe [name]Colorado[/name] has the best quality of life in the US. Honestly, unless you just want to get away (not sure how far your hometown is from Ft. [name]Collins[/name]), I would go with CSU! But if money is absolutely no object and you want to go far away from home for awhile, then [name]Auburn[/name] might be a good choice for you. Either way, I’m sure you’ll make the right decision.
Best of luck to you!
I’m still in high school so I haven’t gone to college yet, but I hope to go to a small private school near home.
hoodie, that’s awesome you went to UNC! I’m from [name]North[/name] [name]Carolina[/name]. I’m a [name]Duke[/name] fan though. 
Hello to a fellow [name]North[/name] Carolinian! But boo hissss to [name]Duke[/name]! [name]Just[/name] kidding, it’s a great school 
I’m from [name]Auburn[/name]-- any questions you have about the university or town I can definitely answer for you.
I went to [name]Texas[/name] [name]Christian[/name] University ([name]Rose[/name] bowl champs!!!) , and I’m going to [name]Columbia[/name] for grad school. Good luck!
Thank you!! I sent you a private message, I can’t wait for a reply
I went to [name]Texas[/name] A&M and loved much of it, however I often felt that it had sort of outgrown itself and I might have been better off at a smaller school. [name]Just[/name] to throw a wrench in your thought process. 
I am currently a junior at [name]Texas[/name] A&M (phoebesmom, its fun to know there are other Ags on here!)
It is quite a large school, but there are many, many organizations to get involved with to avoid being lost in the crowd. I also live in the dorms, and the girls around my room are pretty close with my roommate and me. I chose to go to A&M for a few reasons, one, its in [name]Texas[/name] (my parents didn’t want me to go too far), but it also has an amazing student traditions and great culture. This is probably one of the most friendly colleges in the nation!
Wherever you end up going to school, (I know there are tons of great options besides [name]Texas[/name] A&M ) make sure you get involved with an organization right off the bat, and be all in. I also recommend living in the dorms, especially ones with community bathrooms (they really aren’t bad) because you’ll be able to get to know those around you really well, and dorm life is FUN! No cooking, no cleaning…
Anyways, just some advice
Good luck!
I went to Purdue University and [name]Anderson[/name] University ([name]Indiana[/name]). I really enjoyed both, however I liked [name]Anderson[/name] a bit more. It’s much smaller (even smaller than my high school, but I went to a huge high school) and the professors seemed to care more about my quality of education and really teaching me. The class sizes were much larger at Purdue. One class I had there were about 300 students in (as opposed to a class I had at [name]Anderson[/name] with only four). I really liked Purdue. It was great going to the football games and being in a large state school, but for the quality of my education, I much preferred [name]Anderson[/name].
Good luck in whatever you decide!
I can’t give you any advice, since I’m still a high school sophomore, but this is very helpful! I’ve been putting off thinking about colleges and stuff but I suppose sometime in the next year I’ll have to give it a thought.
Does anyone happen to have any experience on going to college somewhere other than the US? I was thinking of that maybe as a possibility
I studied abroad in [name]England[/name] for 6 months, and it was a fantastic experience. [name]Even[/name] though US and UK share a lot of similarities, it was wonderful to be immersed in another culture. I stayed in the student dorms with a shared kitchen, etc., so I made lots of close friends; I think that’s what really made the experience for me. If you do go to college in the US, I would highly recommend studying abroad at least one semester!
Oh, jeez, I usually don’t share this sort of information online, but [name]Pam[/name] already forced it out of me in my first NB blog. Ha! Anyway, I go to [name]Washington[/name] University in St. [name]Louis[/name]. Well, I’m about done (another semester) there, really, and I’m looking into a long list of graduate schools right now. I love [name]Wash[/name] U. It was the perfect choice for me. But, I’ll be honest and say that it wasn’t my first choice, and even though I did get accepted to my first choice, I definitely made the right decision in turning that offer down. I think it’s all about the feel you get at your college, so you want to visit. You want to visit when there are people around, specifically. I’m not saying you have to go to class or stay over with a student, but do talk to them, even if it’s only to ask for directions - you might be able to get a feel for the place just from that! Good luck!
@irisrose What?! You’re only a sophomore in high school? I’m completely shocked. Okay, then. Well, I’ve got no experience with studying in another country for college. I decided not to study abroad because I used to live abroad and didn’t feel that I needed that again. [name]Even[/name] though I loved it when I lived abroad as a child. Whatever. Study abroad is great for many people, though! About actually attending a university overseas, you might just want to look into the degrees and how they compare. I looked into a graduate program overseas just briefly and the degree was completely different and really wouldn’t compare when I came back to the US - it was like a 2 year program as compared to a standard 5 year program here, which I thought was odd. [name]Just[/name] look into it!
[name]Lemon[/name]
[name]Ah[/name] [name]Lemon[/name]! My brother graduated from [name]Wash[/name] U. last year. He loved it too–but it was a tough decision to make.
I went to a small liberal arts school for undergrad–The College of Wooster which is in Ohio. I loved, flourished and thrived at my undergrad. I now attend the University of South [name]Carolina[/name] for graduate school.
The one thing I have noticed having gone and now teaching college kids is that the biggest decision is the size/kind of community you want. A large school will give you lots of options, events, and groups, but mostly don’t give you a community of friends, professors and other college employees. You also tend to get a more specific education focused on a major rather than core requirements.
I am currently a freshman at Longwood University in [name]Virginia[/name]. It’s known for having the best education program in the state as well as one of the best in the nation. I am a Liberal Studies- Elementary Education major. We have around 5,000 students. I absolutely love it here! Everyone, faculty, staff, and students included, is so nice. It really feels like they care about you. You get a lot of personal attention here, which is really nice. It has a private school feel, but it is a public university. I am from [name]Virginia[/name], and I live only 2.5 hours away from campus. We are known as the Mother of Sororities because 4 were founded here! I love the size and beauty of our campus. You can walk from one end to the other in less than 10 minutes! I can’t even imagine going anywhere else.
I studied abroad in [name]England[/name] for 6 months, and it was a fantastic experience. [name]Even[/name] though US and UK share a lot of similarities, it was wonderful to be immersed in another culture. I stayed in the student dorms with a shared kitchen, etc., so I made lots of close friends; I think that’s what really made the experience for me. If you do go to college in the US, I would highly recommend studying abroad at least one semester![/quote]
I also studied abroad. I did my entire BA degree at the University of [name]Essex[/name] in [name]England[/name]. I absolutely loved my experience there, 3 years. The payment of tuition was definitely “cheaper” then most American schools, however, the cost of living probably made up for it. Good [name]Luck[/name] in your future endeavors
[name]Lemon[/name], I grew up in St. [name]Louis[/name], my parents both teaching at [name]Wash[/name]-U!
I’m not in college yet, but I’ve been accepted at Johns Hopkins, Amherst, Michigan, and [name]Yale[/name]. Michigan would be in state, so that would be good for not only money, but is a great school, but I feel like I can’t pass up [name]Yale[/name]. Johns Hopkins and Amherst too, I really liked. I honestly cannot choose! This doesn’t really help your decision, I’m afraid, but it’s been pretty helpful to me, at least.
You didn’t say what you wanted to study, which will also determine what type of school you want. I went to the University of [name]Arizona[/name] in [name]Tucson[/name], originally because I wanted to major in physics, and ended up getting a double major in Creative Writing and English Lit instead. U of A is a great school, but it’s only for people who want the big school experience. I was scheduled for my grad work at [name]Brown[/name], but decided to get a job in publishing instead…no regrets, though!
Good for you for checking stuff now.
I went to Willamette University, a small liberal arts college in Oregon. Going to a small university worked well for me because I felt it offered plenty of things to do (tons of clubs, activities etc…) while still allowing me great access to my professors and small class sizes. I was able to take on various leadership roles that might not have been as accessible at a larger school. However, I realize that there can also be great advantages to a larger university, and that some people would thrive much better there. I think visiting the universities is a huge help in figuring out how you will like them. As soon as I walked on to Willamette’s campus I felt at home. I thought it was probably just because it was the first school I happened to visit, but no other school left me with the same impression, and ultimately I was very happy with my choice.
I also managed to do summer two internships at other universities (Northwestern and [name]Columbia[/name]) so I was able to get a taste of what it was like to be a part of those communities which was beneficial in the long term I think.
As for studying abroad, I actually did it twice during college. I spent one summer term in Ecuador and one fall term in [name]Sweden[/name]. After working for several years, I am now getting a masters degree in [name]Sweden[/name] (by chance at the same university that I had studied abroad at in college!). I had considered getting my BA overseas, but I am glad I chose to stay in the US for that part of my education.
Best of luck to everyone going through these tough decisions. I think there are probably lots of ‘right’ choices so although it is an important decision, try not to stress too much!
I’m just a high school sophmore (almost!) so I’m not that educated about colleges, ect. My older sister is almost nineteen, and she’s been going through applying to colleges. I want to move to the east coast, 3,000 miles away (probably [name]Columbia[/name] or something like that) while my sister wants to go to school in [name]Hawaii[/name]. She hates it here, and is practically pulling her hair out that she can’t get to HPU soon enough. I can’t get to the east coast soon enough! We’re both pretty antsy for college.