Colorado School of Mines Top Questions

I would tell myself to get ready for the real world. College professors will not take it easy on you because you are having a bad day or because you don’t handle stress as well as others. These professors will kick you to the curb if you are not up to their standards, and each semesters professors seem to have standards higher than the last. I would tell myself to start preparing for the financial stress that you are about to endure for the next four to five years and that if you can work while continuing your education you should do it. Working not only helps ease the financial burden of college but also gives you some time to focus on something else besides homework, projects, and exams. There is no finer career in the world than to become an engineer, but this path will take more work than most. Engineering school will push you very hard. This will be extremely stressful at times, but you will learn so much about your potential to do great things in this world. Finally, I would tell myself to keep pushing for my dreams, especially when they start to seem distant.

Forget all the ideas of college and of your future that you have. Wipe the slate clean and be open to new ideas and new opportunities. Have goals and dreams, but don't be surprised if these change and morph throughout the years. College is the time to start figuring out who you are. Who you are at 18 is definitely not who you will be at 23. Dont pass up the opportunity to try out new things. Be that person who says yes to road trips with friends, who agrees to run for student government, who is willing to jump off the stratospher in Vegas, because these life experiences teach you about yourself. Your education is important and will stretch you to be an intelligent person who is ready to achieve your career goals, but only being an academic in college makes life dull. You dont want to look back on your college years and wish you would have tried this, that, and the other. College memories shouldn't be full of regret. They should be full of fun and crazy memories that make you smile and wish you could live it over and over again.

Don't be afraid to meet anyone and everyone who crosses your path. Each person here is so unique and interesting, it is well worth your time to get to know them and learn from their experiences. They also present a multitude of new ideas and approaches to challeges, and that is one of the very best ways to improve yourself and those around you. It never hurts to try new things, and now is the time to explore your options. You also need to keep a positive outlook, and if something is not right for you, only you have the power to change it. Gone are the days with parents keeping a watchful eye, and being an adult is not nearly as much fun as you think it might be, so enjoy college while it lasts.

I'd tell myself that eventually geek will become chic. I'd have to explain the rise of the Marvel cinematic Universe and the success of The Avengers. It would come as qutie a shock to be told that an era of geek love will occur. I'd tell the young Matthew to avoid seeing Daredevil and try to convive myself to save Heath Ledger from his untimely death, (more Joker performances would not be a bad thing) as well as his continued presence for his family. It would also be nice to hear form someone that even though highschool is confusing and rough college is inclusive and amazing. I would have like to know that there will eventually be a place in the world for geeks, freaks and wierdos who interests don't lie within the typical bounds of our culture.

From a social perspective, enjoy the time in college, you never get it back. Have as much fun as possible so long as it doesn't hurt you in the long term. Don't try to make as many friends as possible, but try to develop relationships that will last a lifetime. Academically, keep your grades high to ensure future employment success, but don't waste your college experience trying to get a 4.0 instead of a 3.8, unless that is really what is most important to you. Take summer internships in different industries and/or locations. The experience and network will be have benefits for years to come. Finally, utilize the resources at your school as much as possible, whether it is personally or professionally. Once you leave, you don't realize how valuable they are.

When I was a senior in high school, I was bent on having a plan and didn't look into many different options for college. I was determined to get as far away from the rest of my high school class as I could. Because of that, I ended up spending two years at a college I hated before transferring to the right school for me. The right school turned out to be a lot like my high school, which was just what I needed. I had thought I needed to move halfway across the country into a completely different enviornment in order to grow as a person. It turns out moving halfway across the country was a good idea, but completely changing the type of enviornment I was in was just too much for me. So basically I wish I had known to do more research before making a decision and that I should go somewhere where I would be challenged, but comfortable.

Go straight to Mines, don't try to transfer in credits. It will only slow you down. Mines will get you on track much faster than you think. Also, while you're in high school, apply to as many scholarships as you can. It never hurts to get ahead of the game. You will fall behind by having to take loans, which you will have to pay back, if you don't stay ahead of the game. Always sleep at night and don't get too strung up over relationships, you are happier being single! You're at an engineering school, so all freshmen are taking the exact same classes as you. You're not the only one struggling on homework or labs. You will procrastinate. You will hate yourself for it. You will continue to procrastinate anyways. Lastly, enjoy the best four years of your life!

I would reassure myself that college is the next step to grow as a person and that the School of Mines provides the knowlege and social life that I would like. I had many doubts and worries about school becuase of the cost and the loans that I had to take. Looking at that now, the knowlege I received was worth the loans and the hard work. I have made many good friends and would not have grown into a better person without them. I would reasure myself that i would make great friends and do well in school.

Now that I am into my first year at a very prestigious and academically tough university, I can see where I could have handled things differently in my past life. Coming from a small rural town, I had no dedicated math teacher, math teachers came and went, and we had to try glitchy online classes, which has hurt me greatly in my college calculus classes. My mom, a single parent, had no money to send me to the local college as some parents did but I could have put more effort into some summer online calculus classes that would have set me up better for this first year. I spent a lot of time working full time and ignoring my online summer class before I began college. I would also like to write a letter to the school board to let them know how I have struggled and where I think they can make changes so future graduates can have a better start to their college careers. If no one comes back to tell the school board what went wrong, how will they know? I cannot complain about what went wrong without coming up with possible solutions to their problems.

I would articulate about how i needed to get my act together and get as many scholarships as possible, because school is highly expensive. I work two jobs now and a full time student, and if I ended up getting more scholarships i could just focus on my studys instead of focusing on the tuition fees and book fees. O meed to take care of my body more so i could physically work and do two jobs instead of being in constant pain thanks to never gaining more scholarships. Stress gets to people, and i would not have this much stress on me if i just sit down and apply for scholarships. I will struggle in life if i do not get my act together. My number one problem in high school was not realizing how important scholarships were, because now i am begging for them.