Boston College Top Questions

If I was able to go back and talk to my highschool self about the transition from highschool to college there would be three main points I would elucidate. The first is that college is what you make of it in terms of academics, internships and friends. The more you are willing to put yourself out there the more you are likely to get back. The next point is would be to advocate for myself and peers because the vioce/opinions of the student body is taken into consideration. So if their is somehting that you do not like/agree with talk to administratin to see if something can be done to resolve the conflict, because more than likely if you feel a particular type of way you are not the only one. The final piece of advice and most imporant I think i would have needed is that you can not go through college alone. You need to build an inclusive enviorment amonst your friends, professors and staff because there will be moments you want to cry or give up, but they will be the individuals to pull you back up. They will become your second family!

Stay true to yourself while in college. In high school, you listened to authority, but you never made decisions based on what other people thought was best. You did what you believed would be best for you, and look! You're at a great institution that cares about you. The best part? You can study what you want with professors that passionately care about the subject. As wonderful as this place is, don't give into peer pressure. You didn't back home, so why should you start now? What makes other people happy isn't necessarily going to make you happy. If it makes you uncomfortable, don't do it. You are the one living with your choices, so make decisions that bring out the best in you and others. And never give up hope. Your unwaivering positivity is the best part about and makes life better for others. Never let go of this great gift. People here are quite intellegent, and the atmosphere is daunting at times. But remember that you were accepted here and deserve your education as much as anyone else. Don't let the sucess of others keep you from finding yourself.

Remember that job you had over the summer and how much money you spent every week? SAVE IT!! Put some money in your savings account please!! College is all about self independency and without a little chump change this transition will be very difficult! You will want to go out on your own and buy something for your room without borrowing from your mom oncce in a while. Also cut down on all the candy! The gym at BC is always packed and you will never get your turn on the treadmill, so cut down on the snacks for a while. Maybe you should asking use those new running shoes you bought because food at BC is great and you won't skip meals! Take your time with each class and expect the unexpected. You haven't had a class with more than 30 kids, but when you get to America and the world you will have over 100. Find a studious friend in each class to swap notes as usual and swap numbers. Last but not least HAVE FUN!

Katie, go to sleep. College will still be there even if you fail this test. It's 3 AM and you've already taken enough Tylenol for a full day. Despite what you have been hearing for the past four years, the mysterious and almost mythical entity known as "College" is not as terrifying or all-powerful as you think. Pushing yourself every night for each test and quiz is not worht it. You will succeed no matter what your class rank or SAT score. Success is the personal satisfaction of knowing that you are living a productive, healthy, and happy life. Are you being productive when you spend more time worrying about the giant, theoretical future than on fostering better relationships with family, friends, and teachers? Are you healthy barely functioning on a few hours of sleep everyday? Are you happy beating yourself up after every low test score? My advice to you, Katie, knowing what I now know, is that you are strong and will adapt. It is just another part of your life, one that will provide you with challenges and comfort - good and bad alike. And that it is nothing to lose sleep over.

I transferred to Boston College after my first year at another university. Though I am so happy with my decision, I wish I could have saved myself some time and applied to BC right away. I would have advised myself to look at these factors when applying: The location--The city in which a college is settled makes all the difference. New Orleans is not my kind of city. Boston is. The social life--Know what social experience you're looking to get out of college. Are you interested in frats/sororities? Volunteering? Clubs? Teams? Parties? Coffee shop discussions? The faculty--This means professors, advisers, and administration. If the faculty's view of education lines up with yours, you're golden. Do they believe education is the path to a career? Or do they view it as more of a cultural and personal growth experience? How much passion do they have about learning, and does it line up with your level of passion? Are they there for the students, or are they there for themselves (simply holding down a job, or doing personal research)? Find a faculty you know will support, encourage, and guide you all four years.

You have worked so hard to get where you are. Do not give up now because it will get so much better. I know that the stress is getting to you and I hate to say it, but college is even more stressful just in different ways. It may seem like you will never get in to Boston College, but do not worry too much because things will work out the way that they are supposed to. When you get to college you may find that you are scared to be away from your family, hate the food, and feel like you will never sleep through the night again. You will miss your boyfriend more than you ever thought possible and you will have to work very hard to keep your long distance relationship, but it will be so worth. Eventually you will meet the two sweetest girls you have ever come across and they will become your closest friends, your sisters. With time, everything will get easier and you will adjust to living in a big city and really come to love the decision you made. Oh, and study hard for that first chemistry test!!

To my naive high school self,Preparation is key. Upon entering college, I was thrown for a loop as the academic load increased and tests required the application of knowledge. My greatest shortcoming was my level of academic preparation. It is absolutely critical to one’s academic success to be prepared. The senioritis bug tends to creep up on many high school seniors, but thinking about your future college self, don’t let it happen. As an incoming college freshman, understanding the concept of studying is a critical aspect. You need to mentally prepare yourself for the amount of time, effort, and thought put into applying yourself. I would congratulate my college freshman self on how I integrated into school. It is essential to pursue other avenues and passions to round our your education and background. From swimming to student government, I effectively time managed. Beyond being prepared and staying involved, always keep learning and value the education you are blessed to be given. Keep learning.

I would tell myself to trust myself and to trust my parents. I spent a lot of time worrying about how to pay for college and my parents said it may be difficult but we would get through it. I have come to love my school so much and all the decisions I've made in getting to this point. I would definitely tell myself to take pride in my high school accomplishments, but not to let them make me complacent when entering college. Additionally I would have told myself to join a club sport fall semester of freshman year, because joining the Boston College Women's Club Rugby team was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I would advise finding the weirdest, most interesting people on campus, not just people who are fun to go to parties with, because they don't end up being your friends for a very long time. The weird ones are the ones that will stick around and be the most fun. Overall, I would let myself know that I was about to make some very good life choices and to stick to gut feelings.

Listen: You got into BC. You're highly intelligent, well-rounded, and driven. You worked hard in HS and you're going to continue to work hard in the classroom at BC. In terms of advice, telling myself I need to work hard in the classroom is unnecessary. Rather, I'd focus my advice solely on the social aspects of college. Why? Because the transition is arguably the hardest part of college; establishing yourself socially and finding a close friend group is something I cannot stress enough. You will be happy, and it will affect all aspects. You've heard the motivation, now here's the advice: Right away, be overly outgoing. You have no friends? Please realize: no one else has friends, either! People will be throwing themselves at you (in hopes of making friends) if only you took the effort to extend a hand and say nice to meet you. Unfortunately, this excessive friendliness stops after the first 2 weeks, so be sure to get on it right away. It sounds so simple, but meeting a lot of people and finding quality friends the first two weeks will have immeasurable effects on the rest of your freshman year.

Really try to be more spontaneous, especially when it comes to meeting new people. It's incredibly hard to meet a new group of friends far away from your home and different than your former social group but th easiest way is to just try out all the different activities you can; it's fine if plenty of them don't work out or you don't like them in the longer run. It's better to try these things while you stilll can rather than always wonder about them, especially with groups and social activities that are unique to the college setting. Just open up and accept things as they are and it'll all work out in the long run.

I would definately start out by telling my self to stay focused on my goals. Then I would have to say that I have great opportunity that is ahead of me and to do everything possible to make sure that I exhaust all my energies into getting good grades and dont worry about growing up so fast, as at that time working was one of my main focuses and should not have been. The horizons and opportunities that are coming are far better then you could imagine and that do not waste time on distractions and become centered with your goals, and life is very short and you cant change your past but you are in control of your future.

Many high school students aren't thinking about the future and are more focused on gaining acceptance through their peers. As a result, less time is spent concerned with the future and more time is wasted. Hard work in high school is rewarded with scholarships, getting into better colleges, and the overall satisfaction of honest, hard work. There are so many different clubs, sports, student government positions, and summer opportunities available if you would only look. Though it can be easy to feel like time won't allow many different activities, careful planning and sacrifice can create more time in a day than you would expect. Different clubs like the National Honor Society, Leo Club, and academic clubs can promote global thinking as well as secure friendships. Also, sports provide exercise while encouraging focus and determination. Student government teaches important leadership and social skills necessary in life. High school doesn't have to be considered the “worst years of your life” as many call it. If you would look beyond the need to make friends and simply engage in the school and the world around you, you'll find there's a lot to offer, even at Kauai High School.

Always remember to study and make time to study no matter what. Always sit down to make a schedule of your time.

Don't try to over involve yourself with all sorts of clubs and activities. You are there for school as well as the experiences. Also keep on top of your studies, and don't leave it all until the end. You learn better when you break the information into chunks and study a little every day rather than cramming large quantities into short spans of time. The professors are not there to baby you so you need to make sure you do all the necessary preparations to succeed.

Take advantage of every oppurtunity you can. Once you realize what you should have done, it's too late. It is crutial to get a degree if you ever plan on living a life that is not stressful every single day.

Hey high school self, All things considered, you're doing a good job preparing yourself for college. Make sure you keep studying with the same intensity, because it's going to make your classes seem that much easier. Don't forget about time management; that is going to be your most important skill in college. Believe me, sometimes it's worth it to go out instead of studying -- you have to keep yourself sane! -- but other times, you're just going to have to learn to say "no". It's always going to be a judgment call. It'll be hard to be away from home. I know everything will seem shiny and new, but at some point in the middle of freshman year, you're going to feel like you got punched right in the stomach. "Who are these people? Where's my family? Where is the place I know and love, where I know who I am?" Listen, high school self, I've been there. And let me tell you, it gets better. Don't be afraid to open up to your college friends; they're just as scared as you are. And remember, time heals all wounds.

If I were able to advise my high school self about college, my main piece of advice would be "begin college the year you graduate high school." I had taken a few college course earlier in my life and they were much easier than they are now. Due to my age and the responsibilty that comes with getting older, college has become much more difficult. So, in order to make things easier on my current self, I would strongly encourage a younger me to being, and finish, college earlier.

If I needed to be told anything, it's "Remember to breathe." Taking that one deep breath is what will be most helpful in reorganizing my thoughts, refocusing, and calming myself down. One breath grounded me and forced me to remember that everything would work out, everything would be okay, and I don't need to have everything perfectly planned out at the start of my undergraduate career. There is still time to explore options, still time to correct mistakes, and there is still even time to bring up my GPA. Yes, it's not perfect, and it's not exactly what I had envisioned, but it's just another lesson preparing me for future life experiences. Taking the time to remember to breath is what saves me from committing to too many clubs, from giving up after receiving a low paper grade; breathing keeps me sane. Breathing is essential to life and at college you begin to plan your life. College is the place to practice for the real world so take the time time college to breathe, reorganize, and refocus so you have an idea of how to maintain control, your happiness, and your health.

As a high school senior I attended two AP/College prep classes, along with 5 other classes. I also was very involved with the theatre program, including having a secretory position. If I was to go back and say some sage advice to high school senior me, I would tell her to expect a lot of self-organization heading into college. In high school, you often “hold hands with your teacher” and are handed your homework on a silver platter. In college, while the teacher is sometimes forgiving, the key to passing is making your own goals in that class. At the very beginning of the semester, read your teachers syllabus, understand how you will obtain the grade you want, and get to be confident with your work. Talk to your teacher during their office hours and know that they are there to help you. Know that college is what YOU choose to make it, so that is, YOU, who should make the best of the experience.

I would tell myself not to be afraid of the college transition. One of the biggest things that held me down was homesickness and always feeling that things weren't going how they should be. I pictured college life being something you can just jump into and have the time of your life, but I was sadly mistaken. It takes time to get used to being away from home, making new friends, and taking new classes. It's all worth it in the end though. Although at the time it may feel like the end of the world, you do get adjusted and good things are coming the longer you stay at school. College is only four years of your life, so make the most of it while you can. Be patient, take risks, and try new things: it is all going to be fine.