Providence College Top Questions

Although my college life has just begun, I can already see it's many impacts and influences on my current life as well as my future. Heading into my second semester I feel confident and eager to take on new challenges and exciting adventures. Going into college, I was worried about how I would handle not playing varsity sports anymore. This had always been a major part of my life and I struggled to picture myself mereley watching from the sidelines. Soon enough however, I discovered my school"s Ultimate Frisbee club team. After the first practice, I knew I had just met a great group of people and would have no trouble fitting in. Because of this and the variety of intramural sports, my competitive appetite was content. I also quickly discovered a great deal about myself and who I want to be in the future. I declared myself as a Spanish Secondary Education major with a minor in Italian at the beginning of the year. After the first semester, my love of language and culture increased and I am now determined to become certified as a teacher in Spanish, Italian, and French by the time I graduate.

As a transfer student beginning my second year of college, I'm excited to begin at my new school. I disliked everything about my experience last year, from the impersonal professors/classmates to my inconsiderate roommate. My classes weren't challenging enough, and the student body (who were mostly from the same state) went home every weekend, leaving the campus dead and lonely. I never had an assigned advisor to guide me through my academic queries. My college life last year was basically me sitting in my room every day studying or watching TV. Although I am not fond of my college experience thus far, I'm still grateful for it. It taught me a valuable lesson, that I shouldn't compromise my beliefs, opinions, and ideals. The reason I attended that university was because my parents were concerned with the cost of other institutions, and this negatively influenced me to not apply to my dream schools, which were either privet or out-of-state, meaning they were pricey. However, I know now that sacrificing my dreams means sacrificing my happiness, and since college is supposed to be the time of your life, I won't sacrifice that either.

I've found myself by returning to college after taking time off. I've become very involved and found my niche. I have discovered my strengths, as well as my weaknesses, and have had the opportunity to work on both. College has been valuable because it has led me to my future career, as well as to myself.

At Providence College, with learning skills to get a job in the real world, I've always learned about myself. I've learned about the young woman I am being, independent and strong. It has taught me to let go out fear, and realize this is my time to learn about myself and who I am to this world. I have learned to be comfortable in my own shoes, and reach out for what I desire whole-heartedly. I realize this is my time to live to my best ability and strive to get to the best future for myself. College has truly challenged me, but I wake up so thankful for this oppurtunity I am given. The challenges I face here, I believe, is my own weakness leaving my body. I am truly blessed to attend Providence College.

Listen to your parents. They really do know what they are talking about. They have the life experiences and they care about you and want only the best for you. I know at 17 or 18 you think you know it all and are indestructible but it is your parents who always have your best interests at heart. Their advice is invaluable. Listen to them for they know what they speak of! Also, get involved! Participate fully. Don't be afraid to be who you want to be.

If I could go back in time, there are many things I would do differently as I transitioned to college life. To start with, I would have become involved more freshman year. While this time can be strange and overwhelming, it is the perfect time to try out new things. After freshman year, many friendships have been established and groups have been made. Next, I would also tell myself to stop worrying so much about what others thought. Often I didn't try out for a team or join a club because of a fear of failure. I missed out on some great opportunities because of that fear. In addition, I would have worked harder on my academics my first two semesters. Studying for college exams and writing college essays was very different than my high school work load. I should have taken the extra time to make a study schedule and made plans with people in my classes to get together to review class material. Freshman year can be all about the social aspect. While that can be nice at times, it is important to remember what you are there to do.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself not to get stressed out about the transition from high school to college. Every freshman on a college campus is going through the same things. Everyone is trying to cope with meeting new people, doing work, leaving home and friends, and finding ways to have fun. People on college campuses are less judgemental than high school, so it is a lot easier to express yourself. There are so many different groups of people on campus that everyone finds people to fit in with, even people who have a hard time being social. But make sure to make good friends, because part of the education of college is the social life.

Going back in time is an intriguing concept. It makes us wonder about what we would have done differently in situations in the past, and yet the irony is that even if we did have the chance to go back in time, we may not choose to do to right thing even the second time around. If I were to go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I could advise myself to not skip class even if I wanted to, I could tell myself not to wait until the last minute to write a term paper, and I could say that staying up all night studying does not necessarily help you do better on the test. But I wouldn't say those things. Learning those things on your own is what makes you the kind of student you are. So for advice, I would simply say: Be Yourself. College is about figuring out who you are and as long as you don't attempt to be someone you're not, although there may be bumps along the way, I have confidence that you will be able to find your way in the world.

If I could go back and time and talk to myself as a high school senior about the transition from high school to college I would tell myself to just by myself. Going to college is a very unique experience. You move away from home for the first time, live with strangers, meet new people, and open yourself up to a whole new world; the real world. During the transition you need to remember and cherish who you are as a person. You cannot pretend to be someone who you are not or say something you do not believe or act in a way which you know is not you. People respect you for who you are, not who you pretend to be. Find a close group of friends that likes you for you and who share some of the same values you do. This will help ease you into the college life and remove the social pressure college places on you which will allow you to focus more on academics, the main reason for attending college in the first place.

Allie, you will make friends. You'll actually have friends that understand you better than people you've grown up with. So don't worry about being lonely, because that feeling passes. It's similiar to when you went away to summer camp and were really nervous to arrive, but after a few weeks you dreaded the thought of leaving. Also, no one really teases people in college, so you don't need to be worried about that either. Well, you're friends do make fun of you, but you're always in on the joke and mostly deserve it. Also, if you don't enjoy the company of the people around you, there are many opportunities to extract yourself from the situation. Just go to the library or take a walk. No matter what you do, even if you have five papers to write and five exams to take, don't wish that any day would just end already. You need to realize how lucky you are to be in a school that's teaching you how to live, with people that are teaching you how to love.