Rice University Top Questions

I would advise myself to keep working harder and that college is no walk in the park. Not to slack off on things just cause they are easy and always accept the extra work, cause the more practice, the easrier the classes will be. Take more notes and what goes on, cause they will be needed. Start waking up earlier and make sure that the work is completed before I begin recreational activities because a lot of time is needed for the work. A lot more reading is needed, and more practice. Other than that, the transtition is not that much.

?Let me out of here!? I yell to my seventeen-year-old self from within a dark closet. The door slowly opens, revealing my younger-self peering warily at me, heavy textbook in hand to beat the intruder - me. I cannot blame her for being cautious because I, too, would feel unnerved if I heard my own voice from a closet. My purpose for being here is to advise my younger-self about college. There is much to tell about the hard adjustments ahead, but I will only ease the passage ? not make the difficulties go away. The most valuable advice I have is to expect the unexpected; as a college student, I have experienced moments that have shaken me ? first time to truly have difficulties in academics and first time to not have my strong support system surround me. It is important to not be so comfortable when entering college; do not think that this will be a continuation of success in high school. College takes a lot more hours of work and studying; it breaks your self-confidence, but you just need to persevere. Younger-me looks intently at me; I take a breath and begin my story.

It's June 6, 2009, and there's a pool party in celebration of tomorrow's graduation. A girl rides around on her boyfriend's back laughing and smiling, but she's really thinking, "It will never be like this again." That girl is me, and I know exactly what she's thinking. She thinks all her new classmates will be smarter and better than her, they won't. She thinks classes will be too hard for her to do well in, they won't; that she will never get sleep or have time for fun, she will; that she will never talk to her mom anymore, she definitely will; that her and her boyfriend will never make it work, they will; that she is going to gain the Freshman 15, she won't; that she may not like Rice after all, turns out, she will love it. Just as I am about to tell her these secrets and give her some peace of mind, I turn away. These fears, these pre-college jitters are all a part of the journey, they give meaning to all that you experience and discover, and I would never take that away from myself.

After attending Rice University for a year and a half, I have accumulated numerous pieces of wisdom and learned so much about the college experience. The most valuable piece of advice I would give myself would be to take my time and ease into college courses slowly. Four years is plenty of time to take all of the required courses so there is no reason to try to rush into many difficult classes the first semester of college. There are so many other social, emotional, and personal changes taking place during the transition to college that nobody needs the added stress of a difficult courseload at the very beginning. My first year of college I thought I was prepared to jump a full courseload and skip some of the introductory classes. However, I very quickly discovered that courses in college are more difficult and require more time than those in high school. Fortunately, I realized this early in my first semester and was able to make the necessary changes to prevent a complete meltdown. I dropped one of my more time consuming courses, but I wish I had known this information before even signing up for my classes.

If I could give any advice to my senior high school self, I would say don?t worry. When you?re applying to colleges, you are under a lot of pressure and you might forget the goal. College is a wonderful next step after high school. Life will be different, but you?ll adjust. You are admitted to a school because the admissions staff believes you will fit in. You might seem out of place at first, but everyone does. That?s what happens when you go somewhere new. Everyone is adjusting to everything at the same time. The people in your dorm are all learning to live on their own, but you will also all learn to live with each other. The workload might be different from high school but colleges don?t let in unprepared students. All the other freshmen will adjust with you. Finally, you might have a detailed plan of how you think life will be in college. You might not end up following it. Don?t worry. No one has their life planned out by senior year of high school. Just go with what feels right. It seems to all work out in the end.

I would tell myself to organize my time well. As an incoming student athlete, the transition between my high school and a University like Rice could prove to be a very difficult obstacle to overcome.

Be yourself

Don't wait around for the oppurtunities to come along - go out and pursue them!

My advice would be to visit the schools and get a feeling for the enviroment. If at all possible, they should do an overnight to see what the social scene is really like. There is nothing like visiting the campus and just knowing that this is where you belong. If you're like me, it may not be what you were looking for on paper, but in person it is all you could ask for and more. Also, talk about the school with current students. Alumni are useful, but may not have the current "411." Lastly, parents, "Lay off!" You're not re- visiting you're college years, let you're kid pick the school that's right for them, it may not be an Ivy, but they'll be a lot happier and get so much more out of the college experience if they're at a school they WANT to be at.

If you are able to, go visit the college while it is in session so you can get a feel for how the classes are. At the same time, you can get an idea of the students that attend the college. Staying overnight would be the best option so the prospective student can really gain a good understanding of all that makes up the university, during the day and night. Make sure to do extensive research on each university you are applying to so you are able to consider everything you would like the college to have. Once you select a university to attend, try to get as involved as possible to take advantage of all the opportunities available. Try being part of something you may find interesting but have never done in the past. Those are always the most rewarding experiences. Take classes that you find interesting, especially if you are undecided in your major. The major will come later. At the same time, continuously try to identify your primary interests and your skills to make your academic experience the most valuable.