Illinois Institute of Technology Top Questions

still in college

In the classroom, I have not delved deeply into my major yet, but outside the classroom I have gained two years of research experience that has allowed me to realize what biomedical engineering really is. My research experience has encouraged me to continue with my major and to pursue a higher degree. Because this is such a small school, I have been able to develop relationships not only with fellow students, but more importantly many of my professors. This has helped me gain confidence in asking questions and approaching a professor any time that I have a concern. Besides that I have been a part of several organizations that has allowed me to meet people and gain leadership experience. Besides preparing me professionally, college has given me the opportunity to befirend individuals from all over the world from countries such as Nigeria, India, Macedonia, Korea, Bulgaria, Bolivia, and many more. These valuable friendships have given a wider perspective on the world without me having to leave the country. Although stressful at times, college has given me the opportunity to indulge myself in new experiences socially, academically, and professionally.

During my first year of college, I have found a lot about myself. I realized how much effort and motivation one must have in order to succeed in a difficult school. Once I find a job after graduation, I will work extremely hard because I know it will pay off in the end. IIT is a very diverse school; through my first year I found it easy to connect with a variety of people, no matter where they came from or what their beliefs are. I feel because I attended this school I got to learn a lot about different cultures and ways of life. I still have three years left to experience, and everyday I go to school with a new outlook on life.

I have really gotten a good idea of what it means to be independent and taking control of my own life and making the right decisions for myself. I have been able to manage my finances and keep an accurate budget making sure I have enough money for school and other personal expenses. I have gained leadership experience by being a part of vairious school organizations and also made new friends.

Aside from the obvious benefits a college experience can give you, such as life long friends and discovering who you are; college has provided something special for me. After highschool I entered into the restaurant industry and eventually became a manager. The allure of a decent salary without having to go to school was for me the perfect solution, or so I thought. Flashforward a few years and after working every holiday, 80+ hour weeks, and being physically and mentally exhausted; my girlfriend told me we were pregnant. One month later the restaurant I was running closed down, and 3 weeks later the engine in my car quit. I was looking at a worse case senario, and I new something had to change. I enrolled in school while working fulltime, and attacked it making a 4.0. I then realized what a college education provides. SECURITY. When i lost it all I had nothing to fall back on. No skills, no college education. I realized that with an education you provide yourself and family security. So that you will have a better job, that you're more valuable in the work place, and that the opportunities available are obtainable .

My college experience has taught me a lot about how the world works. I am pursuing a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. Throughout my course work, I have learned not only math, physics, and science, but also many life lessons. I have experienced complete failure when I was required to retake Calculus Two. I have also experienced great success when I was awarded an internship at the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. There is no doubt that the things I have learned thrgouhout my college experience will propel me to a rewarding career and life ahead.

I have gained abilities more through my extracirricular involvement and work experience. It has been valuable to attend because it helped me to learn more in depth what exactly I want out of my life. If students are more technically oriented and don't mind the course load then the school would be a good fit for them. This is not a place to go to if students aren't sure what they want to do with their degree, and if they need a lot of feedback from their professors.

From just my freshman year at college, I have started learning and exercising skills on teambuilding, leadership, and have learned how to really step up and take charge with getting stuff done. I have become a much more independant individual than i was previously; which has improved my productivity enourmously. I have learned to live and work with others whom i did not know until very suddenly. If I did not go to college I would have lost out on many opportunities to work with and learn from some of the brightest and most active researchers in the physics field, as well as many opportunities for meeting new people and making new friends. Some of the best learning experiences have not even been from a class room, but just from living on my own, and getting by in a new place.

Going to college didn't only allow me to learn about my chosen major, it allowed me to learn about myself. I know that who I am is sufficient and worthy. In high school, I wasn't confident and didn't understand where or how I belonged in the world. Now though, I know that I belong however I want in the world. I make my own destiny and no one can stop me from doing what I am determined to do. College showed me that you can't belong in the world by simply existing. Belonging in the world is about participation! Knowing that you want something and and doing it, not hesitating, is what makes you fell like a part of something. I am glad I went to college and learned this. I hope I can hold onto this knowledge and apply it to my life.

I have gotten a lot of respect from my peers and a lot of knowledge. I dont think i would have been able to learn as much as i have anywhere else. This school has taught me to be compedetive but at the same time helpful to my peers. I have gaine a lot of knowledge of my profession, and a lot of friendships. IIT has also taught me to stand on my own two feet.

what i have gotton out of my college experience is that i can do anything even if it may make me a little longer to do so , but i know that i did my best in doing so, like math i have troubble in math since i was little i just cant seem to understand it at times but i wont give up i will keep trying untill i pass the class. i have been told to just find a majoy that does not need math, but i dont want to do that i want to pick a majoy i want even if i have to take math and retake the class more than once to pass then i will do this i wont give up. college has shown me to study and put my mind to it, to detacate my sefl to do my best. its been a valuable to attend college because i can learn the thing i want to learn as well as learn thing that i may not want to and come to find out that i do like it. i feel that i can better myself and get somewhere in life .

Assuming that I could travel back in time, I would tell myself three things: learn to put in the work, be spontaneous, and find your passion. With these three things you will be able to succeed as a college student. If you learn to put in the work, you will always be prepared and excel in your classes. If you are spontaneous you will experience a plethora of new experiences and good memories to look back on and enrich your life in the present. Last, if you find your passion you will never loose your spark for learning and life, and thus keeping your drive to successfully complete the other two. Again, do these things right and you will succeed as a college student, "I hope your writing this down!"

Apply to scholarships would be the first words out of my mouth. There is nothing better than feeling independent and at this moment needing my mothers help to pay a sum of over $2,500 is not very appealing. After I have warned myself of the money issues I will encounter I will also focus on telling myself to read material on classes I will later on have. This will help me have more time to myself as I would spend less time on the difficult classes I had my first semester. Then I would leave everything else as is because I enjoyed so much of some of the surprises that college brings students.

If I were to go back through the college selection process again I would make sure to seek out the opinions of people in my career field of interest and query them for suggestions on schools. These people are the best at identifying the best programs becasue they know exactly what it takes to succeed in the field and would also have seen the many ways this could be accomplished through experiences with their associates.

If I were a highschool senior once again, I would take some time to research schools more thoroughly. Not only using the internet, but I would have gone to visit various campuses and I would have spent a lot of time talking to students about their own experiences and trying to get a feel for myself of how I enjoy the campus and its students. I would factor in tuition costs, and if I were really excited about going to a specific school which had a very high tuition rate, I would have been looking into a ton more third party scholarships than I had before. Although applying for college and scholarships can be a very tedious, time consuming, and nerve wrecking experience, the overall joy of atending a college campus that you simply love to spend time at is very key to your overall academic success, mental and emotional health. When you feel good about being somewhere you automatically gain a ring of confidence and pride which can help you expand your social network and excell your academic skills to new heights. These are some of the few things I would have encouraged myself to reconsider for future success.

As a high school senior, I was uncertain of my professional future like many of my classmates, and that uncertainty unfortunately carried over into my college experience. I had passions and talents but knew little of the possibilities of their application. With the professional and college experience, as well as a deeper knowledge of myself which I now have, I believe I could give my old-high-school-senior self some major pointers. To help myself realize my professional calling I would encourage myself to not write off my talents and interests as mere hobbies, but to explore them staying true to my passions. I would also prompt myself to consult with many people of experience to help me with the college transition - parents, school counselors and professionals. I would prod myself to do much research concerning profession and college choices so that when the time came to choose, it would not be a shot in the dark. I would urge myself to make serious plans and goals and to not fear ambition - to make no little plans, because the one who shoots for the moon gets further than he who shoots for the bush.

Using what I have learned during my first semester at the Illinois Institute of Technoogy if I could do back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to be open to all of the opportunites that are afforded to you by attending a college or university. Throughout my first semester, there have been many instances in which i have not taken full advatage of opportunities that have been presented to me. I would tell myself to get to know everyone especially professors and take advantage of research opportunities.

I would look for a lot more scholarship opportunities than I did. It turns out that there is a lot of money available for college students and I did not take advantage of a tiny fraction of the available funds. Besides that, I believe that I would allow myself to explore more options than I presently have. This is with regards to educational combinations and possibilities as opposed to me choosing to go steadily along my engineering track.

If I could go back in time one year and give myself advice about college and the transition I would cover two important things, living on your own and the workload. I would start with living on your own because it is completely different from living at home. I would tell myself that learning to budget your own time around meals, friends, classes, and homework is a challenge but it can be done if you just take some time to think it all out. It is a new experience but it is fun and you will have a great time. Second I would inform myself about the size of the workload. Being an architecture student is a rigorous experience with about four hours of homework a night and time managment will be key to getting through the program and finding time to sleep. Overall those two objects are the focus of what I would say to my past self. My last words before I go back to the present would be "Eric, you will be fine, don't get overwhelmed with the work and have fun, remember these are the best years of your life."

College life is very interesting, encouraging and enjoyable in all aspects. I get chances to intermingle with students of different nations with different cultures, which I find very valuable and useful for grooming my future. As an international student I am required to work on campus to meet my incidental expenses, which is a good experience for me. I also got chances to work on internship with one of the well known companies in USA.