Pepperdine University Top Questions

The groundbreaking truth is that not everyone falls madly in love with college the first year. Don't expect to make twenty lifelong friends your freshman year, even if you try to set up lunch and dinner with people and ask them to do things. It doesn't always click immediately. The work is hard. Yes, even general education classes can be demanding. Adjusting to classes being only once or twice per week instead of every day is a challenge for time management. Don't give up, and don't get down on yourself. You're not stupid. You're not incapable. You are at this school for a reason, and that is to impact it for the better. Although your social life may not fall into rhythm the first year, believe that it will get better. Don't even come close to letting disappointment affect your attitude. It will get better and more exciting. You will have opportunities that others only wish they had. You can be confident even when you make mistakes or barely pull through a tough class. You should be. In the end, who else can force you to be believe in your abilities except you?

Dear high school senior self, When you attend school do not be afraid to be yourself, if people do not accept you as you are they are not worth your friendship anyways. Don't fret over the small things, everyone messes up, don't beat yourself up over your failures, instead learn from your mistakes. Don't forget to give back to the community and serve others. However, don't overload yourself with clubs, work, social, and academic life, balance is the key to having a successful freshman year of college. Pick a few clubs you are passionate about and stick with them. It is going to be difficult to keep up relationships at home, but do not forget about your family. If you struggle with adjusting at the beginning, that is normal, talk with a friend about it, chances are they are struggling as well. Strive towards excellence in all that you do and stop expecting yourself to conquer the impossible. Work hard but also let yourself have fun. Strive towards developing deep friendships, not superficial ones. Get excited yet be prepared you are about to enter the most life changing, difficult, fun, and rewarding years of your life.

Take all the oppurtunities to gain wisdom because wisdom is not easily attained or forgotten. Go abroad and experience the world. Get out of your comfort zone and do something that makes you uncomfortable. Meet new people. Do not be afraid to talk to your professor for help. Also do not sign up for an 8:00 AM class. You WILL regret it.

I will tell myself to relax a little bit because the future is bright as you make it, therefore college life is how much you will make it from grades to having fun. Furthermore I will advice myself that it is not all fun as the movies portray it, it has dark moments of depression or loneliness, but perseverance and been positive helps. Another advice I will give is learn how to manage money well because the first year, you will spend a lot of money and knowing when to "Say No I Do Not Need This" is very essential to transitioning into college.

I take a hard stumble to the ground as I am thrown out of the time machine vortex. I stand up and see a slightly younger and more gangly version of myself from a few months ago confrencing with a teacher about what appears to be on of my many college essay's. I follow my younger self around for the rest of the afternoon, actually seeing how I would rush to get home, shovel down a snack, and set up shop at the computer to get homework done and work on more college essays. My younger life continued like this for a couple of days, when my current self finally made a realiziaiton. After having spent most of my senior year working on homework, studying, and writing essays to get into a college that is supposed to set me up for the rest of my life, I better make sure that I slow down and live in the moment.

It is extremely important to know what kind of person you want to be before entering college. This doesn't mean what you want your major to be or what you want to do when you grow up, it means what you want to define you as a person. As a freshman, everything is so new and exciting and it is easy to get tossed around by the crowd. Keep in mind that initially all your emotions are going to be hightened and while the guy/ girl you meet the first day of school might be the person you end up with, chances are they wont be. Be yourself and right people will come to you; fitting in isn't important anymore. Get involved in the things that interest you, but don't drown yourself in extracurriculars. It's going to be an adjustment living with a roomate for the first time, but take time to understand where they come from and that will really help your relationship with them. Ultimately, if you go into college with direction, the experiences you have and the people you meet will make you stronger rather than drag you down.

Be proactive with your dreams. Be financially responsible. Don't waste time on pointless social activities (frat parties).

Don't be so stuck in an idea of who you are and what you want to be that you don't allow yourself to look at other options. Deciding on a major coming out of high school you don't necessarily know exactly what you want to be when you "grow up". The first year of college is so much about self discovery and learning about who you are what you want to become. I changed my major and it was one of the hardest thing I ever had to come to terms with. I had an idea coming into college of what I wanted to do with my life and then during my first few months of college realized that it wasn't what I wanted to be doing. Don't put blinders on when it comes to deciding what you want to do in and after college. Do what you love because ulitimatley that is what you are going to be good at.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. It sounds cliche but the statement couldn't be more true. When you go to college you won't have all the friends you grew up with, you won't have your parents by your side, you won't know the community you now live in; nothing will be familiar. When you mix uncertainty with fear our natural tendency is to want control (or at least the illusion of it). You'll try to go in to college and have everything figured out -- what your major is, your eventual career choice, who you are as a person and what you truly believe in. Here's the thing, college is ABOUT making mistakes. It's a time of questioning and testing the waters to find something you're truly passionate about not only academically but spiritually. The possiblity of making a mistake is daunting but it's the only way you're going to grow. If it turns out you are right, rejoice! And if you were wrong, learn from it. Life will pass you by if you are too worried about being perfect. So take that leap and enjoy the ride.

Leadership skills, community service, and a "stand out" are three important things that will help get you to a good college where you can excell as a person and student. Leadership skills are something that all colleges and employers like to see in a young student. Anything that you can do, say or organize that shows leadership will really help you in the long run. Colleges want students that will come onto their campus and help make a difference. These kinds of people are those who have intentionally tried to step up and do something for a particular cause. Community service is also something that many colleges like to see in a student. Anything that you can consistenly do throughout your high school years in order to benefit those around you in your community will really help you to stand out to colleges among your peers. Also, anything that you can do to "stand out" on your application will really help you when applying to colleges. Something that shows consistent involvement and commitment to something other than academics, along with stellar grades and academic achievement will really help you.