Juniata College Top Questions

My college experience provided the greatest opportunity for self-growth. I realized my academic strengths, and most importantly found my true career passion in the human services. In addition, my friendship circles formed through the on-campus living experience served valuable life lessons and provided some of my most cherished memories. During my undergraduate education I took advantage of two study-abroad opportunities and studied in Europe for two summers. I've come to see how valuable these experiences were in cultivating cultural competence. I was afforded a unique experience to travel in Europe, an opportunity many people may never have. Each experience in college, whether studying for an important exam or traveling in Europe, gave me an opportunity to better myself and grow, both academically and personally. Without the exposure to the education and on-campus living experiences, I would not have the motivation to continue to graduate school, partly because the self-growth I experienced in college helped me define my career path and refine my personality. When I consider my undergraduate career, I will forever characterize it as my time of 'becoming'. Becoming a student, a friend, a social worker, but above all, becoming myself.

I have learned the value of teamwork through playing varsity football, and that you can actually be a SCHOLAR-athlete in college. My academic work comes first, then football, which is the beauty of Division 3 sports. The coach/team doesn't own me. I work hard on the field in season and off season, and I work harder in the classroom every day. I have made friendships that will last a lifetime--classmates, coaches, teammates and faculty alike. Juniata College's motto: Think, evolve, act, is carried out every single day on this campus. I know that when I graduate I will be well positioned to move onto the next stage of my life in the workforce. I do not believe I could have chose a better school for me, and I am blessed to be able to attend.

Because of my undergraduate experience at Juniata, I found my calling to government and education. Without the unique "program of emphasis" that allows students to design their own majors, I would not have been able to combine my love of these topics into a course of study that would lead to a job in analyzing and writing education policy. Now, I have an even larger desire to learn more, which is why I am pursuing my Masters of Education. Juniata instilled in me a sense of wonder and a desire to continue learning.

The two years that i have been college have been rewarding. I got one on one assistance from tutors in the labs, I got smaller classes which means the teachers there actually got to know there students, and my GPA is a 3.55. Attending college is the best decison i think i made because i know in few years i will be using everything that i am being taught today. As of right now in the process of transferring to a university where i can finish my finish my degree and the counselors have been very helpful by telling me what i need to do and what scholarships i need to apply for. The teachers have made me feel like Albert Einstein because they persuade me to take honors classes which i am now doing and i must say i am passing all my test with ease. I love college and the knowledge thats its giving me and i feel like everybody needs to see what college can do for them as it has done for me.

My college experience has taught me about who I am as a person and what I want out of my life. I started out as a pre-veterinary medicine major when I entered my freshman year at Mansfield University. I then transferred to Juniata College for the biology program and overall setting of the school as compared to Mansfield University. After my first semester at Juniata, I decided that my dream of being a vet was not what i actually wanted anymore. My desicion to change majors was an internal struggle involving thoughts about my future and how I ultimately wanted to live my life. I changed my area of study to Zoology and now i believe I will be able to do what makes me happy. I want to travel and see the world while working on research and I knew a career as a vet with eight years of schooling was not going to allow me to live my dream. College has taught me to make choices based on criteria that I know for sure will make me a fulfilled member of society, and without the experience of further education my dreams might not have come true.

Since i've been in college, I have gained amore broad perspective on life in general. I have learned to think outside of the box, remembering that I am not the only person in my world. Growing up as a n African American, I've experienced many hardships including financial deficit and throughout the many trials, I've sometime become consumed by that present state but college took my mentality to a whole new level. It has taught me that it's not about where you are but where you are going; You don't have to be a product of your environment but you can take advantage of the many oppurtunities provided for you through education and higher education as a whole. Overall I have learned that it is all what you make it!

Enjoy the time that you have in high school. A lot of people say that you won't be able to keep your friends from high school and, in all honesty, you really won't. You'll keep in touch with the people that really matter. When you go to college, make sure you are open minded to the new experinces. You can be whoever you want to be. I know that in high school you can get locked into certain roles, like the "nerd" or the "jock, " but it really is not the same in college. Everyone starts off on an equal playing field and no one has any presumptions about you. Do things that you aren't comfortable doing and experince everything you can once you get to college. It'll be worth it in the long run. But, most of all, be who you are! Appreciate the fresh start and make the most of it. There aren't many oppurtunites in life that are like college.

I feel lucky in that most advice I have for my high school self are mostly minor tweaks, rather than major life changes. In terms of personal growth, it was absolutely necessary to do many of the things I did. I would suggest some changes, such as not taking a particular history class during my sophomore year (though the class was fun, it didn't lead anywhere). I would spend that time on another class, which I now wish that I had taken more seriously. I would also think twice about my involvement in various extracurricular activities. While it was beneficial to try my hand at various things , I occasionally went overboard. My participation in the tennis team during my sophomore year, while fun, did not provide nearly the social growth, physical fitness, or tennis skill development that I would have hoped. I would do without it, and invest more in other activities, and academic work. While I graduated with decent grades (mostly Bs, some As and Cs), my academic performance could have been better if I were a little more focused.

Assuming I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, the most important thing that I would tell myself was make sure that wherever you decide to attend college, you would be happy going there. This, for me, is the biggest piece of advice that I could ever give myself because life is all about being happy; isn't that the ultimate goal that everyone is trying to reach, just to find eternal happiness? I believe that as long as your happy with your choice and where your at, the transition and college life will come easy, and will just fall into place.

I would tell myself to just be myself. Make new friends, meet new people, and continue to study hard. Everything will work out as long as you stay true to yourself.