Duquesne University Top Questions

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

Ashley

It's important to realize that your entire life will revolve around school. Studying should be your main pritority, however, you may get distracted by friends or drama. So, learn how to use your time for the right things. College is hard. You need to study everyday for long periods of time. It is necessary to understand that once you live in a dorm, you can't leave your problems. If you're having an issue with someone, figure out how to fix it like an adult because you will be living with or near that person for a while. It is best if you just try to get along with everyone from the very beginning. College is the first step into becoming an adult and so it's improtant to learn to be one.

Mary

The transition into college will happen at some point, but it takes patience and time. Although it is hard to balance schoolwork and the want to make new friends, it is possible. Schoolwork requires A LOT of time management, but achieving your goals is even more rewarding knowing how hard you have worked for them. It is easy to make a lot of friends once you get involved, but it's more essential to make strong, dependable friendships. These are the ones that will get you through the hardships of college. Many people believe that when at college schoolwork should come first. I agree with that statement, however, I have never turned away a friend in need if I was too "busy" with schoolwork. I have found this more rewarding than any goal that I have attained. In giving it is that we receive. College is what you make out of it and it is worth your time to get the most out of the experience.

Megan

I would have told myself to focus more on what I wanted to do with my life and how I wanted to start developing my career and life for the future. I would have told myself to really look at how to change myself and and open up to people and allow myself to make friends and really show my intellectual talents in the classroom. I also would have told myself to not be afraid to raise my hand and class and be open to making mistakes because everyone does, so it shouldn't matter if you allow yourself to become vulnerable inside and outside of the classroom.

James

To put it simply, I would recommend that parents and students alike leave a little room for uncertainty. College is a time of exploration, where a student can find him or herself and truly learn where their strengths and interests lie. To expect to have all of that figured out as a graduating senior in high school is unrealistic. Students change their minors and majors all the time; transfers between universities are commonplace. I feel that a studen trying to fit him or herself into a certain academic or athletic mold right at the outset is being counter-productive, as that student shuts out other possibilities that would be open to a student who was less "certain" about what they wanted. The most important question students can ask themselves when selecting a college is, "Is this a place where I can grow intellectually? Spiritually? Is this a place where I think I can find out who I am?" Then, if they keep their eyes and minds open, possibilities that capture their passions and their interests will appear before them, and, in time, their future will fall into place before their eyes.

Kerri

Listen. Listen to yourself, listen to your parents, listen to your guidance counselors, listen to your academic advisors. Find a trusted adult non-family member you can talk to about your college decision; then listen to his/her advice. Once you have listened, then you must internalize and sort through all the advice, carefully considering everything, and then decide what you, yourself, want to do. Do not become anxious or distressed; that can destroy your ability to think clearly. Choosing a college decision is important, but it's not the most important choice. It's a means to an end -- and the end is becoming more fully the person you're meant to be.

Kelsey

The biggest advice I would give would be to visit all of the schools you are choosing between. Most students get to the school they think is going to be perfect for them and find out that they are unhappy with the area in which it is located or the lack of things there are to do. Social life is a big aspect of college, without it, all college would be is a more stressful expansion of high school. The students who get "the experience of a lifetime" in college are ones who not only focus on their studies, but time-manage with friends, sports, clubs, and other activities. It is important to succeed in life by being very goal-oriented in college, but it is also a time to still live your life before becoming a true adult and facing the "real world."

Cori

Just because you were rejected from your top university or college doesn't mean that the one you end up selecting will be horrible, give it an honest chance. Look at as many colleges and universities as possible, and make sure they have options because you might decide to switch majors. Don't take too much stuff, you can always bring more. Bring a popcorn bowl or four. Look up your professors before you select your classes. Do NOT buy from the campus bookstore, online sites are 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the time less expensive.

Caitlin

I believe that finding the right school depends on the individual and one should follow one's heart when it comes to making such a decision.

Hillary

Go with your gut feeling. If you think you'll like it, you probably will. It is understandable to be nervous, and making the choice is tough, but you just need to follow your instincts. The transition is tough and sometimes seems unbearable. But once you make it through the first semester, the rest is a piece of cake. Make sure to soak in the environment and take advantage of every opportunity. You only have so much time to spend in college so you have to make it worthwhile. Plus, you never know, you might make the best friends you've ever had. It is your time now. It is up to you to enjoy the time you're given.

Ashley

The best advice that I can give parents regarding their child making the most of their college experience is to make them work for it. Teach the new student responsiblity. From my experience students who were given everything did not appreciate any of it. They took it all for granted and in turn did not fully get the most from their college experience. The experience is just not the education you take from the college, but who you are when you leave it. If you leave the college as the same person as you were before ,then you did not take anything from the experience, but if you are a better person, more responsible, more knowledgable and have good morals , then you recieved the full experience. As for finding the right college: do not chose a college because your friends are going there, or because the state "would be fun". Find a college that fits all of your individual needs. Also, tour each college, go with your gut feeling. Most of the time you can step into a college and just know that is the college that is right for you.