Allegheny College Top Questions

Allegheny College is a school where a person can sit in a class and learn without worrieing about what others think about them. It is a school where teachers are always avalible and willing to help you with materials or even life problems that you may be struggling with. Attending a small College has been the best experiance ever. You are constantly surrounded by a circle of friends that is constantly growing as the year goes bye. Allegheny teaches their students that life is hard enough as it is, people don't need to deal with the additions of unkind faces constantly degrading them. Instead Allegheny College promotes smiling and saying high to strangers. What I have learned is that when you make someones day you end up feeling better about your own

Changing anything about the transition to college would mean changing the very experience necessary to go on with life. College teaches you the value of a dollar. By instantly throwing students into a mound of debt with loans, students have to quickly adapt and start saving money. Suddenly a world of wants is transformed into a world of needs and every person learns how to save and spend carefully. The limited size of dorm rooms forces students to pack necessities; not everything in their room is going to fit, especially since its being shared. Students will have to be nit-picky about what they take. Large televisions and oversized beds are going to have to stay home, while laptops, books, and some pictures can be taken. Going to college is a re-birthing of sorts. It is the modern day coming of age. Instead of having to hunt like the Native Americans, students have to survive in an urban wilderness. By changing any facet of this experience students are limited in their potential to grow and thus their ability to survive as an adult.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself that the transition to college is a struggle. It is not the way movies, books, and college advertisements make it seem. Classes will be difficult, finding real friends takes time, and parties are not the way they are portrayed on tv. There will be lonely nights and stress filled nights, but by the end of your transition to college you will have built your character tremendously. Mistakes are ok, and even necessary in the transition process. Realizing there are consequences to every action is an important part of growing up, and a crucial part in the transition to college. Without parents around to monitor you, waking up on time, studying, being careful at parties, and balancing a social life with school work is your own responsibility. This is really a life changing experience and although its difficult in the beginning, it prepares you for life and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Manage my time wisely!

In high school, I believed that I was liberal, but really I was conservative and narrow-minded. I have my own way of accomplishing tasks, and strongly believed everyone else should follow my lead. When I went to Allegheny, many of my friends thrived by working under pressure. For them, writing an entire paper hours before its due date produces their best work. At first, this was hard for me to accept, and I attempted to change their personal style. But as my first semester progressed, I realized that I cannot control those around me, nor can I ask them to conform to my wishes. Every person must deal with their own decisions and work ethic, and I cannot decree to them how I feel they should work and act. By accepting this truth, I realized how much I had distanced myself while I was in high school. No one wants to be friends with someone who attempts to change them. So my advice to my senior self would be, " Relax, and accept others for who they are." I lost time attempting to change my friends, insteading of learning to tolerate and learn from them.

Being a high school senior is an important time in your life, much more important that most seniors realize because they are so focused with getting done. Being that I'm only 17, living on my own with rent and bills and already attending college full time for dentistry and have a full time job at a dentists office as well as a part time job at a grocery store, I believe that if I went back to speak to myself maybe I would listen. Hearing how important school is and how much adult life isn't as great as it seems from someone 40 years old seems hard to realate to but hearing yourself just a month out of high school may hit a little harder. I would tell myself to spend the extra 10 minutes checking those answers on the homework and work harder at finding financial aid because working to pay bills and going to school at the same time is much harder then I think. I would remind myself to always look to the future because regardless of where I've been, its where and who I push myself to be in the future that matters.

Don't be afraid to follow your dreams. You have been told many things, about who you should be, what you should do, what you should believe. I'm not saying to throw all of that out; instead, take it in perspective. These people give you advice from what they have experienced and what they have seen, but no one can tell you what is truly in your head or your heart except yourself. Manipulating your choices according to someone else's plan may seem simple at first, but ultimately you will not be satisfied with what your life has become. It may cause tension and strained or even broken relationships; not everything will work out the way you thought or hoped, but you can and will get through. There will be people who will support you no matter what road you eventually choose, or the paths you take to get there. And the result will be a life that surpasses what you ever thought was possible.

I would give myself a lot of advice. First, high school is very important and you need to stay on track. Having good grades and doing things for the school come in handy. Colleges look at your GPA. Good grades allow for a high GPA. Second, All those honors classes you took throughout high school are great. They really prepare you for whats ahead. Teachers push you to get a feeling for the college life. College is great and you will love it. You will make plenty of friends and have a lot of on-campus activities to join. Just make sure to be prepared for essays! Its professors number one assignment to give to their students.

The college process was one of the most terrifying and stressfull periods of my life thus far. I personally made a lot of mistakes and would love to go back to that time with the knowledge I have to re-do everything. My first mistake as an applicant was believing all the hype of college applications, becoming obsessed with the process, and giving into the uneccesary stress. I should have stuck to the mantra, you will get into a college and you will be happy. Also, I should have eliminated some of the excess extracarriculars I packed into my first semester which were incredibly distracting and forced my focus on entrance essays to come in second. I should have also made sure that I would be happy at each school that I applied to. I didn't. Instead, I just chose a few random safties that I hated "just in case." I would have forced myself to start the process at the beginning of my Junior year rather than mid-way through it. Lastly, I would have told myself to be a bit more open-minded, becuase even very unattractive schools can have hidden pleasant surprises.

My advice that I would give myself would be to study as much as you possibly could for chemistry and math because those are very difficult classes. Continuing on the school subject, I would tell myself to get a tutor before classes start even if you dont need one, just in case. I would also tell myself to try to get connected with volunteering and christian organizations. These are some programs that you could put on medical school applications, and you could be giving to the community, meeting great poeple as a result of a giving attitude. Speaking of attitudes, keep a positive one. Tell yourself you can even when others around you say the opposite. Believe that you can overcome anything as long as you are doing it to better yourself. In addition to those few things, knowing myself the way I do, do not get more involved in a social life than in your studies. You are there for and education, and you can not get your Ph.D. in popularity even though you would if it was a major. Study hard and keep your eye on the prize!

Alycia, Allegheny was the perfect fit for you. There was no reason to be nervous about making friends and having things to do. As long as you study you will do perfectly. Beware of college guys! Even though you thought you wanted a boyfriend in college, you don't want one anymore. You will find they do not have relationships in mind and tend to only look for a good time. Focus on your goals, and the rest will come later. Remeber to join clubs too. They are perfect ways to meet new people with the same interests and provide a way to take a break. Money is tough. You need to be able to push yourself in order to find a job on campus. They are tough to recieve, and only come by constantly emailing, talking to, and calling the college for a job. Mainly, keep in touch with the friends and family back home. You will get distracted by college life, but it is always good to check in and see how eveyone is doing. They care about you and I know you care about them so don't forget to show it! study hard Alycia

Don't assume that going to your dream school will make everything OK. Having friends and people you know from before college around you is much more important than you think. Talk to your roommate before you get to college about the important things, like how and where they like to study. Having the wrong roommate can totally ruin your college experience, to the point that nothing seems to go right.

That the preperation in high school is nowhere near what it needs to be in order to really succeed in college. Academics are such a focus at Allegheny. Not only is it just challenging, but it's challenging in a way that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else because I know they're doinig their job as educators. Becoming acclimated with such a big workload is the transition that was hardest for me. After a rough patch in my freshman year I have grown up so much and Allegheny has shown me how to be a responsible adult. I never expected it to happen so fast but I am so thankful. I look at kids in high school now and think what babies they seem compared to me now. When they ask how school is all I tell them is, "It's so HARD!". It may seem wrong but I kind of want to scare them into being more prepared than I was. They'll realize it one day, yet I believe Allegheny is one of the best places for a college education and in a way hardest so some of them might not have it as bad.

Dear past self, please do not go home every weekend. I know you miss your dog, but you will be missing out on amazing things, such as the Outing Clubs trips, and the Quidditch team (no, seriously, by the time you get to Allegheny, they will have a Quidditch team, I know that makes it so much more awesome), and you will miss out on making so many new friends, and you will miss lectures by amazing people, and you will miss half of the college experience. You will become aclimated to school so much faster if you simply realize that your dog will be okay without you, and this comes from experience, you will be okay without your dog (and cats, actually.) Please, stay on the weekends, go to the campus center, sign up for activities, go to the guest speakers, go to the late night events at the campus center (they will have a pottery night!) and get involved. You will be too busy having fun to realize that it is suddenly December and then you can go home and see the dog. Until then, do something.

Dear Kristen, You are about to take a very important step. Are you ready? I know you're excited, college will be your chance to show who you really are, to step outside of the norm and do something different. You will be able to learn new things you never dreamed about before and critique those things that you already think you know everything about. You will make new friends and learn new trends. You will stay up all night partying and sleep all night because you are worn out from classes. You will meet new people, good and bad, and some of them will stick with you forever. College is the best time of your life, you can be an adult, yet you can still hold on to that "I'm a student and still need guidance" mentality where the Professors will look out for you. Just remember one thing: don't change who you are. I know it's hard, college is such an influential time in your life. But when all is said and done, you are still Kristen, and I think I can speak for you when I say, "Kristen is someone worth being."

I would tell myself not to worry. I know now that things happen for a reason, and even those darkest moments are there so that I can better appreciate the good days. I would tell myself to be forgiving, but don't be afraid to walk away from people who will bring you down. Don't worry about that boy, he's not worth the pain and hassle. Ask questions everywhere - you never know what you will learn. It's okay to lose some sleep to help a friend, or finish that assingment, but you'll feel so much better if you get a full night in. Turn off the TV! There's better stuff happening just outside the window. Don't be afraid to take chances; the worst case scenario is that you need a friend to catch you. Take your vitamins- they do help. Don't worry about other peoples' perceptions - you know you're doing things for the right reason. Smile everyday, even when you don't feel like it. And lastly, I'd tell my younger self to call my Mom!

Don't be a biochem major. There are less choices in classes available to take. Also, do a double major because you really love music and biology so you might as well major in both. Also, don't be afraid to put yourself out there freshman year. People acutally do like you for who you are and the ones that don't don't matter.

Do not go to college expecting to get job training. While you'll feel prepared for any career avenue you pursue after graduation, the most important thing you'll learn while an undergraduate is how to improve and use your academic skills in "real life" outside of getting a paycheck - how to enact positive change in communities, how to look at systems that we participate in every day and imagine them better, and then make that a reality. Plan for your coursework and social life to influence each other. Sure, you and your friends will get together on the weekends and have a beer now and then, but a residential college is about socializing and fostering community, it is not about kicking kegs. Your involvement in extracurriculars will push you as your coursework does, and that'll be the most fulfilling aspect of your four years here. Prepare for some big-time growth.

If I could go back and speak to myself as a senior in high school the best advice I could give myself would have to be to focus more on academic preparation for college. I had fun as a senior playing football, tennis and doing track at the expense of preparing for the workload I encountered at Allegheny. I'm fortunate that my brothers preceded me at Allegheny and were able to coach me on what to expect, but I still didn't know what they meant until doing it firsthand. The first semester was difficult, but I was able to adapt and do well. The other advice would be to look more carefully for scholarship opportunities like this. I was surprised to learn the hard lessons of economics in the real world when I submitted loan applications. Now I see that upon graduation, I'll be saddled with private loans that will be difficult to pay off. I see now that to go to Allegheny I need to tell people how much I like it and work to earn my education. So the other piece of advice would be, nothing is free, you have to earn it!

Don't be afraid to take risks or get out there and have a social life. Take course work more seriously as it is a baseline for the rest of your life. Don't give up on things you enjoy like sports (swimming).