Fordham University Top Questions

Hey there, past self. It's me, your future self. I know right now you're thinking that you're just "going through the motions" and that college is transient period, . But it isn't, and you'll be sorry if you treat it like it is. Even if you're less than enthused, embrace it. Embrace it like you'd embrace any experience in life, and you'll find it bares a lot more opporunities than you think it does. Remember that it's a time to grow and understand, and to work not only on your worldly knowledge but on your understanding of yourself. Look for a place that you feel is conducive to that, and don't blow it off. You might not be thrilled to be going, you may feel that it's more of a mandate than a choice, but look for a place you can find a love for everything college is supposed to instill: for learning, for progression, and for growth of intellect and self. No time in your life is disposable, so don't treat it like it is.

When you are making the transition to a university there are a few keys to being successful. The first one is that the people you surround yourself with will be the most important part of your entire college carreer. I suggest not limiting yourself to people who you knew in high school, because that does not allow yourself the opportunity for growth as a person. You must meet new people and become involved quickly in extracurricular activities in order to enjoy your experience. The people who I have known for years now will remain some of my closest friends through my life. The second thing is that you should start out easy. While you do not want to drift through taking the minimum number of credits and courses and end up staying extra semesters, you should not overload yourself freshman year. The courses will be more difficult and it will take time to learn how to properly budget your time among extracurricular activities and coursework. However, doing well in the first semester makes the future more manageable. It is difficult to bring up a poor GPA as you continue, because the courses only become more challenging throughout the years.

I would first tell myself not to be so afraid of making friends. I am usually quite shy, but the majority of the freshman class came into the university knowing no more than one or two other people, so making friends was not difficult. In addition, I would advise myself not to worry about the number of college kids who consume alcohol. I myself never partook in such activities and therefore was afraid it'd be difficult to make friends who don't drink either; however, I immediately was able to immerse myself in a group of friends who do not drink, and prefer to go into Manhattan, which is one of my favorite things to do on the weekends. I would also be sure to advise myself to beware of how I manage my time. By the end of the semester, I was able to reform my time management skills, ending the semester with a 3.896 GPA. However, in the beginning of the semester, I wasn't careful about how I spent my time and ended up doing quite a few assignments late at night at the last minute. Naturally, I didn't do very well on those.

College is a very different experience from high school. It is much better, in my opinion. You have more independence and are constantly surrounded by other bright, motivated, talented individuals. Of course not all of it is fun and games, and classes can definitely be challenging. Your final grade for each class is based off of only a few tests and papers so each assignment holds much more weight then they may have in high school. Furthermore, it is very easy to become distracted by the social aspects of college and procrastinate on your coursework. It is easier to get work done when you realize that everyone else is doing the same and you are not missing out by staying in for a night and studying; it?s worth it. Make sure to branch out and talk to new people; this is where you can make lifelong friends from all over the country. Also be sure to try new things and take advantage of all the opportunities you are presented; this is an important and exciting time of self-discovery. Finally, have fun and try not to stress too much; learn from your mistakes.

In the past 4 years, since my high school graduation, I have learned what the real world is truly like. It is a place that is full of hardship and heartache, most unfortunately. Once I graduated high school, I had an idealistic point-of-view that things would go smoothly. I was quite simply wrong. I have undergone health problems, financial problems, and family problems, just to name a few. In some ways, I've handled it well. In other ways, I could have done better. I am now at least one year behind in college from where I should be, due to these problems, and financial troubles are threatening to extend my graduation date even further. Life can be tough, and I was not ready for it. I was not fully aware of this as a senior, and I wish I was, for it was not long after my graduation that these problems crept up on me. In some ways they broke me down to a life of stress, remedied only by loved ones. However, through it all I have become a more mature person who is ready for the even tougher challenges after my college experience has concluded.

SCHOLARSHIPS!!! That is definitely the best thing to think about when applying for college, if not the school itself. It is surely no worry if you are certain that you'll receive full scholarships and such to school. Be that as it may schools only hand out a handful of those scholarships anyway. The fact of the matter is that you won't know what money the school gives you until the spring and scholarships need to be taken care of far earlier than that. Once this financial burden is gone then the rest of college is easy. It is never fun constantly worrying about if you will be able to stay at a school the next semester or not. I would also say that it is best to make sure the school fits you, visit, research programs, and compare it to otherschools that you will also apply to. Knowing what you are getting into takes more than a load off of your shoulders. The best advice is that you can't take college so simply take it as seriously as possible and not just as this easy thing that falls into your lap. It will make the best experience.

I wish I had the knowledge that I have now about college back when I was a senior in highschool during the whole application process. The greatest piece of advice that I could've given myself back then was to never limit myself to only a few options because a person goes through a whole lot of changes during his or her transition from highschool to college. These changes ultimately affect not only what your interests are but who you are as a person. Looking back on myself as a senior, I find it crazy that I once wanted to be a doctor and based my college choices on my preferred major. Majors come and go dozens of times, and I learned that time and time again after I had already applied. I could've used someone telling me to keep an open mind during my application process.

When things get tough, just keep pressing on. Keep your head up and learn to adjust because change is the only constant.

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I would definitely take a closer look at what programs were offered at the school. I went into Fordham very unsure about what I wanted to study and had a little difficulty finding things that catered to my academic interests. I would also tell myself that making friends would not be as hard as I imagined. I would most definitely still choose Fordham University but I wish I would have tried checking out cheaper schools.