Boston University Top Questions

If I could go back and talk to myself as a senior in high school, I would have a profoundly different view on the college selection process. I would assure my former self that no matter what happens, attending college is what you make of it. I would tell myself to worry less about the numbers and statistics and more about the look, feel, and overall atmosphere of the schools I was considering. I would make it clear that it is important to get involved with the community right away and find something outside of classes that makes you happy. Whether it is a intramural sport, an a cappella group, or a greek organization, it doesn't matter. College life is about learning who you are as a person as well as learning knowledge that will help you throughout your life. So, I would assure my former self that it is possible to be happy almost anywhere, as long as you have the right attitude and an open mind. "You're going to get in somewhere," I would say, "you just have to figure out what makes you happy and what you enjoy doing."

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to take AP classes or summer classes prior to attending college. I would also tell myself to keep in contact with all my friends throughout college while making more in college.

A year ago I was applying for scholarships not knowing what was in store for the future. Now I am applying for scholarships determined to make the most out of the present to make the best future. After my first semester at Boston University with a brand new beginning a lot of change happened at once. I was living in a new city surrounded by a multitude of cultures creating a new life. If it was possible to go back in time to give the younger me advice I would tell myself to take a breath and enjoy the smaller things in life. I believe that the smaller things in life composite into the larger things. This is what creates positive change. I would also tell myself to not live in fear but to take risks. If it wasn't for the risk of moving across the country I would not be the person I am today. A year ago I believed that everything happens for a reason. Today I still believe in that but with assurance and determination to help change the world. "You must be the change you want to see in the world" -Gandhi.

First, I would insist that I apply to Boston University. It is the school for me and the best possible choice for my major, Classical Archaeology. Second, I would tell myself to snap out of the rebellious and individualistic mindset I was in. In college I struggled to express myself and be comfortable in my new home. Had I abandoned the idea that I didn't need friends or family to achieve my goals, I would have made more friendships in the first few months of school. Consiquently, It would have been easier to express myself and fit in with my community and I could have relied on my new relationships to help and support me through the academic intensity of college. High school was nowhere near as demanding and exhausting as college is, and my attitude prevented me from smoothly transitioning into an intensive, but extreamly beneficial, program of study. Though I pulled through in the end, and have already achieved more than many of my fellow students, I feel like my grades and friendships could be stronger and more reflective of the life-altering experiences I have had at Boston University.

I would tell myself to start working on my shyness a lot earlier. I wish I were able to truly open up to people and make friends more easily. Also, I might encourage myself to look into smaller schools within the city. In the environment of a smaller school, I would be in contact with more of the same people more often during the course of the year, and would probably make more friends. Either way, it would be better if I were less shy. So that is absolutely the sort of advice I would give myself: start now. It will benefit you in college to put yourself out there starting right now, trying your best to talk to people as much as possible, to speak your mind, and not be afraid. My second piece of advice: live now. Look for opportunities to enjoy your childhood while it lasts. Don't let life pass you by. And that is exactly what you're doing right now. More fun experiences right now will help you later. Finally, there is academic advice: Take another computer class. Forget that extra study, you don't need it.

As a senior, I remember stressing over everything and not exactly believing in myself. I had trouble accepting my accomplishments, feeling that I wasn?t doing my all-time best; but the truth is I always did my best. If I could go back in time and talk to this version of myself, I would tell her to leave this state of mind behind ? that I'm doing a great job, and will be very successful in the future for I'm living proof. However for my own sake, I wouldn?t want to give away too much information about the future: being rejected from Ivy League colleges, or getting the opportunity to meet Nobel Laureates at the International Science and Engineering Fair (a dream that took us four years to accomplish). I would want her to hold her head high, take in every moment with her friends and family, and be a proud person for making it this far seeing that graduation is not too far down the road. I don?t have many regrets, but I do wish that this girl could come to a self-realization that she's an exceptionally hard worker and an outstanding student.

It isn't the great experience everyone guaranteed, but an opportunity to make it into something that suits you. Only you can make you happy and not the college or the people at it.

I would tell myself to go into college with an extremely open mind, and to try everything! Now I regret not joining as many clubs as possible - because the few I did join, I don't belong to anymore because I found out they didnt interest me. Going to college is a huge change, and its best to try EVERYTHING once. You don't really know what you will or won't like until you try it, this is why you must keep an open mind. Join a club you'd never thought you'd join. Take a class that you find slightly interesting, but maybe never took in highschool. These will give you chances to learn more about yourself, and to meet as many friends as possible. Definitely consider joining some sort of team - varsity, club, intermural, or even a physical fitness class, because its very easy to let your physical fitness fall to the wayside when swamped with homework and exams. However, working out is a good break time and stress relief - especially during those tough weeks! Look for resources from your college/university to keep your all around well being healthy - it'll amaze you whats available!

If I could go back in time and give myself advice as a senior in high school, I would tell myself to take classes more seriously and to not be too overwhelmed by the entire college life adjustment process. As a high school student, I was very successful and confident in my academic abilities, and I looked at college as my ultimate goal. I believed that once I was in college, everything would fall into place and I could start living a more exciting life that involved more than studying and schoolwork. When I started college, I focused too heavily on establishing my social life, not realizing that I was compromising my academic performance and losing interest in what I had once loved: learning. As a college junior, I now realize that the real reason I am here, as well as the reason I want to be here, is to pursue knowledge and prepare for a career in medicine. I can now fully appreciate my love of learning, and I would go back and tell my eighteen year old self not to forget that.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself not to be so worried about making friends. As long as you are open to meeting new people and kind to anyone you encounter, chances are you will eventually find people that you click with. And don't freak out if the people you hang out with in the first few days at school don't end up becoming your best friends. Chances are they're just "starter friends," and you just haven't found your true group yet. I wish I could have told myself not to stress when my starter friends turned out to not be that nice. I remember sitting at my computer crying one night because I felt like I would never find the perfect group of people. The next day, though, I met a girl on my floor who I immediately connected with, and by that afternoon we had met two others. The four of us do everything together now, and they make my college life amazing.

I would tell myself to better my issues with time management and procrastinating. I would tell myself how big of an adjustment it is from high school to college, and how much harder it is. The freedom you receive also comes with much responsibility and in order to be successful you must accept it and use your time to the best of your ablility. Do not under-estimate the work that is needed to achieve good grades and most importantly, college really isn't all about fun. While you can have fun, you must make schoolwork a priority over your social life.

I would manage my time more wisely, and keep my credit excellent. Work hard keeping my GPA above average. I would network with more students on campus to build a great student relationship. This will help me and the students build a strong market after college. I would spend more time brushing up on my basic skills, because they will help me stay sharp while learning a new skills. Spending more time in labs, and getting extra tutoring when needed will help out with success in college.

Just breath and remember that everything will work out fine.

If I could rewind the clock to the beginning of my first semester at Boston University, I would sit myself down and clearly explain, "Do not underestimate any part of your college career, from your academic classes to your social life." My present self might blankly stare at my future self, "What exactly do you mean?" Entering into college, I wanted to be active around campus, achieve amazing grades, meet tons of new unique people, and overall just be involved. Throughout the first semester in Boston I worked hard at accomplishing these set goals but I strongly overlooked some aspects; I underestimated just how much time and energy all of this would take. I quickly ran myself into the ground because I just kept on underestimating as time went by, taking the semester with it. When I should have been asking for help with classes I pushed on until I finally caved in and sought help with tutors and teaching assistants. By then my grades had suffered and I realized my fault. I had been active, volunteering and participating in functions around campus, but I lost myself in the rush of the moment. "Practice self-awareness; be sensible."

The shock of meeting a future version of myself is merely a harsh exaggeration of the disbelief I already felt as a high school senior; the secure life I had been meticulously building for years was crumbling, leaving me vulnerable to the mysterious universe looming ahead. Instead of preparing, I obliviously focused on my old life, fearing change. ?Stop worrying,? I would tell my younger self, ?College isn?t scary! You won?t need to abandon old friendships, but you?ll find it easy to connect with new people if you extend yourself. You don?t need an outlined career path; you?ll form academic goals while exploring your interests. You?ll have independence to follow your passions, but stay organized so you don?t become stressed. Also, spare yourself early classes; you are not a morning person.? If I took my advice, I would not have been anxious. I would not hesitate to strike up conversations in the elevator, ask professors for help, or explore on weekends instead of retreating home. It would have been helpful to hear these words from such a valid source, allowing me to fearlessly leap into college life instead of gingerly easing into it.

Sometimes it would be great to be able to go back in time to be a senior in high school again and to follow a different course of action. In my case I chose Georgetown University because I thought I wanted to be a part of the "real" world one day with a "real" job. Political science and international relations seemed to be the way my logical brain led me. I had devoted my childhood to creative pursuits playing violin and piano since 4 years old and was accomplished as the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra concertmaster. I didn't want a career in musical performance and felt a "real" job was the answer. During my first semester in college everything inside me screamed with rebellion. I hated politics in a political school. I then followed my passion which led me to film, screenwriting and cinema. This is me. I have found a small group of artistic types , including my alternative rock band at Georgetown and I will survive until I can pursue film and writing as a graduate student. My advice is clear--- follow your passion and don't be pressured by the real world around you. Be true to yourself.

If you go to one of the many schools in the cold, windy northeast, make sure you?re driven by something to propel you through the long winter nights, and don?t you dare let that something be brooding. I know it?s in your head now that an institution or another person will lay out life for you, as if an acceptance letter were a feast that could keep you full for a decade, but I?m afraid such a banquet does not exist. Pull out a shovel and a spade, build up a few ideas, and hope that you?ll meet people along the way who are brave enough to come by and knock them down for you, otherwise I can?t imagine how else you would learn anything. Cry out and stamp your feet in indignation, but it?s equally acceptable for life to be terrible and for life to be lovely, either way, you don?t deserve either, you?ll only find what you were looking for. Even love, you?ll find that even in love you?ll have to work.

Just relax. Although this is an extremely stressful time, just know that you will end up where you are meant to be. You will know the second you walk into your audition whether this is the school for you or not. All of this hard work will pay off in a year. College will be the most exhilerating, enlightening, frightening, energizing, altogether AMAZING time of your life. You're almost there.

I would tell myself to savor the moments with my family. I have two sisters and a divorced mother who I neglected in over-packing my schedule with extra-curricular activities and studying. I forgot to breathe and just enjoy being young, healthy, and full of promise, and was instead tortured by anxiety about whether I would get into the college I wanted and how I would pay for it. I wish I had realized that wherever I was accepted, that was where I was supposed to be-I would make the most of any academic program I was accepted into because it is not the prestige of the college that defines the individual, but the student's own work and research and curiosity. I would have told myself to put down the AP Biology book, to stop memorizing the process of respiration in plants at least for a moment, and to spend time with my family on Sunday nights, to not spend Thanksgiving getting in some extra time studying. As a senior in college and completing a BA/MA program, and prospectivly pursuing a PhD in the UK, I know that I will never have those moments back again.

I would have advised my high school senior self to worry a lot less. While the task of picking a university was daunting, it would have been a lot less stressful if I would have realized that things fall into place and that trusting my intuition was equally as helpful as the extensive research on different schools and the excessive effort I made to do everything possible to advance my chances of going to a good university.