DePaul University Top Questions

What should every freshman at DePaul University know before they start?

John

Do not hold yourself back from being as social as possible. The most important thing for you to do here is meet people and make connections with people that will help you in your future career and life. The winters here are not fun, but do not allow it to affect your mood, otherwise you will miss out on a lot of these social opportunities.

Renee'

My advice to myself would be to just remember what your parents taught you. Study hard and have fun at the same time. Just remember that college is very independent and that it takes a strong person to make it. But as long as your rember who you are and your values, you should be fine.

James

I don't regret anything I have done in my life, am actually extremely grateful. Having said that, I would offer one piece of advice to my younger self. It is a quote that my mom shared with me during my freshman year of college when I was going through a time of struggle. "Storms always lose to the sun." As a senior, I had a great group of friends, was playing as the principal flutist in our orchestra and band, I had been named the Music Sterling Scholar. Being a naive senior, I wasn't prepared to be a freshman in college and have to work my way up again. If I had been able to ponder that quote, I might have taken some of my challenges in my first two years much better. As a freshman, I was considered the most inexperienced flutist, had to make new friends, and found college coursework to be much more difficult. Thankfully, I have learned from my experiences that things always get better with time and hope. You must have blind faith going into every day and know that somehow, "storms always lose to the sun."

Michael

I would tell myself to get involved in more clubs in order to get a better idea of what I want to do with my future. It would have been a good idea to take a wide range of classes and try harder to absorb the material and see what I really am interested in. Also, I would have joined more organizations in order to get to know a wider range of people.

Diana

I wouuld deffinately have told myself to work harder and take those AP and honors classes becasue it helps you get ahead in college.

Amal

This has been a question that I have actually thought about. It is very unfortunate that my high school did not prepare students for college and the number of students that did attend college and finish is very slim. I would tell myself that college is in the near future and is possible continue higher education. Work is very hard and do not let monetary things get in your way and continue to focus on my near and far goals. Set realistic goals both small and large to achieve the final destination.

Grace

DePaul will give you a great first year experience, but since it is a comuter school, the friendships you make your first year will break. away. It'll be sad but you can get through it. There will always be at least one friend who will not leave you. Don't choose a college just because it is in a city and you don't want to go to an in-state school. If you choose to go to an in-state school it does not mean that you are any less than you would be if you went out of state. I know you want to race out of your hometown and fly away from Ohio as fast as you can, but remember your past will not disappear if you do. Don't get so stressed out about which school to choose, yeah its a big decision, but you can always change. Please take into consideration the money situation. Just because a school is expensive and private doesn't mean it is better than a cheaper public school. Don't hurt your parents by making them pay DePaul's overpriced tuition.

Georgi

While which college you attend is important, your happiness is more important, so you should listen to yourself and not anybody else in making this decision. If you get to college and realize you made the wrong decision, life isn't over; you can transfer. Just do your best and everything will fall into place. Forcing decisions hardly ever ends up the way you would like, and in the end what is supposed to happen will happen. Remember who you are and where you came from while you learn even more about what you're capable of. Life is beautiful.

Jaime

Make sure that you stick with your goals that you have had and don't ever give up when your classes become extremely overwhelmingly hard. Everything always will work out for the best. Make sure that you stop procrastinating because once you're in college, it's going to become a heavy burden upon yourself. Strive to meet others and interact with them. You will come to find that the other students that are a part of DePaul have a lot to offer and can become some of your best friends. You will be amazed as to how many opportunities are awaiting you once you come to DePaul.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth, do not worry. Worrying only causes stress and doesn't get anything done. College life is not as intimidating as you think, and most schools are there to help you succeed in your career, not to watch you fail. As a high school student, with no family who's attended college, it is understandable why you would feel completely lost. As you've probably discovered, however, the best thing you can do is sit down with an academic advisor and talk about your plans. Even though you have no knowledge of how college works, along with the financial and academic aspects necessary to attend a college, everyone learns through experience. A fews years from now, you're going to have to help your brother with the same things, and it's better to know as much as possible than none at all. You've done well all throughout high school, making the transition to college is not going to be very difficult in your case. Keep studying hard and focusing on your dreams. If you don't know what you want to be, explore different subjects because you are bound to discover something of extreme interest. Best of luck!