Illinois Institute of Technology Top Questions

Hey there buddy, don't be alarmed. It's only me...your older wiser, more decisive self. I'm here to help you transition to college. Thank me later. You'll appreciate the importance of having a mentor. Guidance is crucial for new students so be sure to sign up for orientation. College is a very big place full of opportunities to help you be successful. Take advantage of them. There are programs like the honor roll, tutoring, academic clubs, career centers, you name it. You're going to meet people from all walks of life. Be friendly and mature but keep your focus. Now let's talk decisions. You love computers, don't you? Well don't go into that field. You love helping people more. The medical profession is for you. Do a lot of academic research to understand the degree requirement for that field and volunteer at the local hospital. Turn in all assignments promptly including homework and extra credit. Most of all enjoy the experience. One more thing, you like sleeping late on mornings, true? Well shape up. You snooze, you lose friend. Well you're all set. Meet you on campus. Love yourself.

I would truly tell myself to enjoy the days of freedom and exuberance to their fullest extent. Life isn't black and white, it's in shades of grey. Go out and make friends. Allocate two hours a day to studying at the same time everyday so you don't slack off. You're the one paying to learn, so go and do it. Exercise a lot too, you don't want to gain weight and feel tired all the time. Try to make lasting connections with your peers. You don't want to be a shut-in so go out and make friends and do stuff.

I would tell myself to be more open to people and social events, and to stay away from the Common's food! I would also specifically mention to spend more time at the fraternity houses.

The most important thing to remember is balance. College these days is not just class and school work. College is a mixture of academics, extracurriculars, community service, internships and professional development. If I knew that when I was a senior, I would have better adjusted to all the facets of life as a college student. It is very important to be involved in college, be it Greek Life or Student Government, Internships or Sports. As a freshmen, I could have better balanced myself. Now in my third year, I have experienced the positives and negatives to being unbalanced. It may be fun to only be involved socially, but your school work suffers. On the other hand, you may succeed in school if you only focus on academics, but the professional word is looking for more than grades. Get involved right away but don't spread yourself too thin. It is important to do things that you enjoy but balance that with things that need to get done.

Knowing what I know now about college life, I would advise myself to take advantage of every academic opportunity that was available to me in high school. I would advise myself to take as many Advanced Placement classes possible. Advanced Placement classes prepare high school students for college courses and curriculum. I would advise myself to take advantage of every community service organization within my high school in order to instill a sense of dedication that would only grow and blossom after my transition to college. I would advise myself to build a vast network of classmates, professors, faculty, staff, and friends, which will also be extremely helpful during/after my transition to college. I would advise myself to research in detail, every college I considered attending. I would most definitely advise myself to research and pursue every scholarship and financial opportunity available in order to defer as much college tuition as possible. Finally yet importantly, I would advise my younger self to relax and mentally prepare for a lifetime of memories while in pursuit of academic success. "Marvin, stay focused, set your goals, and achieve them, and have a enjoyable and memorable experience along the way."

If I could speak with the "high school" Bassil, I would tell him this: "Universal truth is scarcer than you think. Those economic models and theories look sexy, and seemingly make intuitive sense, but they discount the intensity of natural chaos and randomness that you will inevitably witness. If you wish to study economics, realize that you may never stumble upon an economic theory that works consistently. Most of your class instructors have taught 'intuitive' lessons and principles; not much of your academic career has been spent with long, disappointing, grinding, or confusing sets of empirical data. As you grow and study economics, you might be very disappointed to find out that the 'money supply model' seldomly produce reliable results. In fact, you may be disappointed to learn that accurate models rarely come by. If 'truth' interests you, the following areas of academic focus will add valuable insight: logic, mathematics, physics (usually), or philosophy. These areas of study will help you embrace and benefit from all the chaos nature provides, rather than to study HOW to eliminate randomness from your world, a very laugable task. You will be much less disappointed in school, and much more accomplished in your field.

The most important thing to remember as a high school senior is that even if you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, it is super important to stick it through, working as hard as you can the entire year. The final leg of high school will be where you get your scholarships, colleges make the final decision on wether your accepted or not, and it gets you your final credits to make sure you graduate from high school on time. Understand that even though you still have those 4 more years of school to finish, they are much more enjoyable as the classes are focused on what YOU find fun, and you really get to enjoy them. At college you make new friends, find new things to do, join clubs that are fun, and run your life the way you want to run it. The freedom you get in college gives you enough of the taste of the real world but at the same time, still shelters you enough to learn how to deal with the freedom.

Past self, even though you are free and away from your parents while attending school, you must not abuse that freedom and become more responsible for your actions, because they can greatly impact you later on during your university years as well as after you graduate.

Study hard, often and a week before a test. Take good notes, and attend everyclass. Establish a routine that is healthly and works for you.

If I could go back in time, I would advise myself to take every opportunity I have regardless of how I feel about the opportunity. Try as hard as possible to finish many scholarships and make contacts with people who are doing their absolute best to help. I would continue by explaing to myself to be very proactive and to not expect things to come to me. Go after what you want to get and do not give up regarless of how impossible it may seem. You must have confidence and continue to strive to have the best success. I would advise to find what your are good at and demonstrate your prowess to many others that want to see what exactly you bring that can help improve the lives of others.

Hey Scott, what your're seeing right now is yourself in the future. I've come back to give you a little advice that you will need when you get to college. I'm going to try and help prepare yourself for not only a huge experience in your life but hopefully help you get over the mistakes that brought me down. Follow these three steps and things will be just fine. The first step is to take excellent notes. Taking excellent notes will prepare you regardless of class; making those sleepless study nights become restfull nights. The second of the three would probably be the most important, that in which is time management. Having your every day schedule lined out for you during the week, will make your school work become that much easier. No stressing due dates or getting to class because you prepared your schedule ahead. The last hint I could give would be proper understanding of APA writing. Of all the essays you will write, this is important. Be honest and keep your ingreity. Good luck friend, and have a blast. Remember proper note taking, time management, and APA understanding. See you in the future Scott.

If I could go back and give myself advice, my wisdom would be two-fold. Firstly, I would advise myself on how to better spend my senior year. In my senior year, I was an exchange student to Japan. I would tell myself to really try everything. I wish I had spent more time focused on the language so that I could have met more friends and connected on a deeper level. I wish I had put more time into exploring every bit of culture that Japan had to offer. Most of all, I would tell myself to cherish everyday, because the time to return to the States was fast approaching. My second piece of advice to myself would be for when I came back and enrolled at IIT. All of the clubs, student organizations, and leadership positions have been worth so much more than the effort I put into them and I wish I had gotten involved earlier and with more passion. Sincerely, Alex Welk

The advice I would give myself is to work hard, don't slack off. Prioritising time is very important because I had a lot of free time and thought I would finish my homework easily, but it did not work out.

College visits are essential. they let you know what you are gettign into. Make sur ethat when you apply to colleges you also apply for financial aid. Most likely the school that gives you the best deak financially is the school you go to. That is another reason to visit all colleges on your list. You can make a list of pros and cons to teh school you visit. When you choose a school to go to, fidn ways to deal with , or make better, the cons that were listed. After you figure that out, enjoy your last year in high school.

You're entering the adult world! Be prepared to push yourself; there may not be a teacher there to do it for you! Commit yourself to your future by putting your main focus on being academically successful, but don't forget to have fun along the way. The best way to enjoy college is to strike a good balance between fulfilling responsibilities and appreciating down time. There will be personality conflicts, whether they involve roommates, classmates, or professors. Develop the fine art of honest, diplomatic communication, and be willing to compromise on the little things (NOT on your ethics or moral standards!). This is a great time for building the social, academic, and professional networks that will help you create the life you always wanted!

I would not want to go back in time but move forward, and improve myself. As much as I want to go back in time, and give myself all the advise I could about past problems, and how I could have applied to more scholarships when I was in high school, I will never be able to go back in time in reality. I think accepting what I have done till now in my life made me who I am, and made me learn a lot about myself during the process. Also, the challenges I've faced in the past will equip me with the knowledge to overcome other obstacles I will face in the future.

I am going back to school to make something better of myself not only for me but for my two boys that i have and i want to be a role model for them and be someone they can look up to and say thats my mom and im proud of her. I want to make a better future for me and my boys give then what is needed in life and im determined to get off the welfare system and be able to be more indepentent on myself and not another indiviual. Im 36 years old and desever a better life over all. I want to get ahead in life and be able to afford things for myself as well for my children. Given this opportunite to go back to school will be a good and better begining for me and my kids.. I want to hold my head up high and say to myself "I can do this" I want to make a difference in someone else life when i enter the medical field. I want to be able to help others and see that they are gonna be ok. I really want to make an impack on

The most valuable thing I have gotten out of my college experience is knowledge. Knowledge allows one to move mountains. The knowledge that I have gained has allowed me to see how far humanity and our universe have come. Politics, Sciences, and Languages (to name a few) have transformed because of the intelligence of the human mind. We have yet to achieve more. Knowing that and understanding that intrigues me and forces me internally to learn more so that I can take part in such phenomenon. College has also allowed me to understand and learn about so many cultures and beliefs throughout our planet. I have met and debated with individuals from different nations. I have an open mind and a thirst for understanding because of college. I come from a family that isn't educated. My parents were only able to complete the sixth grade. When I speak to them I realize how lucky I am to know things that they never dreamed of. They are proud of me, which is the most gratifying feeling in the world.

A higher education with an emphasis on math and engineering. It's a different environment than I've been exposed to in the past.

The main thing that I have gotten out of my college experience has been the discipline to not only learn; but to stretch myself beyond my own goals. The curriculum is very demanding and the professors expect students to keep up with the paces that have been established. This challenge has awakened my own intellect and made me strive for an even deeper understanding of the material as I have progressed over the past two and a half years. I will be an asset to my future employers because of the training and education that I am receiving at Illinois Institute of Technology.