Barnard College Top Questions

The transition from high school to college is incredibly stressful especially socially. I spent a lot of time my first few weeks of college worring if the people I met really liked me or not, rather than enjoying my new friendships. One thing that really helped me was joining my school's ultimate frisbee team. It provided me with an outlet to relieve stress and anxiety and helped me form true relationships. I would advise high school seniors to continue the extra curricular activities they enjoyed in high school, like I did with frisbee, in college. These activities provide familiar ground but also oppurtunities for new experiences.

No matter what, you will succeed. So don't worry about being too career-focused. Instead, ask yourself, what would make you happiest? And follow that.

So far, I have learned how to balance my academic and social life. This is an important skill for the future because there will be times where I will have to juggle my job and my personal life.

I ll say to my self: "Enjoy the time when you can be considered as a naughty kid while sometimes think deeply what is your real passion and interest in the future." College life seems more loose than high school life but in fact I always feel like I am rushing and have no time to be "myself." However, if I could enjoy myself more during senior year and go to college with a relatively clear goal, everything will be different for me right now.

I would tell myself to relax about social as well as academic issues. It is most important to feel happy and confident, and thereby to get enough sleep. Put health first for success in other realms.

The first thing that I would tell myself is that even though I am academically disadvantaged I was admitted to the same place that other students who attended expensive private schools did--and I should not let this intimidate me. I was admitted because I am capable of doing the work but I needed to make some adjustments. One of those changes would have to be my study habits. I would suggest when doing a reading to summarize each paragraph in less than 10 words, write handwritten notes and then type them up in outline form--so that when exams come around I would have a study guide ready. I would also tell myself to practice reverse outlines so that I would get comfortable with them. I would suggest to get out of comfort zone and join clubs that I would not have typically joined in high school. I joined a club whose members are mostly Muslims. Although most of the time I am the only non-Muslim attending the events I have made so many friends, learned so much about the culture and ate great food. I absolutely love it! I wish that I would have done this earlier.

Be sure to really take the time to do your reading during the semester. The semester-end cram sessions are definitely not worht it! Also have fun and be sure to take advantage of all the weird andinteresting classes that your school offers. You'll never really get the chance to explore the world this way again.

Be yourself, don't worry about the small inconsequential things, and be brave.

I would advise myself to relax more. College is so different from high school, and a lot of it can't be quantified. Go visit the colleges and see how you feel about them. That's more important than the random facts thrown at you by college counselors.

Finding your niche takes time and the people you meet right away could and could not be your best friends, so just give everyone a chance but don't spend time with people that you know right away are not for you.

Join as many activities as you can handle because thats the easiest way to make friends. Really talk to your professors because they honestly do want to help you.

I would say look for a university or college which fits one's personality. The material taught at a lot of American colleges is very similar, however the type of the student body is what makes every class room experience different (i.e the debates going on in a liberal arts college may vary immensely from those taking place in an engineering school). The prestige of a college/university shouldn't be a huge factor in choosing an institution to attend because virtually all colleges and universities have similar curriculums; however, the connections a student can make at a prestigous school can be very handy in the working world! For students planning on resuming graduate studies, I recommend finding an undergraduate school with a great financial aid package. In the professional world, it basically matters where you earned your graduate degree. Lastly, remember that one's GPA, recommendations, extra-curricular activities and internships are what seperates students around this nation, not the name or prestige of one's school.

There is a lot of information to help you and your teenager find the right school. In fact, there may be TOO much information. The guide books and guided tours can only take you so far, and school rankings change faster than liberal arts students change majors. Having found a great college, and watched two sisters go through the process, I am convinced that no book or tour guide can tell you as much as your own observations and gut reactions to being on campus. Be creative! Be brave! Talk to students and professors, if you can catch them, and if you can't, take that as a sign that you might not be dealing with the friendliest bunch. Go online and read the college newspaper! See what issues are being addressed on campus and whether they match up with your interests. There are as many signs pointing you to the right school as there are schools to consider, but in the end, it is up to you to find them, and to seek out the people and places on campus who will convince you that you made the right choice. Be open, be confident, and have fun!

I wish I could go back and do college over again. I was going through so many personal transitions while I was an undergraduate student that I feel I missed out on having fun and making the most that I could of my college experience. Make the most of every opportunity that comes your way during your college years and if the opportunities aren't knocking on your door, go out and make them yourself. These are crucial years that can and will affect and shape the rest of your life. Make them positive!

I would suggest that students think not only about the physical and academic environment of the college but also the social environment in terms of what kinds of conversations they would like to overhear while sitting at the cafeteria or waiting for class to begin. Common hobbies or backgrounds are not precise indicators of how compatible you will be within a student population, so it is best to visit the college and see what kinds of conversations you find yourselves having with current students. Making the most of the college experience depends very heavily on your ability to balance many new aspects that will arise in your lives: balance between schoolwork, jobs or internships, social activities, volunteering. Make sure not to take too much on initially, in order to allow yourself sufficient time to observe your new environment and establish new routines; and absolutely do not be hesitant about trying courses in academic disciplines you never thought about before, beyond the accumulation of knowledge and skills, college is meant to be a time of discovery and intellectual intrigue.

If you already know what you want to do with your life, try to find the college that both has the best programs in that field, AND is in a location where you can start forging contacts and doing internships while you're still in school. When you graduate, not only will you be a step ahead of your fellow floundering alumni in terms of finding a job (you already have those contacts you made from your spring internship, remember!), you'll have an easier time adapting to your new life off campus since you'll already have at least a passing familiarity with the city. If you don't have your life goal already figured out, take a leaf out of my little sister's book. She's graduating from high school this year, and while she knows she wants to go to an art school, she's not sure what her focus will be yet. Cooper Union (her first choice) embraces the many forms art can take and encourages its students to learn them all. Now she won't be stuck with exclusively figure drawing and realize one day that what she really wants is to paint landscapes.

As a transfer student, I know how important it is to look at a variety of schools. And ladies, don't automatically discount the all-women's college experience...mine has been amazing so far!

Even if you don't find exactly the right fit -- don't panic! Every college experience you have will teach you something, regardless of whether you decide to transfer or tough it out, and the tougher times will often shape your character more profoundly and positively than the easy times. Remember that you get what you put into it, so be sure to take classes that you really love so you can put in 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}.

Its all about you and what you like. You choose.

The most important thing you can do is to visit the campus, and try to sit in on a class! It is the only way to determine whether you will feel comfortable in that environment--it is a place where you will be investing your time and energy for the next four years! If you know you aren't a city person, do not choose a city school, even if the academics are great; if you are unhappy with your environment, the years spent there can be torturous and will negatively affect your grades.