Earlham College Top Questions

Think about what is rewarding, not what is interesting. Do you want to deal with the philosophy of life, or do you want to help people directly? Do you want to contemplate the theory of how history affects the present day, or would you feel more rewarded by helping others? My high school senior self was selfish and egocentric. It is doubtful that these questions would change her opinion, but it is always worth a shot. I could have saved myself several years of a low-paying job and soul-searching had I not focused on being a historian. At 18, the difference between an intellectual reward and a spiritual reward was small. Yet, maybe posing these questions would have persuaded her to at least think about what makes her happy to the core, not what is fun to debate. Life experience has proven to me that philosophy is not rewarding, and that true joy is seeing how my actions directly improve the well-being of others.

I would tell myself to explore more and to relax more when entering Earlham. I would not suggest a change of college, but rather comfort the fear that was present all through my senior year that I had chosen the wrong college. I would, however, warn myself about the amount of work required for finals at Earlham. Earlham is definitely a good college becuase they make students work incredibly hard to earn the grades they want. This does make for better people in the long run, but it is still a bit of an adjustment.

Dear Rebecca, I know you are nervous about going to college in the fall. It will be the first time you've lived away from your childhood home, your family, and friends you've known since preschool. I won't sugarcoat this for you - college is going to be hard. Academically, you will learn things about the world that will shake you to your core. Socially, you will have to learn how to live with your best friends and people who drive you crazy (often, these are the same people). Emotionally, you will experience extreme loneliness and even depression, at times. But you are strong. Not only will you graduate college in four years, you'll graduate a better, smarter, more mature person. You will graduate knowing yourself and feeling confident in who you are. It will take you these next four years to get to that point. When you have trouble - academically, socially, or personally - seek help. Tell a professor, a friend, or a counselor. You never have to endure anything alone. Just look to the light at the end of the tunnel. Do your best, and remember never to worry about that which you can't control.

I learned a lot about myself through the challenges of college. I am glad to have attended a school which pushed me continuously. There are always new boundaries to explore at Earlham and I am grateful for all the things I was able to explore.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have told myself to evenly balance out social life with acedemic life , especially during the first semester. It seems simple but one will quickly learn that it is difficult to do so when you are meeting new people, making new friends and starting new relationships. It does not matter how hard one works in high school, the focus can be easily lost in college. It is good to be social, however, one must keep motivated during college to obtain good grades because they will depict how successful you become in the future.

I will tell myself: "Don't worry. Life is a journey and the confusion is only a natural big part of that journey. Do what your hearts wants you to do and don't worry too much about the future, because even then you won't have it all figured out."

Take more time looking for direction rather than hoping you come across it. Spend more time looking forward than back. Take more time looking for the right program. Stop being pessimistic, its not that bad.

Well, I actually graduated during my junior year of high school, however, I would have told myself that college is the greatest culmination of experiances you will ever have.

The important thing is not to think about what you want to do with your life, but what you want to learn next.

Firstly, I would say that your dream school isn't always the right school for you. Most people I know didn't pick Earlham as their first choice, but now they wouldn't pick anywhere else to go. I also think it's really important to assess your cohesive needs as a student - although academics should be at the top of the list, location, extracurriculars, and social life can make or break your college experience. Enjoying where you are and who you're with always makes schoolwork seem less stressful. As for making the most of your college experience, don't close yourself up to change. One of the best things about college is you can open yourself up to new experiences and schools of thought everyday.