Colorado School of Mines Top Questions

The biggest advice I would give myself would be to reach out and make a more diverse group of friends. I was the type of person who latched on to the first friends I found, and that didn't give me much diversity later on when those friendships fell apart. I would also remind myself to be my own person and not care what others think. When you find someone who loves you for who you are, no excuses, then you know you've found a true friend. Mostly though, I'd tell myself it's all going to be alright - even when you mess up and the transition is difficult, it all turns out okay, so don't stress.

Allow yourself to meet new people and remember that you do not have to do everything yourself. Study groups are a great benefit at college and you meet a lot of great people that way too. Seek out your professors and TAs when you need help. And remember, there is more to school than just studying. Take time to enjoy, learn new hobbies and help others. College is wonderful.

Apply earlier to college, take more time to study to get better grades.

The advice that I would give my high school senior self is to either join a few clubs and/or a sport in college. I did not do either of those this year, and while I have enjoyed not having to worry about making practice for a club or a sport, I do miss swimming and having something to do. I would tell myself to join a club because they are fairly relaxed, yet there are so many on campus that I am bound to find one that will peak my interest. There are a few martial arts clubs and a Frisbee club, and I enjoy bot of those sports. I would encourage myself to join one of these clubs and be a part of it. I would also encourage my high school self to continue swimming after high school swimming finished and try to make the cuts for the Mines swim team. I didn’t want to do it because of the time commitments and I didn’t want my grades to fall, but after seeing the work load, I realized I would have been able to manage it.

Dearest Anayanssi, I realize you are having a good time as a senior right now. You have heard countless times from teachers how important it is to schedule your time in order to finish all projects on time, be able to study sufficiently for the next exam, and still have time to spare for social activities and wind-down time. Right now you feel like such thing won’t be necessary in your case, which is why I'm happy I can catch up to you at this time. Advice is: meet your agenda! that ever-forgotten but faithful companion. Your agenda will be your most reliable friend now. If you never had to remind yourself due dates, college will be the time you take control of your time. No one will remind you when a paper is due, and if you keep this in mind, you will save yourself the fright. Time is in your hands girl. I know you will eventually find your way to independence by wisely managing your time, but I felt it was necessary to give you the heads up, so the transition will be a smoother one. Best of luck, Yourself

Attending college as an adult has had it's ups and downs . I 've had kids in my classes that graduated with my oldest son and some were still in highschool with my 17 year old daughter. But through it all I adjusted , I found my way around campus , learned how to use computers, and even made it on the deans list. The thing I would want to tell myself the most is; don't delay going back to school for 20 years, do it as soon as you graduate high school. There is no better time than when you are young to start down the path to your future. Attending college is powerfull and if you work hard you can recieve the education needed to fullfill your dreams. So finally strive for success , aim for the best education you can get and don't let anything get in your way of reaching your full potential.

I started taking classes at community college in my senior year. So in a way my senior year was like my first year of college. The best advice to myself would have been study hard rather then just doing good enough. I spent my senior year/first year of college doing just well enough to get by instead of doing my best. I can get by doing the minimal amount of work. But is that how I want to live my life? Just getting by? Not really. I plan to go into my next school year fully applying myself and doing my schoolwork to the best of my ability, rather then just going good enough to get by. Not everyone is blessed with a college as I am and I don't want to take it for granted!

I have come to realize my full potential as a student and a member of society. Not only have i learned so much in the field of engineering, but I have also learned how to be indepented and responsible for myself. Hard work and perserverance really does pay off in all aspects of life.

The past four months at Colorado School of Mines has been nothing less than valuable. My earlier years of high school were probably some of the worst times in my life. At school, I wasn't always the most confident kid, by any means. I always doubted myself in situations and at tasks that I could accomplish. These experiences have given me a better perspective. Being at CSM has supported living in the present, being my best self, not falling victim to what other people think, and to be in control of my own future. As I move forward and try my hand at independence, Colorado School of Mines has been valuable to attend because of the small enrollment and its intimate environment. One of the first steps of living in the present and becoming independent is making the decision of how to be in control of your future. I decided upon the path of engineering because of my interests with numbers and science. CSM supports my appreciation for these subjects and being around others with the same connections is extremely valuable. Confidence, independence, support, and an excellent academic rigor are traits I've received from my first semester.

Due to the difficulty of the Mines program, I have been able to handle in job I've been given over the years. I have been a geologist, taught middle school math and science, taught high school math and science including physics and AP calculus. I received my master's degree in natural science with a specialty in geology and environmental sciencce.