Columbia University in the City of New York Top Questions

My college experience has allowed me to mature. I was able to be involved with campus activities while also studying hard for my classes. I have learned how to make friends, get involved, study and enjoy myself while at college.

I was able to explore intellectually with like-minded students and faculty who actually cared about the subjects at hand. I took classes ranging from music history to the history of philosophy. My entire class took two full years of the same seminar courses, so that we could stay up late in our dorm rooms arguing about what Adam Smith really meant and whether or not we believed Freud?s theories. At graduation, the speaker made a joke about Boccaccio, and the entire graduating class laughed. There are very few colleges left that dare to maintain base curricula of major texts for every student to learn, even the biology majors. I went to the Met, MoMa, the Guggenheim, and P.S. 1 for free for four years. I took a class with Orhan Pamuk after he won the Nobel Prize. My roommate heard Iran?s President Ahmadinejad speak in person. Even after I?ve graduated, most of my professors still make time to have coffee with me and check how I?m doing.

Breathe. There's no need to go away to school and have a career immediately after graduation. You enjoy travel. Work! You're young and you're able to get a position waiting on tables or as part of a kitchen staff. Retail is not your thing so don't bother. Earn the money required that will allow you to visit the South American and European countries that you read about in The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Gabriela, Clavo y Canela. Once you're in those countries, breathe again. Enjoy it and I mean give yourself over to the experience, the aromas, the voices around you, the colors, the warmth or coldness of the people, and give back. Remember, you're in their country and a person's home is sacred. You will meet people and discover all the wonderful things you're capable of because you're living instead of waiting to live. After your time away, you might decide to go to either a college or university or you might not. Either decision works because it's your decision and only you answer to you.

I would tell myself to stay in school. I dropped out of high school as a senior. I spent many years, after that, getting into trouble and learning many hard lessons about life. I am now completely dedicated to taking my education as far as it can go and I am enjoying the process. Telling myself as a high school senior that life is an educational process would be invaluable. I'd let myself know that dropping out of school is not an escape from mental challenges. I would impart words of encouragement to myself that would've allowed me to push through my struggles, at the time. College is a foundation for a challenging and rewarding life. If i could tell myself this before I made the biggest mistake of my life, I could've accepted one of many college scholarship offers instead of struggling, now, to pay for school while supporting a family. Last, but not least, I'd tell myself not to regret any mistake in life, if you choose to make amends.

Think about what you are interested in. What do you like to learn about? What do you like to do? What do you get excited to learn about? College is, in part, a time to build up your knowledge in a field that interests you, and sometimes thinking about it this way rather than as a specific step en route to a specific career can be better. Many of my friends began the way I did: "After college, I want to be a ____." But many of us have found that we might not be interested in the classes required for a specific job, or don't like the practical reality of a specific job. "Wannabe" doctors who hate biology pr journailsts who don't like to talk to strangers have to find a subject - not a title - that really interests them. So, pursue your interests and explore new ones - take every opportunity to try something new or chase after a passing fancy. And if you find yourself missing something you used to love, whether it's badminton, volunteering or playing the violin, get back into it! New academic, career, and personal interests might develop!

Treat the college-selection process like a game of ?Hot or Cold?. As you consider each of your choices, garner a sense of ?how warm it feels?. The warmer a choice feels, the more it is in alignment with what you want and expect from college. This, of course, encompasses everything from the perks of moving away or staying near and surrounding environment to the financial burden and school strength in your intended degree program. It is a decision that your personality should dictate: you?ve always been one to climb to the highest ledge and then take a leap of faith. Direct yourself toward a population that you either already enjoy or aspire to be more alike. Socially speaking, personas are fine to have, but just be sure they are all naturally occurring and true to you. When in doubt, be yourself and treat every new face like a potential friend. Be aware that your resources extend beyond your immediate family and friends, and utilize those resources like an RA, a professor?s office hours, or career center services to your greatest advantage. Remind yourself that everyone wants you to succeed, but nobody expects you to do it alone.

If I could go back, I would tell myself to always try to be ten steps ahead of the next challenge. Preparation and hard-work are the keys to success and procrastination never helps a situation. Although, you should never apologize for taking some time out if you really need it. I would tell myself not to be afraid to take on things that seem impossible because failure only stems from lack of effort. I would say that your life will be far from ordinary or predictable, but then again it never has been. Besides, predictability is boring and prevents you from truly pushing yourself. I would tell myself that it's okay to cry when tragedy strikes as long as you don't let others see it. And although it's harder to see the pages, you can still work with tears in your eyes. I would tell myself to be more optimistic because everything tends to go smoother. Finally, I would tell myself to stop trying to be all things to all people, and simply search my soul for what I want out of life. Then work tirelessly to make it happen.

College, it seems, is all about testing your limits, be they academic, social or even financial. I think the most important thing I've learned in the last couple of months is that it's okay to do something that doesn't turn out in the perfect way you might have hoped. You don't have to know everything - you DON'T know everything, and that's really okay. Chances are, everyone around you is in the same boat. So go ahead, take that class that sounds kind of interesting even if you have no idea what anthropologic engineering means - you might end up finding your major. Introduce yourself to the nice looking girl sitting at the end of the table in the dining hall - she could be your next best friend. Join that club - it may lead you to your passion. Take some risks, put yourself out there - it is in the connections we forge and the passions we discover that the transition to college doesn't even feel like a threatening life change, but rather the beginning of a fantastic new chapter in our lives.

"Welcome to college," I would say. "Here begins the most challenging and best four years of your life." Throw aside claims about your ability to never be homesick, to always use your newfound freedom responsibly and to get a perfect GPA, you are now entering into the real world, and realistic expectations are a part of the game. Columbia is a challenging school and environment, and when it seems like the next four years are too harsh to handle remember why you decided to attend college in the first place. When the experience is over, and you glance back on the snippets of memories you have acquired what did you do? Work, so that when this day comes you can say proudly, I tried my hardest academically and athletically, I made friends that will stay with me for the rest of my life and I never once doubted my ability to achieve all the goals my naive high school self threw out into the future for the taking. Four years may seem like forever, but your predecessors are not lying when they say it passes by in all but a moment. Enjoy every second, the good and the bad.

Dont be afraid, it's only the beginning of everything for you. Just hold onto the fact that you are strong, and only you know exactly who you want to be and what kind of life you want to lead. Although your career choice or even major may not be set in stone, theres no reason to panic because ultimately, this panic may lead you to choose something you dread doing. Listen to yourself, and if you need, take some time off and so some soul searching. Even though this time off may seem like wasted time, its not. Taking this time off will be able to get your bearings straight and take you away from the fervor of college life which can sometimes be blinding. Dont be pressured into doing something just to finish, take your time, and really take this transition as a blessing. It's a time not only to get somewhere in life, but 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of what should come out of this transition is knowing your core being.