Gordon College Top Questions

-I know that you are excited to get out of high school and meet some new friends. But let's keep it at "friends". Don't date freshman year. That time is for getting to know the workload and getting to know some new friends. -Don't let the "senior slack" continue. Scholarships can be revoked for low grades, so make sure you go for the A (and jump on extra credit when available) -Get invloved in the community around the college (volunteer at the YMCA, belong to a church, outreach). It makes you feel like more of a mature adult (which is more fun than you would think) and it really helps you get through a tough day. -Apply for scholarships. And more importantly mention community service (and the fact that you are an Eagle Scout). They eat that stuff up. -I know you think that making a schedule is a waste of time. It is not. Right about now I have notifications on my phone for everything. Class, study groups, tests (a few days before), and even meetings. Yes, I have meetings now. I would be lost without these notifications and I would be late for everything.

Dear self,Slow down! You should enjoy your friends and spend more time with your supportive family. Now that you’ve been accepted into your top choice college, pat yourself on the back and remember to rejoice in all that you’ve achieved. It’s time to learn to be confident in your strong work ethic and gentle disposition. You’ve accomplished great things academically, but you’ve molded yourself into a perfectionist. Once you’re in college, it’ll be instinctual to have your grades be your top priority, but you mustn’t let your productive nature consume you. Ever since middle school, you’ve locked yourself away in your room and spent hours on homework. You hoped to prove your worth with your report cards. Yet there’s more to life than your GPA. Embrace the chance to have some fun in your life with wonderful teachers, peers and family. You won’t regret it. Never give up on accomplishing true joy! Let your confidence be nurtured from within your soul. Try not to sacrifice those life-changing friendships for the sake of an “honorable” GPA. Trust me. I’ve learned from experience. Life Awaits!Your College Self

If I could go back, I believe I would have told myself not to worry. I was very nervous about the college process. When I was in seventh grade , I had decided I wnated to go to Gordon College, but I was unsure I could make it in. It turned out that I was overqualified and I had spent time doing things I did not enjoy just to pad my application. I would remind myself that I don't need resume lines to be a good student. I think I also would have advised myself to plan batter. I was strikingly unprepared for parts of college, like the cost of books and even the work load. It was hard for me to transition becasue I was used to working with people, like my mentor and parents, to make a plan. Finally I would have told myseld to be sure I used all the rescources on campus. Things like office hours and study sessions would have made my first quarter go far more smoothly.

I would tell myself to start applying for scholarships earlier in he school year. College is expensive! I would also tell myself to prepare for being away from home. I was homesick a lot freshman year :(

If I could go back in time I would tell my younger self to get a job and save every penny I could in order to pay for college. Understanding, now, how much it will cost in the end I would have planned for it better. I would have been more adamant about getting summer jobs. Learning to balance both school and a part time job would be so helpful because that is now something I need to master. I would tell myself not to be afraid to be yourself and push yourself out of your comfort zone, get used to that uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach, as you stretch yourself. Through this I would have been able to find my interests and explored them and gain experience in the field of study I have now chosen. I would try to help my parents understand that we need to prepare in advance about my college education and get a game plan down in order for me to attend college without being under stress about affording it. I do not regret the investment but only wish I could go back and create a better strategy for myself.

Noemi, High School has been nothing short of an adventure, but now your your Senior year is here, and there is much to look forward to, explore, and committ to. Don't waste your year thinking you have all the time in the world to make and committ to decisions. that will affect the rest of your life. Please don't listen to that counselor that told you that college wasn't for you. Look beyond her words and prove to yourself that not only can you go to college, but you can choose where to go, and you can finish! Don't let the struggles you've had with Math determine the outcome of furthering your education. Remember, one class at a time will build a road and open your life to an opportunity that is priceless. Trust the transition you will have to make from high-school to college. You will find that with time, the differences though apparent, will become second nature, and you'll find the freedom in that transition will make you stronger and more responsible. In the words of the incomparable Dr. Suess " “Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”

College can be really a great place where you can benefit and at the same time have fun if you give yourself the chance to know it right. The freedom of choosing the classes that you want to take is great. The diversity of the kinds of classes is also great. Professors are very opened minded, have a great cultural background in several domains. They are also very understanding and respect your opinions. At college, there are social clubs that you can meet people from diffrent cultures, interact with them and learn a lot of new things. If you excel in a subject you can the chance to tutor it. Tutoring is a very nice job that beside you can get money from it, it teachs you how to help and also how to teach and it will also look good on your resume.

Don't worry, the drama ends. And it gets a ton better. And you have friends that eat with you.

College has stretched me. 2 years ago I was looking for a place where I could grow and not settle for second best. That's what Gordon provided for me. Professors and classes have moved me beyond settling at "alright" into aiming for the best. It's something I didn't think I could do before, but through hardwork and dedication I have accomplished it. My college experience has forced me to grow up - through the difficulty of adjusting to life away from home and family I have learned how to cope and live on my own, in a healthy and mature way. College has expaned my social circle to individuals it didn't hold before. This has resulted in a variety of friends with a wide scope of backgrounds who are able to teach me something about life from their varied perspectives. College is valuable for the change it has on you. It's a time of defining who you are, and who you will become. It's a time to force you onwards to greater and grander heights you couldn't have reached before. It's a time to stretch beyond your old shell and see the world.

I have been truely spiritually enriched since going to Gordon, the Christian atmosphere is a genuine and you can learn a lot about yourself spiritually as well as learn a lot about other religions . I also learned not to only focus on what you think college is like because most likely it's nothing like that.