Chaminade University of Honolulu Top Questions

I come from a totally different environment, culture, and lifestyle. What I experienced the most is the reliability on my family and relatives. And I would say that attending college or traveling hundred miles just to go to college has played a large impact on my life. I am far away from home, being introduced to this new world, yet at this current moment I do not feel lost and alone. Chaminade University, with its great, hardworking faculty, and friendly students showed me that I have the potential and courage to step out into the new, bigger world. I have the power to become very socialable, power to communicate and the wisdom to share knowledge and services with the people around me. I became very active in self confidence, and I know that other people appreciate what I do. I perform community services and do volunteer jobs; Painting. What has become of me is very valuable to the community and to the world because the bigger picture is not about me but about what I do for others and how others feel. It's been very valuable to attend Chaminade because I'm still learning what to do best.

Universities encourage the personal growth of their students, whether you are a high school graduate or returning after years of working or raising children. Through in-depth learning opportunities and a unique social atmosphere, the college experience allows students to explore what they like and dislike, cement their personal beliefs, meet other people from all walks of life and further develop their minds and skills. I am a returning college student and while I enjoyed my first college experience, I had no idea what I wanted to get out of my education. After entering the workforce for a few years, I quickly realized the true value of university life. The college experience, for me, is about the process of becoming my own woman, learning new skills that will help me build a successful career, joining clubs that fit my interests in order to network and make new friends, and building the leadership skills I need to be successful in life. My first college experience allowed me to learn more about myself. Because of this, I am now able to push my boundaries and comfort zones in an effort to become a stronger and more well rounded person.

I have truely come to learn and accept how Chaminade runs as a university and a business. My first year at Chaminade wasn't what I had planned and it wasn't just me either. Many students like myself wanted to leave or had already left because of the cost, grades, and homesickness. Although I had a balance and was worried that I had to wait and come back spring semester because I couldn't pay my balance and that meant no dorm, no classes. I finally gotten over that burden and paid my balance and I am dorming and enjoying my classes very well. I was one of those students who felt Chaminade did suck and Hawaii wasn't what I expected, but I can say that I'm falling in likes with my school and I love Hawaii. Attending school in America where the culture is so different it seems foreign it has been a pleasure to know a different culture. I wouldn't trade another school in the world to recieve the education I am recieving at Chaminade. I'm here to stay and finish no matter what.

College is a time for advancing yourself for future career and social endeavors. At Chaminade University, I was able to learn through small class sizes the importance of personalization with professors and peers to succeed. By being able to know my classmates by name, I was able to build relationships that followed through throughout the school year. This treasure of relationship with people is important because it has prepared me for my future interactions with clients, businessmen, and employees. I have learned the significance of a person and how to approach their values with my own.

Going to college may feel extraordinarily nerve-wracking to new freshman and transfers, but the experience higher education brings is beyond worthwhile. The two best things that I've gotten out of my college experience are the new and diverse people I meet, and the world of educational opportunities presented to me. Going to school in Hawai'i meant getting as far away from home as possible without leaving the USA. How anxiety-producing! The best ideas usually are. Now I have friends from all over the world, and learn new tings about their native languages and cultures every day. My classes have made me more sophisticated and intelligent. College requirements mean taking courses in areas that I never would have considered studying on my own. If it weren't for college, I would never have discovered that I adore Communications. Now I want to continue studying it both in school and on my own time!

I attended Chaminade University of Honolulu in Hawaii, from Fall term 1984 to Spring term 1986. Attending Chaminade provided me with a faith based (Marianist), education which allowed me to grow both intellectually and personally. I was also fortunate enough to receive a scholarship during my two year course of study at Chaminade, without which I could not have afforded to attend Chaminade. Although a privately run school, Chaminade University did not discriminate between self paying students and finacial aid, scholarship recipients like myself. I was also able to write for the Silversword, Chaminade's student publication, which was a very rewarding experience for me, both academically and personally. My stint with the Silversword helped me to hone my writing skills. Finally, the cosmopolitan student body at Chaminade gave me an opportunity to meet students from domestic as well as international backgrounds. I am firmly convinced that I received a well rounded education at Chaminade University.

Knowing what I know now, the advice that I would give my previous self would be to let "who you were" in highschool, go. I'm not saying that you should dismiss your merits, honors, and achievements, but I think that if we let our popularity and social aspects that we had in highschool go, that we could transition easier and without fail. With the academic year of 2009-2010 being my first year of college, I've had to learn to let my highschool life go, and be open to a new life with new people and experiences. From where I stand, I think that this is what most of us college freshman fail to realize until it's too late.

I would tell myself to enjoy my high school years and not stress so much about college admissions. There are always alternatives to getting into a good school and if I don't get into my top rated school, I can always transfer afterwards. During my senior in high school, all I would worry about was to get a high GPA and pass all my AP exams so that I could get college credit. However, these didn't exactly help me in college. College is a whole new beginning... you start over again as a real "freshmen" and gradually learn to become a better student as every semester passes on. Perhaps, everything that you need to learn such as essays, reports, time management, financial aid, etc will be learnt again but in more depth in one's college years. Hence, I would recommend to enjoy one's high school senior year with friends and family and especially relax while still keeping up the good grades.

Knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition from high school to college, if I were to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell the young senior to focus on preparation skills and to always have determination. Preparation and determination are two key ingredients to success! I've learned from experiences in life, if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Also, as seen in sports worldwide, the better prepared team often times prevails. However, Determination is an imperative attribute that virtually anyone would benefit from. Its not always the rabbit who wins the race, sometimes it takes will over skill. Preparation and determination are two key ingredients to success!

The most important thing that I would tell myself is this: ?Please don?t waste your precious time!? The 6 years following my high school graduation, I was in the U.S. Navy. I wish that someone would have told me to use that time to get my education completed, however I have had to learn the hard way. I am doing my best to complete a degree in psychology, so that I may then obtain a masters in counseling. I feel that my life?s purpose it to help people overcome problems in their lives, and I need an excellent education to do so. Thank you, Emily Day