Clark University Top Questions

Nate, Don't go to Hobart. You will make a few good friends, but that school is what everyone says it is. There are great academics, and professors, but the attitude of the school is not for you. You know that, don't go there to spite your mother. Think about what's best for you and your future. Clark is a far better school for you. It is a warmer atmosphere and you will have far more fun in the first few days than you had at Hobart. Plus if you go there now, it will be cheaper than transferring, which you're bound to do. When you get to Clark, don't hold yourself back, join an improv comedy group. Go for runs. Make friends and be brave. College will only give you what you choose to get out of it. The same is true for life. You have to take your own goals into your hands. Try hard and never give up, and no matter how bad you fail, you will always be able to pick yourself up and go for your goal. Good luck, Nate P.S. Wash your dishes more often, it's gross.

During high school, I loved reading, writing, and studying in general. I loved talking about books and discussing debates from class even at lunch time or after school ended. I was the only person I knew who enjoyed reading just as much as, if not more than, having fun in typically teenage ways. I loved listening to NPR and relating what I had heard to classwork. When I went to college, I learned tha so many more people with these interests existed. I could mention an article I had heard on the radio and a chorus of people would respons with, "OH! I heard that too!" instead of blank stares. Talking about class reaing wasn't "nerdy." In college, you find things you are passionate about and you are supposed to learn how to relate these things to the larger world. The advice I would give to my high school self would be to keep on being passionate about the world because someday this passion will promote positive change and creativity and also because college is full of intelligent, passionate people.

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school senior self, I would tell her to listen to dad. The idea of a school far may sound wonderful right now, especially one in a place where so much could be going on at any time, but it's not worth it. If I could go back and change my own mind, I would go to a much cheaper school that is still in Maine to complete my undergraduate degree. Save the fancy, big-name school for when you decide to go to graduate school. I wish I could go back and make myself save more money than I spent and worked harder to be able to have money saved up in case of an emergency. I would tell myself to apply to as many scholarships as possible, because even though I got a great financial aid package, it might not be as easy as expected to get the grades necessary to continue it...

I would advise to be more concious of opportunities that pop up to help you understand the world around me. It is more important that you try to make lasting connections with people who truly care about you. Aquiantences are sometimes not worth your time, but true friendships golden and hard to find. Do not miss out on opportunities to explore where you live and where you want to go. Having first-hand experiences in challenging situations is key to building character and street intelligence. If you do not get outside and explore, you will fall behind in life because you will not know how to handle the obsticals of your location and explore its hidden gems. Additionally, it is important to educate yourself about national and global current events and connect them to larger ideas about global systems, policies, economies, and movements that affect the world today. Because young people are often deprived of good political and social education in school, you must reach outward and start conversations about these things. Again, you must connect with others with the goal of forming opinions about political and social topics to learn about systems that dictate how the world runs.

All of the fundamental things to be successful in college are learned in elementary school and perfected in high school; college is where you apply it. It’s where you prove what you are made of. Although I do believe all of the subjects you learn in school are important, the most important things you learn are the skills; time management, self-motivation, study habits, and group work. It is vital to make sure to perfect these skills. Doing so will guarantee you good grades. Not only will you help yourself be successful in college but you will also be preparing yourself for a professional career and for the responsibilities of adulthood. Take advantage of the fact that you have time right now. Experiment with different ways of studying such as flashcards or group study sessions. Try out calendars or planners to plan out your day to make sure you set reminders and meet deadlines, it will definitely avoid the unnecessary stress of procrastination. High school is your time to master skills you will use for the rest of your life.

At that time in my life I would have been working in a clothing store. I would have told myself to sign up for college immediately. I would have pushed myself to learn more about the help I could have recieved to attend college. That continuing my education is the most important thing I can do for my future. Attending college before I have children will be easier than trying to earn a degree with so many distractions. I would not have had to endured so much financial hardship if I had went to college and earned a degree. I would have been able to create the life I have always wanted much sooner and been more self confident in life. I would have said all the things I wish someone would have told me at the time, because I really needed someone to push me in the right direction back then.

Everything works out in the end. Don't worry about something going wrong, everything happens for a reason. There are big things that you will acomplish in your life so don't get hung up on bad things that happen. You don't need a million friends and a crazy social life you just need the friends that will stick by you forever and you do have those. Appreciate you family and learn how to forgive because nobody is perfect. College will be tough in the beginning but you will have the best time of your life. The people you meet here will be some of the best you have ever known. Be strong and stay smart.

The one piece of advice I would give myself in high school is to have fun and cherish all the memories. Once you get to college a lot of pressure gets put on yourself to choose a career path and figure out what you want to do with your life. Althugh college is fun, it can feel like a job of sorts as so much time and effort is put towards studying and doig research. I wish I could of enjoyed high school a little more and joined more clubs because those 4 years go by fast and you want to cherish every minute of it.

When I was a high school, I didn't care much for my future. Being a gay guy in a small town in Western Massachusetts lopped away at my optimism for life early in my youth. I viewed the world in all my naivity from a closet; an allegorical and Platonic cave if you will. My senior year I was named to the MA All-State soccer team, played in an All-Star soccer game that got me recruited to Clark, finished my senior year with a GPA above a 4.0., and yet I can only define how I percieved my life as morose and indifferent. Before I eventually came to Clark, I had no clue what it felt like to feel accepted and worthy of praise. The advice I would give myself would be to take a look beyond the cave and see what the future can offer. Consider all of your options and know that there is another world out there waiting for you because I know you are looking for a new one.

I would explain to myself about how rewarding it feels to work in the medical field. Once I started working in a hospital, I realized that the duties one performs no longer feel like just a simple job. Those duties become a passion; a passion to make the people you take care of feel better than they ever could have without your help. The simple comforts you provide become much more than something simple. They flourish into all the thank you's and appreciations that the patients and patients' families will bestow upon you. At the end of the day, all of that is a just payment in itself. Every work shift matters and will justify all of the hard work that you put forth.

If I could go back in time and provide advice to my high-school self, I would first tell myself to hang in there, stay true to I am, and make it through the last year of high school because Clark University will be the best experience. I will get the chance to meet people who like me for me, and I will be free to be myself without the social pressures of high school. Second, I would advise myself to work on my time-management. In college, classes are tougher, but their are more times to take advantage of that give you the opportunity to get things done and be efficient. I would stress to my high-school self that I need to break the habit of staying up too late to finish things. Instead, I cannot and will not procrastinate, work on things piece by piece from the moment it is assigned, and I will finish all assignments, projects, and studying for tests without cramming at the last minute.

As a high school senior I would advise myself to think hard about the future that I want for myself. I would want myself to consider the cost of attending some of the great schools that I applied to and the amount of loans that I was willing to have to repay when I finished school. I would tell myself to find the school that excites me the most, a school that provides opportunities for me to get invovled on campus in clubs and activities. I would also tell myself to find the school that I would fit in the best at. I would have to consider the location of the school and the opportunities that the location could provide. the last piece of advice that I would give myself as a high school senior would be to make sure that the school that I plan to attend has many different classes that I could take so that I could explore every option for a possible future for myself. College should be a fun time and I should not stress about getting it perfect. After I get used to the transition everything will work out the way it should.

Working hard in high school was a priority for me, mainly so that I could get the highest grades possible in order to get accepted into college. Now that I am in college, I realize how important that constant and consistent work ethic is. You have much more freedom in your daily schedule in college, so it is easy and tempting to relax and procrastinate than it was during my very restricted free time during high school. Make yourself a study schedule based around your classes, and stick to it! There is plenty of time to relax, but do your homework and studying consistently following your planned schedule. If your dorm mates make it difficult to avoid temptation, take your work to the library. Be yourself. I am not a partier or a drinker, however in college, you will meet many students who are. Do not be tempted to lower your personal convictions and standards in order to feel accepted by a group which makes you uncomfortable. Even if it takes you a little longer to find friends who stay away from the party scene, it can be done and you feel much better about sticking to your convictions.

Friends and self realization. The people at Clark are generally amazing individuals that prosper as a whole. Everybody I know cares for other people to an extent not seen very much, and acts upon it. They're activists, hippies, rockers, gamers, jocks, anything you can think of, but they're similar in their love for people. Before I came, I didn't consider myself to be anywhere near a lover of people, but Clark changed my entire world around.

My college experience has helped me realize my own ability and agency. Clark has provided me with a grant to do an internship abroad and with the chance to study abroad for two semesters on two continents. I have been involved in research and with faculty. Any project I have been able to conceive of has been realized through the resources available at Clark. My years at Clark transformed me from someone who loved learning but was bored by school into someone who is incredibly engaged in an academic environment and who wants to continue on to a graduate degree. I have made valuable connections with people in the field of international development through my coursework and internships. My time at college has been not only incredibly academically stimulating but also a good preparation for a career.

College was the first time in my life that I had a real core group of friends instead of just casual acquaintances. I figured out how to accept constructive criticism gracefully in class and how to meet deadlines without my parents having to breathe down my neck. I learned that life doesn't grind to a halt just because a boy breaks up with you, that the world is a much bigger place than Manhattan below 14th Street, and that it doesn't matter how many great facilities your college has if you don't take advantage of them.

If I could go back in time, I?d learn better time management skills. College is not the same as high school. College is hard, and it?s hard on many different levels. It?s important not to get swept away by this amazing experience. Be prepared to face the difficulty of putting academics first. Be careful not to abuse new found independence. Remember that along with freedom comes responsibility. Your choices, whatever they may be, also have consequences. If you skip class and don?t turn in assignments on time, your grades will suffer. College professors have heard it all, and they don?t give extra credit or allow you to play ?catch up?. Overloading on difficult or challenging courses first semester is not a good idea. Although you think you may have plenty of free time, this gets filled up quickly with clubs, work, laundry, and socializing. Don?t get too caught up in the partying scene. It?s easy to get carried away and it can lead to careless or reckless decisions. Remember - You ?play?, you pay. It?s true. Have confidence in yourself, make good decisions, work hard and enjoy every moment.

I would tell myself to figure out what i want to become instead of just jumping in. I would inform the younger me to think of all the things my choice requires. Figure out how much i need to pay for the education I require and how I will pay for it. Where will I be living, in a dorm or at home? I would inform myself of all the things that need to be done& that I should ask someone who knows what they are about (eg. school rep, parent, adviser) to help in the things i do not understand.

One of the hardest parts about transitioning to college for me was being away from my family. While most of my friends were eager to get out of the state and begin living independently, I was scared to death. I am very close to my family and had never spent extended periods of time away from them. Although I would only be four hours from home, I knew it would be a challenge and it caused me a lot of distress and anticipation leading up to orientation. If I could talk to myself as a senior, I would not deny that the first several weeks of the semester were hard. I would admit that the day I was dropped off and watched my parents drive away while standing alone on the sidewalk was unbearable. But I would also tell myself that things always get better. Yes, it will be very, very hard at first, but if you can get through that initial shock and sadness, you can get through anything. I would tell myself to stay busy and spend time with friends even when I didn't feel like it, because that is truly the best way to feel better.

Going back to high school, I'd tell myself to not try so hard at trying to succeed or make new friends, because this kept me from acting like the real me, and when the real me finally came out I lost some friends and changed my major. However, by relaxing and being myself I made close friends. I'd also tell myself to do more research on the extracurricular activities that are offered at Clark and have an idea of what I wanted to do, rather than going to the student club fair and writing my name down for 12 clubs, 9 of which I won't attend. Talking more to my academic advisor and mapping out my career path would have made my sophmore year alittle less stressful, as well as visiting career services to find interships and to get started on resumes early would be another piece of advise I'd give myself. Though one of the most important pieces of advise I'd give to my past self would be to not worry about the past or the grades I made in high school, but to instead focus more on the work I'm doing now.