Illinois Institute of Technology Top Questions

THe college experience in America and specially at IIT gave me the great opportunities to open my minds, to accept and learn great knowledge from other people and most importantly understand the cultures and soft skills required in real world which are not taught in my country's system.

In my two years in architecture school, I have learned so much more about people than I have about architecture. I'm not in any way saying that this is a bad thing, as architects have an inherent need to understand people so they can design proper spaces for them. I figured college was going to be nothing but studying and memorizing things and drawing until my eyes fell out, and it was like that to an extent, but the people I have met and worked with these past two years have taught me more about myself and about life than I ever expected. Getting to know so many different types of people has helped me get to know myself better and has helped me become a better person, a better student, and hopefully, a better architect someday.

Everyday I would sit at work, typing away at the key board feeling a deep emotion I was meant to be more. My gift of creative story telling and visual media was calling out to me. I knew that the only way for me to really make a change in my life was to get a solid education in the field I wanted to pursue. The first day of classes I was intimidated because I was 15 years older then my fellow classmates. After explaining to the class why I chose to start school at this point in my life, they became inspired by my story. My experience has been phenomenal, with achieving a 4.0 my first semester, the praise of being on the deans list and accepted into honors classes, I knew that this was the right decision for me. I reached out to students to share stories of my life and why I felt that getting a college education was extremely important. I will always praise the idea of getting a higher education and hope that more young people fresh out of high school will take complete advantage of the opportunity.

College has reaffirmed my goals in life that I had in high school. College has showed me that there are many fields out there that I could never subject myself to. It has taught me to be more independent and that it is not difficult to live on your own. Since I attend an out-of-state school, I have learned to support myself and I feel this has helped me grow tremendously. I am also confident that I want to continue doing research in physics. It has proven to be my absolute love in life. I have also learned that there is not a single way to approach a problem in physics. College has definitely improved my problem-solving skills.

I have learnt about how various things that are like mysteries to me before, works. I have learnt more about the practical aspect of so many things in the world. It has made realise no matter how a problem might seem, it can always be resolved as long as someone is focused and determined in achieving those purposes. It is really valuable to me because, it makes me to be rest assured that future is fully secured as long as i'm focused the price which is diploma. It has also made me know how to express myself better in the public most especially when presenting a project for a group of people or company. It made realise the way most students view real life jobs just by studying is quite different from the way it really is. Using economy as an example, it is easy for any one conclude with statistics on how the economy is going to be in future whereas, real life experience shows economy changes every single day and it requires more than just the statistics to improve it. One needs to have the knowledge of a thing is in order implement more ideas.

The College Years can be a wonderful, fulfilling time in a person's life. I have been wise enough to be a student who has made the most out of my college experience so far. I have always been smart. I graduated from my city's best high school when I was only15 years old. However in high school I never really felt the need to apply myself. Something changed when I got to college though. I have been motivated to do well and I have never been more proud of myself. This is such a great feeling. I am getting straight As in every class. I am part of the honors program. My teachers are stimulating and encouraging because they see the spark in my eyes to be successful. All it takes is a little bit of effort, and things can run very smoothly. I just joined my school's cheerleading team, and I would highly recommend joining a sport. It adds another interesting angle to the experience. I have made plenty of friends by being kind and outgoing. My best advice would be to recognize how great college can be and GO FOR IT!

My college experience has enabled me to realize that even though it is as difficult as I assumed it would be, I am able to overcome my fears of attending undergrad at the age of 40. I applied for and started school as a way to pay homage to my late son. He and I had talked about starting school together in the fall of 2009. He passed away a year earlier and I felt the need to continue on with our dream of attending school together. It's hard to sum up what I've gotten out of my college experience because it's still so early. I can say that I have realized that I haven't "lost it". My grades have not been as good as they were in high school as of yet, but I am working on improving them with each class I register for. I have also been given the opportunity to attend a leadership retreat which is unexpected. This retreat is giving me the opportunity to face the fear of water I've had since my son drowned. I may not have had this opportunity had I not been in school.

I am currently a senior at Illinois Institute of Technology majoring in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics. My college experience has given me the opportunity to get well acquainted with the career path I have chosen. The dedicated professors, ample resources, and innovative ideas created by the university have made this a great education. My most valuable experience was an unforgetable research position at Argonne National Laboratory that introduced me to the world of research. I will be forever thankful to this college for showing me the way to becoming a successful scientist.

Certain aspects in life help you grow as a person. Certain experiences build character. Even setting personal goals can accentuate your inner beauty. Attending college has done all these for me, which is why continuing my education is valuable. My college experience has strengthen my communication skills, my academic and study skills, and even my life skills. College will open many doors for me. As odd as it may sound, I do not see my education being complete after graduation.

I have gained so much from my college experience ranging from academics to friendships to independence. I have not only learned the textbook material through lectures but also the practical materials through research experiences. I have gained lifelong friendships through university sponsored summer programs and clubs. Most importantly, I have gained independence. Living away from home has helped me learned real life responsibilities from the mundane such as doing laundry and grocery shopping to the little less mundane such as learning how to use Chicago’s public transportation without getting lost. Everything I have gained from my college experience contributes to why college has been valuable. I have learned the book material and the real life material I need to succeed in life.