Rhode Island School of Design Top Questions

I would tell myself to change certain habits such as being super lazy and procrastinating. College is where I can meet new people, thus I would tell myself to be more open about myself to others. I believe school is never just about education, a massive part of it is being sociable as well, and college is the first time you're really able to do it on your own terms. You're responsible for your education, for how you spend your time, whether or not you go to parties, and when you go out.

Dear Luiko - It gets better. So much better. You are about to experience the time of your life. You wil make mistakes along the way, but with each step, you will walk away stronger. You will search for what makes you shine out of hundreds of other stars, and realize your true potential to hone your craft. You will fall in and out of love, but realize that the most important and rewarding relationship you will ever have is with yourself. You will learn that individual research is just as crucial as communicating with others to achieve a common goal. You will finally understand that you are enough, and are capable of whatever you set your mind on. Don't forget to stop and truly feel every moment, and prepare for the next stage of adulthood in the real world. Congratulations, you made it. Love, Luiko

The advice that I would give myself if I could go back in time would be to always look for the light at the end of the tunnel. The reason that I say that is many high schoolers think that there isn't anything else out there and that education isn't important. I don't look at it like that, but most teenagers today think that high school is as far as they will go. There is a bigger and brighter light at the end of the tunnel. I would tell myself that it will all be worth it in the end.

The life where I grew up and the new life that I have started at the Rhode Island School of Design are literally opposites of each other. I had so many questions, but I was never once scared. I knew that it would be okay and my transition would not be much of a problem. I believe that the moment in time I started to put myself at ease about my life at college, I started to put almost every thought about it at the back of my head. Though it is not a bad thing to relax once in a while, it is never a good thing to let oneself be so submerged in it, deaf to the warnings of what is to come. To my past high school self, I would tell her to be alert. I would tell her to always be fervent and curious. I would tell her to be humble, and prepare for competition that would end up surpassing her. But most importantly, I would tell her to keep her hands busy, to keep sketching, keep thinking, and never stop working, even in a moment of relaxation.

“Dear Leah, when you fly north this fall, I want you to remember that you are going home. There is so much kindness and joy and excitement waiting for you, so don’t think for a second that you won’t fit in or have any friends. The most important thing I want to tell you though, is that you must leave some things behind. Don’t worry about your friends, keeping in touch will be easy enough, but you need to know which Friends to keep in touch with. Stay connected to the people you trust, not the ones you feel obligated to. Take some time to clear out your head and get rid of your baggage. You are not in high school any more so don’t let old things from high school bother or define you. Start out with a clean slate so that your old baggage doesn’t keep you from having new experiences. Things are goign your way and I don’t want you to be slowed down by dead weight. Do some healing. Travel light. Go into the fall with a fresh mind and an open heart, you will be so much more yourself."

Trust your intuition and dont doubt yourself. Stay positive and llow good energy to affect whatever I do.

I believe that everyone must react to the world utilizing the capabilities that come naturally to them. Those who have creative sensibilities react artistically, and as someone who needs to express themself visually, I am pursuing an artistic education to ameliorate the quality of that expression. I spent four years after graduating from high school working, traveling, and exploring my possibilities. As a 24 year old junior at Rhode Island School of Design, I am dedicated and focused on my classes because I took the time to discover what I really wanted to do with my life. I would encourage every high school student to take time to explore what they truly want to learn before making the decision to go to college. Because of the time off from school, I feel I am more motivated now to study and succeed in my goal of using art and foreign language skills acquired from traveling to promote understanding and a sense of community in our fractured modern world.

I recently spoke with a friend that was still in high school and had asked for my opinion on their desired major and to help curtail their anxiety of applying for and attending college. I told him that college will be challenging, and at times uncomfortable, but that is what college should be. I also told him that as a freshman I was terrified. It took me an entire school year to adjust and to find even ground. However, struggling through and overcoming the many physically and emotionally exhausting challenges during the year secured my happiness at the Rhode Island School of Design for the next four years. The words I expressed to him are the words that I wish I had been able to give myself.

Now knowing about the transitional experience from high school to college, I would advice myself to pursue what she is passionate about. That just because you believe a certain path is the best available, does not make it the best for you. Even though she did not comprehend this idea, she did already practice this by accepting her attendance to RISD and denying a cheaper school. Education had a strong value then and now. Everything that has made me who I am, came from learning through experience. If I told myself the cheat codes to life, then my younger self would not appreciate an outcome that resulted from hard work and self motivation. Naive and unacquainted with independence, she is a person that does not completely understand the concept of hard work. She would have followed my advice and changed who I was to become. Who I am now. I would have met different people and made different choices, that may or may not have bettered my life. Thus, I would fail to recollect any specifics about myself, and prevent any change that could possibly occur.

Without hesitation, two years into my art school education, I would tell the stubborn eighteen year-old boy staring back at me with glazed eyes, to take some time off before entering college. The naïve boy would quickly protest with affirmations of future artistic fame and success –and not that I still don’t believe that I will accomplish everything that I’ve always believed- what’s the rush? I would inquire that I had a lot of self-exploration to do, and to better utilize my education at the Rhode Island School of Design, I would need to realize my own artistic expression. In order to achieve this, I would advise myself to firstly get multiple jobs to eventually support myself outside of my parents home and immerse myself within the artistic community of the city, so that I could build connections prior to entering college. Only then would I want myself to finally begin the rigorous artistic education of my school in order to better utilize that resources available. Even without such advice, I have not made a bad decision and am happily halfway through my college experience.

I HAVEN'T ATTENDED COLLEGE YET BUT I HAVE WANTED TO FOR A LONG TIME. I START THIS SPRING AT WESTERN WYOMING COMMUNITY COLLEGE. MY FATHER GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL BUT MY MOTHER DID NOT. I WILL BE THE FIRST IN MY FAMILY TO ATTEND COLLEGE AND TO ME THAT WILL MEAN MORE TO ME THEN ANYTHING. I FEEL THAT COLLEGE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP OF MY LIFE. I HOPE , BY ME DOING SO, MY CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN WILL DO THE SAME.

My college experience has been invaluable. Here at RISD I'm encouraged to grow and thrive. Returning to school is no easy task and it takes a great level of courage to get the most out of ones education. By attending this university I will have an abundance of opportunities both academically and professionally. Today's job market place is increasingly competitive and it is up to us as students to take advantage of every opportunity presented to us—education is that chance and that opportunity, to get the best education available to me will allow me the possibility of success in my future. I have access to great experienced minds here on campus and I think the biggest value in education is exposure and access to information. I believe in an individual’s ability to learn and grow on their own but with the aid of capable instructors and worthy academic institution a student can develop even further. I have been exposed to a variety of new and exciting information here at RISD and I am encouraged to think and live with innovation in mind. Knowledge is in an essential nutrient to all people and having access is key.

One of the best qualities that I have gain at my time at risd is working with others, I had many opportunity’s to learn and observer other people’s creative process I find a great fassination with individuals who view thing differently from my self. Which have provived many window’s of oppertunirty to learn new ways of thinking, I Know for certain from the education that Im reseving at risd that will always be ready to adapted to any environment I have the ability to function well as a member of a team, I find myself continually looking for opportunities to work with people, and to make valuable contributions. one of the great effects that risd has had on me is to search for and Focus on high-priority tasks, and finish what I start. attending risd I will be more than ready to tackle on any obstacles that I may face in the art in design world. The world is changing rapidly. More jobs require education beyond high school. College graduates have more jobs to choose from than those who don't pursue education beyond high school. at risd i feel totally guided and cared for.

The most valuable experiences while attending Risd has been meeting new people. Even with the school's expansive collection of original paintings and hard-to-get texts of artists from all over the world, teachers and friends have given me broader perspectives on life that has made me reconsider why I would even want to stay in this school. Rather than working day and night on creating portfolios to prepare for an industry that may involve a good chunk of my life, they have made me more aware of myself as a person and my interactions with other people: how much I am doing merely for a comfortable future and a steady income, and how much I could be doing instead by engaging with more people more deeply, and not just with those inside the industry that share the same interests, but even with those with whom our interests may conflict. They have made me aware that my possible career as somebody who works in the mass media will impact an entire society, and that all of us must be aware of what is being fed into us and in turn what we consciously or unconsciously feed others.

Overall, I think that the college experience is amazing even though it can very hectic at times and you might feel stressed out. However, I do think that it is very valuable and every time you spend of it is worth because it is your education, the basis of the your development, and one of the most important things in life because it is the only thing that no one can take away from you. It is pivotal in life to attend college because it is the only method of getting a well paid job that gives you the opportunity to maintain yourself and help your family.

I would tell myself that the education that I will get in college is preparing and setting myself up for the future. The most important thing to remember is that you need to attend a college that will not only push you to want to better but to challenge you so that you're able to tackle any obstacle thats comes your way. Another thing to keep in mind is that when entering school as a freshman, don't be afraid to put yourself out there and meet new people. Take advantage of the various people you can meet, and the well known professors that you'll have because networking is a vital part to getting connections in the future. Go somewhere that will push to work, push to become involved and push you to be the best person you can be.

It's even better than you think it is going to be. Open up to everyone, see what they have to say and just go from there. Remember that you are here because you don't know everything, and that you will know a lot more even after one studio. And no one here is as good as they think they are, they're only as good as what others think of their work, and how they recact with others. If they think their shit doesn't stink, then they are in for a bumpy ride. Keep all your doors open, don't settle down to create your own style, it will come to you. And with that, have fun, work hard, but be merry!

Present Self: Oh Mariah you?re so young and na?ve, you cannot imagine what you will learn in one future year! Past Self: Um this is very strange; can?t you just tell me what I will learn? Or what I should know? Present self: Fine. Hmm, let?s see you will probably figure this out anyway but you should ONLY apply to schools you are seriously going to attend (not your list of 15 schools). You need to choose a major, and it has to be something that?s very creative, and something you LOVE (because you?re going to be doing it for the rest of your life). Oh yea and those general tips are really true: use your time management skills, use the facilities, and take care of yourself (that includes exercising and not eating chocolate all the time!). Let?s see, keep working really hard, search for scholarships, and build up your portfolio. Oh yea, and don't submit applications last minute in a snowstorm as the post office closes (stress-level rises and parents become filled with rage)! Ultimately keep at it, you'll do great!

To not be so afraid. I spent alot of time and stress worrying about change. But the thing is, change is inevitable. And that change is good. Because I went to a school far from home, and an art school--something very different from what was normal at home, I forced myself to see and experience new things, and I am so grateful i did that because it has enriched my life so much. I just wish that I had known that just because I was going away to school didnt mean I was losing my family and my friends and my comforts. They will always be there for me, encouraging me forward into new things. I wish I hadn't been so catious going into school. Embrace the change!

If I could speak with my former self as I faced the prospect of leaving high school behind me, I would tell myself not to be so afraid of the unknown. For me, college used to repesent a dark and scary transition into the real world that I wasn't ready for. What I've come to realize is that it isn't as great a leap as I expected. Everyone understands the anxiety of starting in a new place, and I've found myself making friends without even trying, because everyone else is just as eager to belong as I am. Everyday, I am surrounded by teachers and classmates who all care about my growth and guide me along the way. In the end, I went to the Rhode Island School of Design with the purpose of achieving my dream of being an artist. Even though it may have seemed daunting, I surprised myself with how prepared I actually was. If I hadn't taken that chance and trusted that I could transition to college life, I would never have known my potential.