Rhodes College Top Questions

If I had the chance I would advise myself to not be so shy when I start college and to take a wider variety of classes to make choosing my major easier. I'm pretty introverted; I had a great opprotunity to connect with students at my current college while I was in high school, but I rarely connected with people the way I would have liked to. I'm also terrible at decision making. Since freshment year I was toggling between majors: art, economics, art and economics double major, business, history, film studies, business with a minor in Chinese, art with a minor in Chinese. Now I'm an environemtal studies major (weird, right?)

Don't put things off until later. Seriously. You'll regret it.

If I could give my high school senior self advice, I would tell her not to sweat the small stuff. I spent so much of my high school career worrying about stupid things like popularity and sports and boys that I let the important things fall behind. I would tell her "people don't give you nearly as much thought as you think they do." Constantly worrying about what everyone else thinks of you can wear you down emotionally and physically. Life becomes extremely stressful and looking back now I realize how silly I was for worrying about things that don't really matter. I would tell the high school me that in a year I would have the best friends I could ever want and they love me because of my brain and personality and don't care if I'm wearing the latest fashions or dating the cutest boys. In high school it's easy to get caught up in the petty everyday things. In doing this we just make life harder and lose sight of the things and people who really matter.

I would tell myself to start at a West Georgia Technical College to save money for the future college I plan to transfer to. I would also tell myself to start the scholarship search earlier, rather than waiting until I’m close to transferring. Lastly, to study more and get more involved in sports, clubs, and other organizations.

I would tell myself to consider meduim size schools in addition to the smaller schools I applied to. That is the one major regret I have about going to Rhodes--it was a great school, but it was small. I think it is important to consider that you grow into a school, and it's possible to outgrow it. That's what happened for me. I wouldn't necessarily choose a different school, but I would have at least given myself other options as far as size.

Life- no boundaries, fresh out of the box, grade A life. That's the only way to encompass everything that I've gotten out of college- all of the victories, experiences, and memories right alongside the dissapointments, bad days, and sturggles. When I came to college, my life not only opened a new chapter, but it hit me in the face. My life began when I came here. I learned how to live on my own, learned what made me happy, and even learned how to learn. It almost seems as though everything thus far had been leading up to this one milestone. And once I got here, it was up to me what to make of it. So I embraced it! The wonderful oppurtunities, relationships, and wisdom have been innumerable. It has helped define who I am and who I want to be. Without college, I would feel unfulfilled, because it is the beginning of everything. And now that I've gotten to this milestone I have realized it's not getting through here that's important but instead it's the journey I take.

I was an immigrant from Hong Kong four years ago. My previous educational experience in Hong Kong had been dispiriting; therefore, I came to the United States hoping for a better educational environment for me to discover my gifted talents and career goals. The US did not disappoint me. When I was in high school, my teachers gave confidence for me on believing my capability. They helped me find out whom I really want to be. I want to enter the justice system to help people in the country and fight against crimes and unfairness.Therefore, when I joined Howard Community College, without any hesitation, I chose Criminal Justice as my major. Two years had gone quickly, and from HCC, I was able to deepen my knowledge on the U.S. justice system. It gave me a chance to understand how the system works and its limitation. I have found out that the poors and the minorities still face much unfairness in the legal system. It is, by then, I realize that I must continue my education in order to improve the justice system. Afterall, the Law is the ultimate weapon for us to persue justice, right?

Even though my college experience has only been for one year so far, I have still been able to manage to find many things that I have become valuable to me because of this past year. For my past year I have had to learned to adopted to my many different type of schedules that I would have to make on a daily basis. This has taught me excellent time management in ways of planning accordingly for schedule advents and also being able to manage my time for many of the unexpected events that comes my way from a day to day basis. The biggest valuable experience that I believe I have received from this past year is the way that college has let me realized that it is time to move on for me. I believe that it is a reality check for myself to realize that you will only get out of life for what you put into it. Another thing that i have learned is that no one else will do it for you anymore its time to grow up, move on, and make your life for yourself. Theses are just some experiences college has taught me.

Coming to Rhodes has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. The school itself is breathtakingly beautiful; the Gothic architecture earns it frequent comparisons to Hogwarts. The campus is filled with highly driven individuals who truly care about their academic experience. However, Rhodes does not seem to be as competitive as some schools, and tends to have a more laid back atmosphere. Rhodes has been an incredible experience so far. In my time here I have already been given opportunities that I would not have gotten at any other institution that will truly change my life entirely.

Don't be afraid of the unknown: college is liberating and mind-altering! It is not like anything you've ever experienced before - it will feel like a step into real life and into a newfound independence. In everything I do, I'll be responsible for the consequences - parents aren't there to stop you or bail you out. It'll teach me to think before I act, as well as take risks that maybe I wouldn't ordinarily. Do what I've always wanted to try - maybe being a radio host on campus radio, or studying in places I've only dreamed of, like Russia. Be open to all the different people I'll meet - they each have a perspective that reflects a different part of this great country and the world. Remember - I'll be as interesting to them as they are to me. My professors are people too - they're ready to help me succeed and I get to mine their fantastic brains for 4 years! And stick to my own internal honor code. If I do it right, college will be the best time of my life - I'll soar to the limits of my imagination!