<p>How can an 18 year old project 4 years into the future when selecting a university? I had the opportunity to talk to a group of college seniors who have outgrown their campuses and wished they had made other choices when they were deciding on a college. They said by junior year they realized they should have chosen other schools and they can’t wait to get out of college. If you consider that junior and senior years are when students are seriously preparing for careers in their majors, shouldn’t those be the best years at a school? One senior told me in hindsight the ideal option would be to take two years at a community college, get all As and tranfer to the best 4 year you can get into. An 18 year old wouldn’t understand that. A 20-21 year old would. How do you guide your 17-18 year old toward the best possible choice?</p>
<p>I don’t know if you can, and there are almost as many possible scenarios as there are students and colleges.</p>
<p>1, A very high proportion of students switch majors after being admitted to college (my college roommate was still dithering into her senior year, having changed her mind twice!). A school that is not too specialized would work best for students who are not absolutely sure that they want to pursue a career in business or engineering.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>community colleges vary in quality. Some will prepare students very well for 4-year colleges, and some may not.</p></li>
<li><p>some students, at 17-18 are afraid of the bg university, or the college far from home. By junior year, the small, cozy LAC may feel socially restrictive, or the offerings limited and being so close to home may be a negative rather than a positive.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Having said that, most students end up being happy with the choices they make at 18.</p>
<p>MrsP, on the other hand, maybe it’s good for students to outgrow their college, just as many outgrow high school. If it’s just a matter of feeling a little stifled, then that’s a good indication that they are ready to move into the next phase of their lives. If it’s a case of wishing to pursue a major which is not available at a specific college, that’s a different problem. In most cases, I think kids benefit from attending colleges with a wide variety of offerings – just in case they change their interests midway.</p>
<p>considering that 18 is the age that some consider appropriate to get married and start making babies- attemping college seems like a pretty short term goal 
my daughter- along with several of her friends- took a year off before college- I encouraged her in this & several of the parents of her peers commented that they wished their kids would think about it.
She only added one choice to the list of schools she applied to senior year, but it was both a reach & the school she ended up receiving her diploma from :)</p>
<p>I’m a bit surprised you found a group of kids who thought they outgrew their college. Most people I’ve met grew more attached to their college as they became upperclassmen, and in fact it seems more common for kids to attend a college somewhat reluctantly because they didn’t get into their first choice and to discover they are in a place they can love after all.</p>
<p>I agree with mikemac and sjmom. While the seniors that my son met this year are ready to graduate, they all leave college feeling very nostalgic. One great solution to any mailaise that should crop up is a semester abroad (if you can afford it). They often do that in their junior year, and it is a nice break.</p>
<p>The community college route is a better idea in CA than most states as far as I’ve seen where kids can then get into UCs easily after 2 years . If the want to go to a top private college though, that can be pretty tough from a cc.</p>
<p>Getting good guidance and making a good choice in the first place should help kids avoid out growing a college. Then helping them understand how to take advantage of the school’s resources if need be. For many they just can’t fit in everything they’d like to in 4 years with foreign study programs, internships and other common offerings.
Many kids want 4 more years, I sure did!</p>