Babson College Top Questions

Transitioning to college is a time where what you once knew and grew familiar with is gone, replaced with an institution that is now home for the foreseeable future. Everyone says college is the best time of your life. But sitting there, graduation just off in the distance, all you can feel is a growing knot of fear. What if I don't fit in? What if I struggle academically? I'm not going to tell you that it's simple. It's not. You are going to have to work harder and make important decisions about your future. While fear of this change is natural, it won't help you. Fear will only limit you as new opportunities present themselves. From clubs to internships, classes to friends, college will be ripe for new experiences and adventures. Make the decision right now, I mean right now, to journey beyond. Take a class you think could be interesting, join that club, and engage with students who offer a myriad of life experiences. Don't cave to that fear by wondering 'what if'; rather accumulate a plethora of experiences along your once in a lifetime journey. Also the winning lottery numbers are [...]

Take the SAT one more time, if all else fails, take the damn TOEFL, don't let your pride get in the way (it is not only for FOBs, fresh off the boat people) because SAT scores are actually very important in getting into a good college. Select prefer not to answer for ethnicity. Listen to Ms.Tsoutsis and apply to one Ivy League college. Do not apply to so many useless colleges that you will never even consider. You are NOT a business person, trust me. No matter what mom says about accountants making a lot of money, do NOT listen to her. Accounting is not for you, neither is finance. Go to a college that gives you a lot more choices in terms of majors because you know you are an indecisive women and should not be limited to business. Buy a kindle, it will help you save a lot of textbooks, a pretty good investment. :)

I was offered a full scholarship to come to Babson (Posse Scholarship); however, I also got a likely letter from UPenn Wharton at the same time; and since I was QuestBridge Scholar, I could receive full scholarship if, and only if, I could get into UPenn. As a result, I turn down the Posse Scholarship. Yet, unfortunately, I got put into the waitlist for UPenn lately. With depressive, I took few days off to visit both schools, and found out that Babson would be a much better fit school for me. So I turned down the waitlist offer for UPenn. If I have the chance to go back in time, I will change my decision, and come to Banbson as a Posse Scholar. However, although I couldn’t change the fact that I already turned down the scholarship, but the experience here is truly the most fortunate choice for me.

While choosing a career path and college to fit your own personality can be tough, I believe that there are commonalities at all institutions. Attending college provides life lessons that are valuable to growing your personality and creating your identity as a person. Social aspects of college are relatively constant for every student , and they have the ability to mold people as they move forward in their lives. Living on your own helps us all to gain maturity and develop our own independence. Academics at college are the appearant reason that most people attend an institution, yet to me that is of secondary importance to the life lessons and social experiences students gain. These experiences teach us how to live our lives without having someone looking over our shoulders at all times. So while students at a business school may be learning how to be an accountant, or students at a liberal arts college may be studying biology, these topics are irrelevant to the development of every student during their time on campus. I personally have learned more about mayself as a person than though may classes, and that in itself is worth the investment of a college education.

Attending college has been an utter struggle due to a new environment and stepping outside of my comfort zone. I am originally from Dallas, Texas and I relocated to Boston, Massachusetts. These two atmospheres are completely different, and because of this I have met different people from all over the world. I have made great friendships with students from Brazil, Spain, Mexico, and Switzerland. The material that is taught in my college courses is valuable, but I believe that these lifelong friendships prove to be extremely valuable. The learning of different cultures and the understanding of unique customs is very intriguing. I have met students of all social classes, from the very bottom of the lower class to the dominant top five percent who run their countries. College is a learning center in which information thrives, and I have definitely benefited from this new atmosphere. The tuition rate is very high at Babson College, but I would say that it is worth every penny. The experience itself is a statement in one’s career, and it has shaped me as a student pursuing a business major.

I have got a new mental map of why I am interested in my life, particullarly with the experiences that I have been an active student. The oportunities that the school gave two me are very important in my life beacause not only help me those days, also help in the future when I am trying to start a new life on my own.

Looking back, my only regret as a college student is not being as knowledgeable as I am now when it comes to college life in general. If I could go back in time I would advise myself to learn how to manage my time as soon as possible. Your first year in college can be immensely hectic when trying to balance and get accustom to a new social life, an intense work load, and extra-curricular activities. Acquiring great time management skills earlier on will keep you from falling behind in your classes. This leads me to my most pertinent word of advice which is to stay organized. Make sure that you stay on top of assignments and readings, since it may take more effort and time than you can provide to catch up. Last but not least, plan out all of your short-term goals, anything from acquiring a leadership position to a desirable gpa, and map out the necessary steps you would take in order to get there. Too often people make goals when it is too late for them to take the steps to accomplish it. These words of advice would assure a more successful college career.

If I had the opportunity to go back in time and give myself advice regarding college life, I would tell myself that the absolute most important consideration for college selection is finding a college where I can be happy. It seems so simple, yet most high school seniors do not even consider their emotional wellbeing when choosing a college. Although rankings, facilities, professors etc are all important factors, none of them matter if you are miserable. It is easy to get tricked into believing that you should go to the best college that you get accepted to, but you need to be realistic. If you have trouble separating from your parents you should consider going to a school close to home, if you love the city try to avoid schools in rural areas. Choosing a school solely based on its academic qualifications will make it impossible to adjust and therefore impossible to thrive. It is better to go to a good school where you can be happy and succeed, than to go to an Ivy League school and count the seconds until graduation, because ultimately happiness is the key to success.

The thing I wish I knew before coming to Babson was just that I should really get out there and get going. The first two weeks at Babson were miserable for me, but that was because I spent almost all of my time in my dorm room. In those first two weeks people made the friends they would have for at least the next few months if not the rest of their lives. I couldn't understand why it was that I was not having fun like everyone else around me was. Then I joined the theater organization and suddenly everything was exactly as I hoped it would be. I was going out all the time and hanging out with friends and never felt like I was alone. All it took was to get out of my room and go make some friends. My advice to my younger self is simple, get out of your room and make friends.

Do not ever expect opportunities to fall into your lap. Finding the right college is an opportunity, but the most important part takes place once you arrive on campus. As a new student, work hard to make every unfamiliar face one you can recognize as an acquaintance, dormmate, teammate, classmate, or peer. Make connections-- networking is one of the most important parts of college. Meet business people, ask for business cards, give out your email, follow up with people whose company you enjoyed. Take some time out of the day to have lunch with your professor. Approach the professors and faculty who work in the obscure offices-- gems of knowledge come from those people. Do something that benefits others, not just yourself. Serve the community- do not expect it to just serve you. Take all of these opportunities, but at the same time, make your own! Start a club, send an email to the entire undergraduate class, start a club sports team, coordinate service projects with local area schools, apply for a program that you have been told you will not get into. Take risks, make friends, and remember college is what you make it, but essentially its an OPPORTUNITY.

If I could go back in time and give myself advice about college life and making a transition to college life, I would choose not to do so. I believe that not knowing much about the environment that I was going into made everything much more exciting and I am much more successful here because of it. I already knew that College was going to be harder than high school, and I was prepping myself for 4 hard years of academics and minimal partying. I chose Babson because I knew it was going to pay off afterwards, although it is not known as a very social school. I was thrilled when I moved in freshman year and had the best first week of my life. I met more people, had more fun, and did more things than I have ever had previously in my life. Then classes started and I worked extremely hard, harder than I actually had to, which made me transition to school and become more successful both socially and academically than most of my peers. A combination of my low expectations for social life and my over-expectations for academics made transistioning to college easy.

Do an overnight trip! This allows you to learn alot more about the campus, classes, and students.

Make sure you choose the right size school for yourself.

Be open to new things!

Find a college that suits your interests, you outlook on life and don't focus to much on social life, because students that picked the same interests will follow suit and it will pay off after graduation. Broader subjects sphere might be better for students who are self driven, while focused colleges are better for those who have trouble staying on task.

Go with the school first, not a sports program

Follow your instincts and do not be afraid to try something scary.

College is an extremely important part of life, and it's not entirely about the academics or how it sets you up for a future career. Jobs are out there if and if you're motivated enough you will have access to the resources you need to set yourself up, no matter where you go. College just makes it easier. What is more important are the people you meet there and the time you have to figure out what you want. College is like buying four years to figure out what you're doing with your life before you have to actually start doing it. Find a campus that you like, that you feel comfrotable in, and that gives you the freedom to explore what you find interesting. Also, the friends you make in college are far more likely to stick with you for the rest of your life. In short, college is the beginning of adult life, choose it based on the values you want to live by.

Consider your long term goals and desires. If you are looking, or at least hope to, go to graduate school I would have personally gone to a "bigger" name school. Regardless, you get a very practical education.

With the college decision imperative to the students future, it is important to make the right choice. If you choose to attend a school that focuses on something (Babson for example is strictly business) make sure it focuses on what you want to do. If you are unsure what you want to do a more liberal arts education may be the best option.