Appalachian State University Top Questions

Attending college has been one of the most valuable experiences of my life. I not only discovered my career path but also learned much about myself and my personal values. I began college as a music major before realizing this was not my true passion. I spent much time examining my personality and goals before realizing that my commitment to helping people and love for science would lend well to acquiring a degree in Physical Therapy. Through completing my undergraduate degree, I pushed myself to work increasingly harder and to continue to achieve to the highest of my ability. My work ethic and confidence in my studying, writing, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills have increased as a result of attending college. I discovered my love of yoga, plan on practicing throughout my life, and look forward to incorporating yoga into therapy in the future. One of my greatest achievements is completing my honors thesis on using yoga as a therapy for various types of chronic pain. Personally, I have discovered my love for the outdoors, my personal sense of spirituality, and many of my hobbies and interests. College has been an incredibly valuable experience for me, both educationally and personally.

My college experience has been really benefitial to me and my future. While attending college I have learned so many new things which has helped me in my everyday life. I have met many new good people and have been lucky with professors. Each day i walk in the building reminds me of how close i am to achieving my goals. Attending college has made me a better person in many ways, and im lad to experience it just wish I could afford it.

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I have gotten more than I could have imagined out of my college experience. My college experience went far beyond the academic knowledge that I obtained. I was able to truly figure out who I was as an individual. I no longer had my parents or high-school friends to influence how I should think or act. I was on my own, figuring out who I wanted to be as an individual. I was exposed to a variety of religions, cultures, and people in general. This enabled me to realize what I truly believed about life and the person I wanted to become. Further, I no longer had my parents to cook dinner for me, set up doctors' appointments for me, or do any of the other mundane, yet essential, tasks you must do to survive. Of course it was nice to have such loving parents to take care of me, but it was valuable to learn to take care of myself on my own. The college years allowed for success and failures which shaped me into the person I am today-- a person who I am proud of.

Attending college has changed my life completely in the two years I have been taking classes. I am the single mother of a disabled three year old boy. After I had my son I suffered from terrible post-partum. I was extremly unhappy and I needed to do something to lift my spirits. I took medication, but nothing seemed to help. That was the point when I decided to go back to school. I enrolled in a few classes that fall just to try it out. I loved it! I met new people, I felt good about getting up everyday, and after I finished the semester with excellent grades my self esteem was through the roof! Not only am I much happier in life, I am acquiring a great education at the same time!

At my high school, I was always out of place. I hated every single day, and I didn't see the value in my education. All I could ever see is how much longer I had till that fabulous day where I could say goodbye to North Mecklenburg High forever. At Appalachian State, to say I've had the opposite experience hardly captures my experience. This campus is the perfect size for me, big enough to be a known and respected university, but small enough to be comfortable and friendly. For the first time ever, I felt like I was truly enjoying getting an education. I have been encouraged to be myself, and respected for it. I feel like I am a part of something great and I can't see myself thriving at any other university the way I am at Appalachian State.

The greatest value that I have experienced during college is the feeling of self respect and confidence. For me, I have had an urge to finish college for years, and now I am on the path that I have always had an urge to pursue. This has brought both self respect and confidence back into my life. The degree that I am after will be useful for me to affect the change that I would like to see in society. I have also developed a few connections within the academic world that are helping me to be more active in the community around me. This has also improved my self respect and confidence, as a valuable person in our world.

I believe that this school was the best choice for me. I wouldn't take back my decision to attend this school, despite the bumps in the road I've had to overcome. This school has shown me what I'm really passionate about when I came to school with no idea what career I'm meant to have. My teachers have started me down a path that will lead me to my dream career and I cannot thank them enough for helping me start this journey.

With the knowledge I now have of college life and making the transition, if I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would begin by telling my apprehensive self not to worry. She will get into her first choice college, make new friends, and have understanding professors. Then I would proceed to give her my main piece of advice: make sure you do all that is asked and more in college classes. The high school version of myself did only what was required in her classes. However in college, a diligent attitude towards academic work is key. It is the supplemental efforts that without fulfilling, a high school student can still do well (which my high school self did often), that make a tremendous difference. Actively reading the textbook, completing extra practice problems, paying close attention in class, and even making appointments with professors for conferences are crucial for academic success. I will warn my high school self that much more time spent outside of class is virtually required. However I will ensure her that she will do well academically while also having time to do the activities she enjoys.

If I was able to go back and talk to myself, I would give the following advice. Don't give yourself a large credit load at first. Start out small, make sure you can handle it. Gradually up the credits. Don't bury yourself in school work. Have fun.