Grand Valley State University Top Questions

Grand Valley has given me a hands-on, practical education in Engineering. The upper level professors are genuinely interested in students' success, and I owe much of my own personal growth to a few select professors. I have learned both the theoretical background such as advanced mathematics and thermodynamics and also have had stong hands-on learning though group projects and laboratories. Not only did these group projects reinforce the theoretical knowledge, but has helped prepare me for real life project management and working as a team. I have learned that a good engineer will have to have the theoretical background, but will also have to have the 'soft skills' and be familiar with the politics of working with a team. Grand Valley purposefully creates academic situations which simulate real life situations and prepares students to excel in their field. Grand Valley also requires a minimum of three semesters of internships with real companies in the area before graduation as well as an in-depth senior project for a local company, which I am looking forward to in a few months. I strongly believe that my personal sucess at my current internship is due to the solid curriculum at GVSU.

So far, I have learned so much information that I never imagined myself learning. I took a few electives that I wanted to take and figured out what I want to do in my life. I met so many new people and made great friends. I have members of the faculty that I know I can always count on. There are always fun activities to do on campus and I love it here.

It was a warm day in August—my second day of college, and I hadn’t touched a soccer ball in three months. My body ached to get back into the game, so when my friend asked if I wanted to go play soccer, I excitedly said yes. As we approached the dome, I realized we would be playing on Astroturf, something that I was familiar with from playing soccer games throughout my life. However, the more we played the more I wished I could be outside; instead, I was running on concrete. After we had played for a while, someone accidentally passed the ball over my head, and as I quickly turned around after it, I felt my knee pop. I collapsed. My leg was locked into place and my friends helped me off the field. The pop was so loud my friends urged me to get an MRI right away. The next day as I crutched into Freshmen Orientation, my doctor called to inform me that I had torn my ACL and meniscus. Through this experence I leared how to be on my own and take care of myself where before my parents had always helped me everything.

From my college experience so far, I have learned to get along with and interact with people of a variety of ages, races, religions, and social statuses. I have learned how to get to know complete strangers and how to communicate well with others. I have learned to consider the views of others and become well informed about the subject at hand before making any judgments or decisions of my own. Also, I have learned how to use various resources and problem solving techniques to approach different problems and challenges in my life as well as in my schoolwork. It has been very valuable for me to attend college because I can apply my knowledge and experience in the future, at home, at work, and even in school. I hope that my experience at Grand Valley State University helps me develop into the person that I aspire to be; a hard-working, honest accountant, a respectful young woman, a loving wife and mother, and an asset to my community.

By attending Grand Valley State University I have gained a better understanding of who I am and what I want out of life. After my sophomore year I planned on transferring school because I felt as though I didn't fit in here. I then realized that college wasn't completely about fitting in, it's about finding a few friends that will be with you the rest of your life and then working hard to accomplish the goals you have for yourself. After contemplating switching majors i realized that doing the one thing I loved, even though it took a ton of effort and lost sleep, was so much better than an easy major that I would hate the rest of my life. I have gained the knowledge that whatever I do in life I have to work at with all my heart and I have to love what I'm doing. If I follow both of these rules, even if I'm not successful by worldly standards, I will be the version of successful that matters to me, being happy while doing what I love.

My experience at college has been lifechanging. The people I've met and wonderful friends I've made during my first semester here will continue to have a truly positive impact on my future. The entire outlook on life and my priorities have been completely revamped because of the experiences I have had at college. I can say that I am much more focused, diligent, determined, and resolute than I was before attending my university. Never before had I felt such passion to seek programs that would help me to develop my skills as a leader and to serve my community. I am currently working to raise money for Canine Companions for Independence. This previous year my fraternity raised $12,000 in funds for the Chicago-based organization and we are working very hard to raise $16,000 this year. I am proud of who I am, moreso than I ever had been in the past. Attending a university has changed me in so many ways, and I couldn't have chosen a better school to attend. I am wholeheartedly excited to see where my future takes me and what great success I will achieve with my newfound ambitions.

I have only been in college a little longer than a semester and already I can tell that in order to get ahead in life you need to be dedicated and willing to work hard. Unless you are a genius or a super athlete nobody is going to just hand you a fat paycheck and great job security. College is where a student can make themself more competitive in the job market by expanding their arsenal of life and specialized skills. Not everybody is as fortunate as I am to be writing this in a dorm room at a pretty respectable institution and I understand that what I have is a blessing. Any financial aid will help me continue on my journey to a degree in mechanical engineering. Engineers are all about solving problems to make life a little bit easier for the rest of the world, so if the world could help me out a bit in a time of need, I would be more than happy to dedicate my life to engineering a brighter future.

I will have several job offfers when I graduate.

College has been a great value to me because I have learned skills that have helped me in daily life. I learned how to think outside the "box" and solve problems in more creative ways. There is more than one solution even when things seem darkest. Right now, as I prepare to transfer to a 4 year university, I am struggling with finding the money to stay in school. My college experience has prepared me for the real world far more than any other obstacle in life.

I just started here at Clark College and so far I really like going to this college, the people here are extremely helpfull and positive people. I don't think I've ever been around so many positive people . the campus is on a 100 acres and the lay out of the school is very well designed. All the teacher's are very smart and very helpfull. I think it has been valuable for me to attend, so I can keep getting my education and meeting new people of all ages. To be honest it's like a hole differt world.

I have gotten a good basis to go out and develop a career in engineering. Since I like science and math I have really enjoyed all of the interesting things that I have been able to learn about the world that we live in.

Since I have been at Joliet Junior College, I have been able to create works of art that I never thought I could create or even think of. I had decided when I entered college to get an Associates Degree in Art, but I didn't have any confidence in my artistic abilities because I only took 1 art foundations class in High School. But with alot of hard work, thinking, patience, art supplies and 3 semesters later, I am confident in my artistic abilities now more than ever, and I am proud that say that i am an Artist.

College is one of the most fascinating and valuable investments I have ever made. It taught me about diversity and responsibility and to be an adult. One of the most important experiences I have gained from college is learning to coexist with people who are different than me. I went into college with a narrow view of the world around me. Now, I am more of a participant rather than a viewer of society. I can be more of a team player instead of the proverbial island. A higher education has also helped me to grow personally, in a way that would have otherwise been impossible. Because of college, I am more mature and responsible. I learned to appreciate the help and counseling I received in high school and lower grades. My preconceived idea of college led me to believe it would be similar to my experience in high school, but now I know better. When I started attending college, I had to make my own choices and follow through with responsibilities such as homework that I needed to do. I am ready and confident to take on the challenges I face after college and live life to the fullest.

My college experience has been a very good one so far. When you come to college a person learns a lot about ones self. A person also learns how to become a young adult. While in college you don't have your mom or dad come around and say "do this or do that". You have to fight your own battles and don't have the security of your house or parents under there when you get in trouble. By far the best thing about being in college is that you learn about different situations and how to handle them as an adult. Also learn the fine line between work and play.

The experience is one of a kind. The descovery to your future can be found in this place. Although it takes time, hard work and money, at the end it will pay off.

My college experience has been intresting. I have learned so much about myself and my family. In high school I was not elidgible for scholorships that were presented to me, yet my parents were considered making to much money for financial aid, however they couldn't afford to send me to school out of pocket. My great aunt however, having no children of her own, stepped up and has been paying for my school since then. I am hoping to make things a little bit easier for her. Attending college and having her pay for it, has made me want to work even harder in school so she does not feel as if she is wasting her time. I have learned how hard of a worker I can be when I put my mind to it.

I have made new friends and attainded an excellent education so far. It is not only worth all of the knowledge and the degree I am going to get, but Grand Valley has also helped me become a better person that is more involved in things outside of the classroom. It has also taught me important skills that will help me in many other areas of my life, such as research and study skills.

I have learned many new ideas about college. I realized that is important to get a college degree in order to be successful. My college experience is very interesting because I have seen the world in my mind. Even though I have not traveled the world actually but reading the books and seeing the pictures that are in the books… I have seen the world. I also know it is important to get an education because in this world there are limited jobs available. The value that I have gotten from attending college is that I am learning more about life and what is expected from me to be a success. When attending college a person learns that their beliefs have to be placed aside in order to learn different aspects of life. I am very grateful that my college gives me the chance to be a part of student agriculture. I am experiencing things that most people will not have a clue about unless they attend school. It is best to know much as possible in the world and college is opening up new insight. The greatest value is to make my family proud.

Even though I am only a freshman at Grand Valley State University, I'v learned a great deal about my life and what I want to do in my life. When came to G.V.S.U I thought I wanted to be a computer programmer, but as I took my first class here I realized that I want to be on more of the business side of computers. Being a student and a football player here at Grand Valley has proven to be difficult. It has showed me how valuable my time is and not to waste it because I will not be able to get my homework done. This college has taught me how to leave my comfort zone of home, and go out into the world to meet new people and experience life without my family. I believe for this reason alone that G.V.S.U is such a valuable school to attend because they have many clubs that you can get involved in to meet many different kinds of people. I have realized being able to communicate with different backgrounds of kids other than yourself is vital if you want to succeed in the workforce.

In the last 2 years of collge. I learnt to be more independent and also I learnt more about our society. Things such as how to get alone with people and how to plan ahead of my time. I started to approach new things. Classes like communication, Ethics. They've shown me a new perspective towards the world. I am also a math and Chinese tutor at school. Education is somewhere I always considered going into, this helps me practice my teaching skills, and I love working with people and help them solving all kinds of problems. The education is actually worth something. I can feel that I can use the terms we talked about in class in the real life and feeling intelligent. Especially, as an international student, I learnt to live without the shelter of my parents. I want to be able to make the most of my life. Even though, starting to feel the pressure of reality. I still Love life. I learnt to appreciate things that are happening around me everyday. In one words, Bad things happen, but life is still AWSOME!