Bucknell University Top Questions

I would advise myself to assimilate my college perspective to Scrooge's dream in "A Christmas Carol"; past (before college), present (during college) and future (after college). In high school I didn't understand the true meaning of college. Past: Keep looking for scholarships and working hard tto get into college. Present: I honestly thought that everyone in college acts like mature adults. I would tell myself not to expect this, and not to have excessive expectations in general. Having preconceived notions puts a damper on the unexpected uniqueness. Also, be open-minded and outoing during everyday activities. Future: Look for a major based on abilities and interest in subject matter as opposed to how much money it offers as a career. College is not just a place to go which will help you find a job. As important as education is, college is also a world that offers friendships, challenges, excitement, and independence. As I continue to learn: it is what you make it.

First and foremost, I would tell myself to relax. It's hard to be uncomfortable at Bucknell since you're surrounded by intelligent students at your age who are all interested in similar things. I would also tell myself to go with the flow. By that, I mean don't be obsessed with joining certain clubs, or meeting certain professors. Everything comes in time. At the beginning, you should just work on becoming comfortable and getting to know everything and everyone. Because initially, the most important thing is to keep an open mind and find out what really makes you happy. Don't inject your previous beliefs and prejudices about yourself and others from high school into the fresh-start college experience. To go with the flow, you have to reevaluate what you thought you knew, liked, and hated. If you just continue everything you were doing from high school, you're not really progressing or opening new avenues of opportunity. And college is about the new. So I would tell myself to just look around and get to know everthing before commiting to certain ideas and people.

Coming from New York City, college life in Lewisburg was like an ice bath on a hot day: a shock. Though I read lots about Bucknell and thought the semester would've been as easy as the weekend I stayed there, I was in a for a big surprise. If I could take the knowledge and experience that I've gathered from my first semester back to a high school senior me, one of the first things I would have told myself was to prepare for a culture shock. (Culture, here, far exceeds the boundaries of ethnic backgrounds, and is instead a way of life.) I also would have told myself that getting by on smarts alone would be insufficient for college work, and that I would need to discipline myself in different ways, to ensure that I was working on a college level. I would have reminded myself that being me is essential, that if never before, now would be the time to. I see so many young adults, like myself, get trapped in the hype of living to someone else's superficial expectations. Because I know what's best for me, I'd keep being me.

If I could go back and give advice to my high school self I would have a lot to say. First, I would tell myself to try new things, take chances, and not be afraid to make mistakes. There are many opportunities in college and not all of them are academic. College is a time to explore and find yourself and there are many ways to do this. There are hundreds of clubs and organizations that can teach you about new things. Try them out, you might find a new interest that you love. Also, I would tell myself that I won't be the smartest person at Bucknell. Everyone is smart. You will be smarter than some, but others will definitely be smarter than you. Although it's hard, try not to let that bother you. If you constantly compare yourself to your peers you will never be satisfied or happy. Work hard and try your best, that is the most you can do. Also, find a routine that works for you. There isn't going to be anyone to make you go to class, eat right, exercise, or sleep enough. Make sure you can depend on you.

Dear High School Self,Calm down. The first piece of advice I have for you is to stop stressing and breathe. It sounds cheesy but everything will work out. I know you expect college to be perfect and, believe me its pretty close, but not everything is going to click right away and that?s okay. It?s going to take some time to find people that you really connect with and to discover where you belong on campus. In the meantime, meet as many people as possible. The first few months of freshman year are the only time where it?s not weird to randomly introduce yourself to someone. Remember that everyone else is in the same boat; they are just as terrified as you, even if you can?t always tell. Take full advantage of everything that Bucknell offers and try as many new things as possible. Experiment with your classes; you don?t need to know exactly what you want to do your freshman year. College is a unique time period where nearly everything is at your fingertips. Above all, have fun. The next couple of years are going to be the best time of your life.

College is a great opportunity to explore. And if you start by expanding your experiences, then later, you can narrow your interests more accurately. As a freshman, it is helpful to reach out in as many directions as possible, whether or not they seem plausible final paths. Join clubs, join teams, take classes in different departments, talk with professors, talk with students, attend department lectures; use as many resources as you can find to explore new ideas and areas. This expansion also creates for you a network of friends, students, and faculty which will stay with you, helping you through both college and career choices. In the following years, you can eliminate those activities which you find less interesting from your list, finally choosing the career or life path which you would find most beneficial and enjoyable. After college, many people go directly to careers or graduate school, lessening or even eliminating the chance to explore other areas. Therefore, before that time comes, use the opportunity presented by colleges and universities to explore as many different areas as you can.

Transitioning from high school to college can be difficult. There is much more reading and work involved and you are expected to take on a lot more responsibility in terms of learning the material. Teachers will not force you to as much to do assignments and keep up with your work - this is your responsibility. You will soon begin to understand why it is important to do all homework assignments and keep up with the material so that you can perform well on writing assignments and tests. College is definitely a time where you must learn to manage your time appropriately. There will be many distractions and often you'll probably want to spend time having fun with friends as opposed to studying. You must figure out how much time you need to allocate to your studies so that you can do well in classes while still giving yourself enough time to have fun and enjoy the college life. This is definitely the biggest challenge, but it is doable!

Find a school that is in your comfort range (small, medium, large student body); determine if your contribution to tuition, room and board can be fulfilled with scholarships, grants and federal loans to prevent interruption in education, and visit at least three college campuses before making a final decision.

You can't put a price ona good education, if it's the school you can see yourself learning and striving in do everything you can to make it happen. You're going to living and learning there for four years, and four years can seem like an awful long time when we're at our lowest point. Pick the school that when you visited you couldn't stop thinking about after you left, the school where you fell in love with both the architecture, the people, and the air. It definitely helps to visit the schools you're applying to, I completely changed my mind after I traveled around the summer after my junior about which school I wanted to attend. Overall, college is an amazing and unique evperience that one must take full advantage of, but that is the individual's doing. College, like life, is what you make of it, so my advice is to try new things every step of the way, avoid ruts, keep an open mind, and go places, travel the world, meet the people and never stop learning.

Keep in mind that when you are searching for a college, you will be living there! If it's at all possible, try to arrange an overnight visit, or at least a campus visit so that the prospective student may gain an insight as to what kind of students attend the college/university.