Catholic University of America Top Questions

Learning a Life Lesson in Reverse I graduated from college. It felt weird to say that, because when I drove home after four years of intensive studying to earn my chemistry degree, I really didn’t feel any different. Did graduating make me feel grown up, mature, or like an adult? The answer is both yes and no. Academically, I learned an enormous amount of material. I had incredible teachers, and I felt completely prepared for graduate school. But the emotional and social growth I expected to gain at school never came. The truth is that I put academics and work before everything else. Write a lab report or go out to a bar? Lab report. Apply for an internship or join the ballroom dance team? Internship. I had friends, but they were not lasting relationships that would continue after graduation. I realized this truth when I closed the door to my dormitory for the last time, and there was no one there to wish me luck or say goodbye. My college experience taught me many things, but the most valuable lesson was the realization that learning to balance work and fun is what it means to be and adult.

I have gained life experience. I have made a number of lifelong friends and met professors with valuable knowledge. I have grown in intellect and personality. I have developed a stronger will to succeed. I have grown physically, mentally, and emotionally. If I had never attended college, I do not see how I would have been able to mature in this way at home. I was thrown into a situation where I knew nobody and everything was new. The experience was frightening and exhilarating at the same time. I was forced to be friendly and cautious, open and guarded, simultaneously. I was required to take classes that I never thought I would be interested in, and yet those classes were exciting and entertaining to the mind. College is an experience like no other. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to truly discover who you are. On the practical side, college has provided me with a solid background in biology that will qualify me for a world of careers. As long as one is willing to do the work, the educational and social benefits of attending college are unable to be matched by any other experience.

Knowing what I know now, I'd be much more aware of what I wanted my major to be and I would have declared much earlier. I would have known that getting involved on campus makes the transition so much easier, and to start doing that as soon as you get on campus. I would tell myself to get out of my proverbial "box" - yeah, I'd be uncomfortable for a little while, but when that's over, I'd gain a new experience, new friends and have had a great time. I would have told myself not to bring as much CRAP as I did - when you go to college, become a minimalist. Dorm rooms are much smaller than you think. And save LOTS of money before you come. You spend so much! Try your hardest to get a job as a library assistant. You essentially get paid to do your homework.

Senior year in high school was so intimidating because of the college application process. I needed all the advice I could get. With this said, the advice I would have given myself is to be proactive. I know it is easy to get lazy during senior year, but if I had been more involved in various activities, I would have learned time managment. That is my advice, to really start the habit of time managment. It was easy to do homework ten minutes before class in high school and get away with it, but college is a whole other story. I struggled my freshman year of college with time management. It was something extra that I had to learn. If I had started that habit in high school, my transition to college would have been so much easier. I would not have struggled trying to learn something that was not on my class schedule. Time management saves you time!

I would tell myself that I needed to take more advanced classes. Technology and demands will be changing everyday. It would be best to prepare yourself for the unexpected. The opportunity to attend college is available to you. If you have "rocks in your road", college teachers will be there to help you get over them. My advice to you now is to study hard and apply yourself to the courses of study. Ask your guidance counselor for any advice needed to succeed to enter college. My last words of advice would be to "believe in yourself". Life may lead you down different paths in your life. It is very important to keep learning all the time. Apply yourself today for your future.

As a senior, I highly recommend you to continue taking a full schedule of Honors and Advanced Placement classes reminding yourself that there is a plethora of stressful times to get through both in school and life. Time management and study skills, while in high school, were simple tasks and not high on my list of priorities and good grades were taken for granted without too much effort like studying. Get a daily planner and learn to use it! It is important that you write down your class schedule, assignments, due dates and free time activities. Review it on a regular basis and get plenty of sleep as there will always be something that happens to hinder rest time. Complete your assignments early so as to have more time available. Don?t be afraid to use the tutor assistance at school even if you get straight ?A?s? as there is always something to learn. Appreciate your teachers and their hard work as you are just a number in college and you are accountable for all of your actions. There is no one to bail you out for your stupidity. Be responsible as it will take you far in life.

When I was a high school senior, my parents got divorced. My family was suffering a lot of emotional and financial pain for a long time after that, clouding our judgement on a lot of issues, like where to turn for help and where to apply to college. Although the Catholic University of America is a great place to be, it is very expensive and getting in took not only a lot of time and effort, but money as well. If I could back in time and talk to myself in high school, I would strongly advise myself to reconsider CUA and progress my education more slowly while me and my family healed. There is so much hype for high school graduates to get into college right away that often I times, I believe that people rush too much and make too many mistakes when choosing their majors and classes that more often than not, will end up costing them a couple thousand dollars in the end. The best advice I would give to not only myself, but my parents as well, would be to just take it slow. Life is only a rat race if you let it be.

If I could go back in time to talk to myself about college I would make myself more aware of the financial difficulties that I would be running into and pick a school that would have been more help ful to me with my student loans. I would also tell myself that once you got to college you should gone to the orientations and meet new poeple instead of staying in your room for the first two weeks. Lucky for me though hiding out in my room worked out for me and I have some of the best friends that anyone could ask for. I really do think that I was meant for this school, mostly because this was my last choice, but came here anyway to advoid my very large family,I believe this because I have found such good friends. And I would tell my senior self that and tell myself that I should work extremely hard to get money and do everything I can to keep this school.

Looking back, the advice I would give myself would be to appreciate my parents during the college process and see that they were are trying to help by reminding me of deadlines and scholarship applications and not just tormenting me. When arriving to college my advice would be to loosen up more and put yourself out there to meet people and experience the true essence of college life, you do not need everyone to like you but you will find your niche of people who will become some of your best friends. Also when choosing a college the food, especially when you have to have a meal plan, is not the most important thing when picking a college but make sure there is something you will eat as everyday that will be your only option other than spending money to eat elsewhere. Finally to relax and do not stress about the small stuff things will work out the way they are supposed to, and also avoid 8am classes that are in the farthest building on campus from your dorm and just in general.

I would start by telling myself I need to learn time management. College is not as easy to fly through as high school was. The only way to get the GPA I want is to work very hard for it. But I would tell myself and the time spent doing work and studying is completely worth it. I would tell myself not to worry about living with strangers in the dorms. It's not as hard being away from home as I thought it would be. Everyone is put in the same situation so there's no reason to have anxiety over what people think about me. I would tell myself to get involved in just about everything I could during the first semester of school. The best way to meet people is by getting involved. I would say that I need to learn how to save money instead of spending it. The main advice I would give myself as a high school senior is to be open to anything that comes my way, because I will definitely be able to handle it.