Ramapo College of New Jersey Top Questions

I would tell myself to take a year off and really think about what I want to study and major in. I changed my major several times during my undergraduate career and feel that I didn't get the most out of the program I graduated from. And always pick a sensible major and a more fun minor to make sure you get that balance of fun and work in your schedule.

As much as I love Ramapo College, it took me about two years to discover it; I attended two other schools first, and was unhappy at one and even more so at the other. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I think I would suggest that I attend community college first. Although I didn't "waste" those two years, they really burned a hole in my pocket and negatively impacted my mental and emotional health. My high school not only put a lot of emphasis on attending a four-year school, but also, in effect, gave off the impression that attending a two-year school was something to be frowned upon. I would tell myself to ignore that impression and use those first two years to save my money while taking general education classes that could be easily transferred to just about any four-year school. Freshman year of college is overrated in many respects, and the experiences I was told I would have should not have been the basis for my decision. I'm happy now, but again, only after two years of unnecessary financial, mental, and emotional struggles.

Dear Joe, I know you’re looking at colleges right now and trying to make one of the most important decisions of your entire life. I just finished my freshman year at Ramapo College and encourage you to follow some of my advice. Here’s one helpful tip for starting your college career – make sure you realize that college isn’t thirteenth grade and up – it’s a lot more work than you would expect. From what I’ve heard at Ramapo, professors expect you to study at least 2 to 3 hours per ninety-minute class period. That’s more than I was used to at first, but I adjusted to it fairly well. Another helpful tip is to join as many clubs and activities as you possibly can, because involvement outside the classroom goes a long way in that you not only find new opportunities to socialize and make new friends, but this also looks good on your resume if you have a leadership role. My final tip for you here is simple: do not lose sight of who you are, and you will clearly go far in college and beyond. With warmest regards, Yourself

The advice I would have given to myself is first off, to have looked more colleges in depth. I am now transferring to a different college because I did not really like the environment of the college that I was attending. Additionally, I would have told myself to apply to more scholarships as a senior. I really struggled financially this year because I had to pay all my college expenses myself and not having that support hit me hard. Make sure to apply to as many scholarships as you can. Be responsible also. I know that college is a big change, and many want to have the whole college experience with partying, making new friends and all of that, but what I noticed that many students did was loose sight of why they came to college in the first place. Do not solely focus on the social aspect of college, you are there for your education, and even if you are that loser that stays in saturday nights studying, it's okay. Don't feel singled out because you're doing what you came there for--to learn. Lastly, college is stressful, so give yourself a break sometimes.

I would advise students to be involved. Join two or three clubs and really get to know the people in them. Doiing this will greatly enhance your college experience.

Assuming I could go back in time, I would give myself allot of advice. First, get involved! Try out new sports, clubs, AP courses and Honor Societies.

To My Past Self, Do your homework and learn study habits that will actually help. I know you do excellent without this, but learning the skills to succeed will help you when you do graduate. Practice time management better, college will consume your life and you need to know how to handle it. Also, appreciate the lack of responsibility you have now because having to pay for things and work overnights while having class during the day is not fun or easy but you have to do it to get by. Next, don't be scared; find what you love and go for it. Apply for every scholarship possible because then you can try to avoid this massive amount of loan debt. Finally, I know how easy it is to have friends in high school because you see the same people everyday, in college it is not the same. Make an effort to reach out to people you do not see regularly and see if you make any connections with them. I know it sounds scary but you will love it. Learning and growing is truly a beautiful thing. Just make sure you are working hard to get here.

There are times when life gives you breaks and allows you to breathe in between growing up and accepting new responsibilities, this is often not one of those times. Nothing you did in high school, including your AP work, will prepare you for the shock brought about by deadlines, extra-curricular work, expenditures and the sheer amount of time you will spend both doing your work and thinking about whether you should do it or not. Absences matter way more, and this time they count against your grade. Some teachers will become pseudo-best friends, others will not look you in the eye, and some will even hurt your feelings. You might cry, and there are days you will. Your roommates will snore loudly, and in the beginning you will feel bad about waking them up, but you’ll stop honoring their rest once it keeps you from yours. “Crap! It’s midnight” will turn into “Oh, it’s only midnight,” and later evolve into “3:00 am? Pshh, I got this.” Your parents will get tough on you, yes, tougher than before, and you’ll wish you had applied to many more scholarships earlier. So please, do them now.

I never took school seriously, but I did enjoy my time. I am not sure if it was ignorance or a lack of preparation, but my academic and social performances were very lackluster. During the spring of my junior year, I experienced an epiphany after overhearing a friend describe some accomplishment. I immediately felt inferior and insecure. I was the same age, was enrolled in similar classes, yet did not experience any sort of success. From that point on, I though long term. My immediate academic actions have long lasting effects. It doesn't matter how long you take, as you as you make an honest effort and not be afraid to ask for help. My story is different and is unique in that I may not have experienced any life challenging obstacles or major adversity; however I represent the group of people that fly under the radar and show we can be something. I would say this to past self, as well as to current students through my work as an admissions recruiter. People have taken me under their “wing” during my time at Raritan Valley community and at Ramapo College and have allowed me to develop my potential.

The number one piece of advice I would give myself is to start right away; don't wait until you feel trapped by circumstances of life and it takes you years to rediscover yourself. However, if, by chance, you find yourself years down the road and Plan A seems to have been so far away, it's never, ever too late to dream again. Your priorities will change and so will parts of you, but if you have the courage to take the first step, you'll realize that you're capable of doing things you never thought you'd have to do. Keep your head up, a smile on your face, and NEVER stop believing that the best is yet to come. Because, High-School-Me, do you remember that feeling of possibility? Do you remember feeling that life was simply grand and the sky was the limit? Well, you were right.

I would advise myself to take advantage of the college social life more in my freshman year. Freshman year is a relatively easy going year and should be taken full advantage of. I should have dedicated more of my time getting out more and meeting new people, rather than sitting in a room on a computer.

If I could go back in time and talk to my highschool self, the most important advice I would give is to trust yourself and continue to push through when things get tough. I wouldn't change the path that brought me to attend Ramapo College of NJ and I would do the exact same things as I did when I was a senior in high school. Transferring to three different colleges in three years was not easy, but it was important to take those chances and follow my dreams. If I did not take that road, I would not have been able to decide on a major or experience everything I have. Overall, I would let my young self know that all the perserverance and dreaming will pay off one day and you must stick with things no matter what.

This year of highschool is very important to you and your future. You need to try harder, finish your homework, focus on the markerboard and not the girls around you, and raise your GPA because if you get use to the hard work now it will make your college experience much easier. You will make mistakes, and they will turn out for the best in the end, although I do suggest finishing a full year of college before you put your schooling on hold.Try your hardest becasue the grades will matter, college isn't about sports and girls, it's about making a better life for you and your family-to-be. It took me three years, and a baby girl on the way, to realize that I needed to take a step back and start my college education over. I know it will be hard, but in the end it'll make you happier and inspire your daughter to be the best she can be.

If I could go back in time and give my high school self some advice, I would tell myself two things. First, take more AP courses. With only two AP courses, I walked into college with 12 credits, placing me almost a full semester ahead. The second piece of advice that I would give myself would be to venture outside my dorm room more often during the first month of school. I was somewhat shy during the first month and associated primarily with friends who had gone to the same high school. When I finally did start venturing outside of my room more often to do homework in the dorm lounge I made a lot of friends to whom I became very close. I would have greatly enjoyed getting to know them earlier than I did, and thus that would be the primary advice that I would give to myself.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior I would have told myself to study harder and to use all the tools available to me. I had a very hard time at the start of my college career and I changed majors several times as well. Now that I'm at a new school and I believe I have finalized my major that is the one thing I wish I could have told myself. I also would have said to take things more seriously because if I had I wouldn't have taken a break from school to get myself organized again.

The transition from high school to college served as a huge transformation in my academic self. In high school I was the girl who was smart, but did not apply her knowledge in the best possible way. I was very lazy when it came to school work, doing everything at the last minute and only doing what was absolutely required of myself. I graduated with a 3.75 gpa and never got any grade below a B, but always knew I could have done better if I had only applied myself. When I got to college I realized I wanted to do my absolute best, and prove to my high school self that I was capable of greater. As a college sophomore now, I have a cumulative grade point average and have an amazing work ethic. I realize attending class and doing everything possible to learn and maintain a great grade point average is essential. I would tell my high school self to care more and always apply my best when taking a class. School is not only to get good grades, but to obtain knowledge to use outside of the classroom. Knowledge and education are key in life.

The value of a college education began to benefit me the moment that I opened the little white envelope. I had been accepted into the Ramapo College of New Jersey with a Provost scholarship. I had always been a hard worker, but seeing the words “You’re Accepted!” made all of my hard work and perseverance seem worthwhile. This helped to affirm for me the American Dream; the promise that success comes to those who work for it, as a reality. Once I arrived, I adjusted quickly to the new environment, meeting new people and jumping into my new classes. One of these classes was American Government. In addition to providing me with the necessary social sciences credits for graduation, it gave me a much broader and personal sense of understanding the 2010 midterm elections. It made the nationwide election coverage real to me and helped me to understand how the democratic process truly affects me as an American citizen. I ended the semester with not only a 3.933 grade point average, but with a solidified understanding of both the American Dream and of my role as an American citizen.

On August 29th, when I moved into college I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Was I going to love it there? Was I going to love the classes and my roommates? It was complete new territory that brought on so many responsibilities that were completely new for me. As it turned out, some of my roommates are people I will never forget, while some were not what I expected. Being put into this suite with six other girls was going to be a huge challenge for me. Living in my own room at home with only my mother, I had no idea what it was going to be like living with six people, let alone six girls! Throughout the first month there were a few issues with some of the girls, but it was a learning experience. We all learned to get along, or tolerate each other. We learned each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It was something new for us all, so we were all stuck with the new responsibilities. I believe we all grew up and learned things about ourselves. College is a learning experience, which is why I believe is it very valuable.

My college experience has taught me that college is so different from high school. It has taught me how to be responsible and that I have to have discipline because I have the choice to go to last everyday or not to. There won't be anybody to baby me along the way and it teaches what being an adult partly about. My colllege experience has been valuable because there are so many people who don't get the chance to attend college. They either just don't have the means or they didn't have anyone to push them to want to get a higher eduction. College is so valuable for my future so I know that I have to take every class seriously and not slack. Also, at the college I attend, I have so many people that I know personally that are there to help me. So, I have no reason to fail and I definitely don't have an excuse on why I couldn't get something done, whether it be class related or something else. The college I attend is really great, too, because of the smaller class sizes, which make me more comfortable.

Out of my college experience I have learned to embrace challenge. Many times, students the transition to college a difficult experience as I did when I first got to college. I soon learned that I would not meet new people or learn anything if I did not work for it. Sometimes it is difficult to be the person to say the first word, but that can make all the difference as I met my best friend in the laundry room at my school. Many students end up having to drop out because they go out to parties too much and some find themselves isolated because they don't go out enough. It is a challenge to balance both academics and social life but if I put a lot of effort into both it never becomes overwhelming. With change comes challenge. I have learned a lot about what I am capable of. I challenge those who are afraid to come out of their comfort zone by taking the first step and embracing what comes with it. Whether the result is good or bad, I can learn a lesson from it and continue to challenge myself to make it better next time.