Oberlin College Top Questions

Before you enter college, you should do some research about the different opportunities this college has to offer. Does this college have free counseling offered to students? If so, find out where it is located and whether you are eligible or not. Does this college have a writing center or a means of assisting students with their academics? These are questions that you should focus on as opposed to whether or not your dorm hall is close to a coffee shop. All questions are good questions, but you should invest most of your energy on finding the information that may be relevant to your academic success. If you don’t know where to start, call or email a college representative. Remember that most people who work at colleges are very kind and always willing to assist, so don’t feel like your questions may be a burden or a waste of their time, because it’s not. It’s better to do the research and enter college feeling confident and well informed as opposed to feeling insecure and lost.

One major thing that I would advise myself to do is to stay true to myself. Don't try to be something you're not in order to make mediocre friends. You WILL find someone who shares the same interests as you, so there's no point in pretending to be something else. Another thing that I would advise is to not be a people pleaser. It's good to give yourself some "me time" from time to time. Especially since life will get busy and you will need to take a break sometimes and spend time alone.

I would tell my high school senior self to consider what really matters before choosing a school. The most important thing about college is having an excellent time learning about the things you care about. Without programs focused on my passions, I've found myself having a hard time getting interested in what I'm learning. Another crucial part about choosing a college, though, is the location. Being out in the middle of nowhere could be a wonderful experience for people who want to get away from the hustle and bustle that define city life, but for me, a cornfield isn't my idea of an ideal location. Knowing what you care about is central to choosing a college, so I would remind my high school senior self to think deeply before coming to a decision.

The first thing I'd tell my high school senior self is the number for the Mega Millions lottery that week (if only). Barring that, the advice that I would give would be to truly focus on honing your social skills. Learn how to network with others and the path you must take to success will be that much easier. I would tell myself to learn the basics of Music Business, as you would need it in the future. I would remind myself that regardless of how my peers behave I should always be punctual for commitments and polite to all those that I work with, burning bridges will simply leave you trapped on a plateau in the long run. I would also tell him to shed like there's no tomorrow because everyone your about to go to school with is an amazing musician and will eat you alive if you aren't prepared. I would definitely tell myself to apply for more scholarships. But above all I would tell myself that no matter what I do, stay focused, always pursue your interests and be confident for the world belongs to the bold.

GO FOR IT! Don't be so afraid! Try it all and you will find great joy. Even the disapointments can be a valuable lesson. Don't worry about the outcome so much. If you are doing your best then failure will not be a failure but a lesson learned. Try new things. Don't look behind you so much. After all the past is, well, past. The present is the most important part of like. The future will take care of itself. Enjoy learning and trying new adventures. Laugh--a lot. It will keep you young. Most important of all: You are worth every good thing that comes your way!

Listen to what you want to do, not others. Be wary, focus on school and not the drama. Do your best and make good grades, you can do it if you try just don't give up too easily.

This year is going to be a great one, you have so much ahead of you! But, a bit of advice to help guide you on the way is always nice, and looking back there are a few things worth mentioning. Just as a warning, the alarm clock will not get easier with time. But in all honesty, the best advice I can give is to enjoy this last year of living at home, around all the friends who have helped you to grow, in the place that you know like the back of your hand. Take advantage of every opportunity you get: help out in student clubs, be out-going, choose to study hard, be friends with everyone you meet, and let people know how much they mean to you. Taking advantage of all of these things that come your way and doing your best at the tasks at hand (as boring as they may at first appear) is going to shape you in ways you never imagined. Don't worry about it too much, just keep your head on straight and enjoy the whole experience as you truly live it!

Knowing what I know now I would tell myself to study harder and pay more attention on tips the teachers gave us on studying and how to prepare for exams, take lecture notes, how to spend time wisely, and how to prepare for college essays. Knowing these few "basic" things are key to making it in college. I wish I also would have leared to be more organized and prepared it helps to keeps all things organized, it makes things easier to find and you also can keep up with due dates to upcoming assignments. Also take advantage of the high school conselors do all the volunteer activities that you can, it looks good on scholarships as well as programs you try to apply for. Also paying attention in your core classes will help in the long run college profressors will go back to basic terms. Another helpful tip learn to spend your time wisely. Study when you can, sleep when you can it does not help to cram and loose sleep the night before a test. Your brain needs time to recover.

High school is not the biggest and most important time in your life. Even though you feel as if the weight of the world is on your shoulders and things will not get better, it will. There are a lot of times that kids in high school are so consumed with the drama that they cannot look at the world around them. Enjoy the time you have to be a kid, keep the past the past, and enjoy every moment of being young, wild, and free. College is hard, planning is tough, financing is stressful but it will all work out the way it is meant to be. Relax, meet the deadlines, and think of college planning as a privilege and not a chore. There are so many options thrown at you and after all, you’re still a kid so don’t be overwhelmed. Life is tough but well worth all of the struggles, transitions, trials, and triumphs. Make sure you work hard at everything, especially your college career, because the best feeling in the world is knowing you can accomplish something and be successful all on your own. Keep your head up!

You must not be afraid of being alone. New friends, clubs, and sporting events are rewarding and a natural part of the collegiate experience – they are doubtless one of the reasons why so many older people become nostalgic for their college years, the “springtime of lives.” But many of the things that can genuinely matter are inherently personal – studying, researching jobs and internships, maintaining ties to old friends and family, and simply taking a few moments to reflect, to name a few. This is not to say that you can only grow as a person while alone, not at all. In fact, it is this time spent alone that makes the other, more social parts of life all the more compelling and refreshing. It is easy to feel overwhelmed – embracing the time for yourself will bring balance and your world. Though no person can exist in a vacuum, if you can believe that being alone is OK… this is the mentality that makes champions, leaders, and just flat-out likeable people into who they are. By spending time with yourself, you will be able to improve your life everyday – the best advice there is.

Dear Maggie, I have been given the opportunity to talk to you and offer you (and in effect myself) advice, because you see I am you, eight years down the line. After pondering this question for a few moments, the advice I would like to impart is fairly simple; be open to new experiences. Leaving home, adjusting to college, making friends, and starting classes is overwhelming but it's time for you to go. As you grow older and mature, give into this new sense of self - leave your comfort zone as much as possible. Some of the greatest experiences you will have will only happen because you gave them a chance. Soak up as much of the experience as you can. From studying new disciplines, learning from top-notch professors, and going on exciting adventures, this time in your life is all about breaking out of your shell and experiencing the world. Only once you do, can you begin to figure out who you are and what you want. And so walk around campus with a sense of curiosity about the world and don't be afraid to ask questions. And leave some time to study! Your friend, Maggie.

Spend a lot of time visitng your potential colleges in person, so that you can get a feel for the campus. After all, you're going to spend 4+ years at the institution. Don't choose a college based on the website/pamphlets/etc. Make sure the college matches your career goals and that the community is somewhere you'd like to be. Also, it's alright to be unsure of what you want to study. Attending a libral arts school will give you many options with which to experiment. Volunteer, intern, and get work experience while you are in college. Make the most of it, so that when you graduate and go out into the work world, you will have a solid idea of what you want to do with your life.

Be very open-minded and willing to try out new things and new ideas.

As a college student, my eyes have been opened to what the world is really like, in a way they never were in grade school. I am learning things i need to know for my future career while also learning some valuable life lessons along the way. Everything from the classes I take to the work i decide to do is up to me. If i decide not to show up for class or do an assignment, that's on me. There's no one there holding my hand anymore, and while in ways that can seem a bit scary, it has helped me grow up a lot. College is not only preparing me for a career, it's preparing me to be an adult, it's preparing me to go out into the real world, it's preparing me for life.

I went to the largest high school in the cluster of eight counties that constitute convenient driving distances from my home. I came from behind my senior year to become my class’s valedictorian. And yet the signal lesson of that experience was hard work. I was dedicated, pro-active, and meticulous. But I did not always trust my ideas, or appreciate a comment once made by Albert Einstein, that “imagination is more important than knowledge.” I was at that time like a coin collector, content to accumulate other people’s ideas and concepts.The community college has been a great experience for me. My first semester roused me from this collector’s impulse. In this awakening I was very grateful to have great professors who helped motivate me to perform to my full potential. They made me see that I had to make something out of the knowledge I was receiving; that having one’s own ideas is what makes education so rewarding. My community college has prepared me for my next journey to a major university. I now have the "imagination" needed to excel on a higher level and achieve my long-term goal of becoming a dentist.

I have learned so many new things, made close friends, gotten valuable job experience, and have discovered more about myself since I've been here. It's an expensive school, but it's worth every dime for the confidence and knowledge it has brought me. I wouldn't go anywhere else.

I have recieve lots of new knowledge from my college experience. It has revealed many new qualities that I never knew I had.

Oberlin College provided a strong foundation to sucessfully manage any job or go on to higher degrees. My education at Oberlin was diverse, academically and socially, and encouraged me to think critically. I have been a rigorous student since high school with the goal of breaking-down commonly held assumptions and over-simplifications of history and everyday life. In order to analyze assumptions of other cultures as well as our own, a strong sense of cross-cultural understanding must be achieved. Since attending Oberlin College for East Asian (primarily Japan) Studies, I felt the desire to continue my education by teaching English in Japan on the JET Programme. I enjoyed living in a rural Japanese town and sharing my culture with the students and teachers I worked with while being immersed in everyday rural Japanese life. Oberlin gave me the ability and dedication to achieve my goals of enhancing cross-cultural communication and understanding. As a current Master's student, I intend to improve my scholarship further with the end goal of teaching high school students the importance of critical thinking and dedication to improvement that Oberlin gave me.

In that big transition between leaving your old life and starting a new one, don't forget about who you are in the middle of it all. When you come home, everything there will be the same, and everything at school will be new. But you will always be who you are, don't be afraid to let people see that bright personality. Let things play out naturally as they should, and you'll be alright.

I would tell myself to stay calm, and not get stressed out. Things seem new and scary, but college is infinitely better than high school, and your fellow classmates are in the same position as you. They only want to make new friends, and have fun, just like you do. As long as you work hard, college is a great experience, full of new knowledge and experiences, and, regardless of not knowing what career you want, a totally worthwhile experience.