Seton Hall University Top Questions

Don’t Listen to Your Parents Nod once, nod twice and nod a third time. This means your parents think you are listening, understanding and will do whatever they tell you. I was one of those kids, I respected my parents so much and believed everything they had to say so much that I went and did what they told me to do which was, “work hard and you will go far.” Currently my house is going into foreclosure, my credit is not so good because of it, I am unemployed, I have no higher education, I have no money, and I am almost 40 years old. Okay, I would have taken their advice but I would not have thought of on such a board scheme of life. I would have narrowed it down and been more methodical and not have just nodded and said yes ma and pa. Telling my high school self to not listen to her parents, she would have loved that. Telling a teenager not to obey their parents, heaven! Just think if a teenager was allowed to look around and take stock of the real world without being stifled by their parents. What to do?

Most people assume that college life is all about taking some major courses, graduate and then get a job. But this is not the case. College not only prepares you for your career but it also teaches you so many life skills that you will need in your life. So to maximize this college experience, one needs to get some preparation too. The most important thing that one needs to be successful in college is to be a good listener. We all know about the importance reading and SAT words or importance of note-taking or those extra-curricular activities to be a better speaker. All these skills are important but listening is like the backbone of those skills. It helps you to take better notes, understand lecture and talk intelligently with your fellow classmates and professors. So, to develop this skill, one needs to be friendly and patient. And for academic purposes, doing independent research about any subject matter is very important as it helps one to understand different subjects from any intelligent conversation or lecture. So, I would advice someone to develop his/her listening skills by making connection with different people and doing independent research.

Prioritize and focus. That's the advice I would give to my high school self. I used to be a defiant and idealistic girl, always wanting to volunteer more than I could afford. As a result, my GPA dropped to a 3.8, and while that was still a pretty decent grade, it wasn't good enough for the likes of Georgetown or Princeton. I realized that to get the scholarships and admittance to attend quality universities, I should have focused more on my grades rather than my extended volunteer list. After all, one of the priorities every university looks at is the GPA. Another factor that inhibited my chances of getting into an ivy league school is the fact that I chose quantity over quality. I applied to 15 universities during my senior year, stretching myself too thin when writing multiple essays for each university. I lacked focus. What I should have done was apply for 5 schools, each ranging from my dream school to safety net. If I had prioritized my actions and focused on them, I believe I would have gotten into my dream university.

The best advice that a soon-to-be college student can recieve is "follow your heart." As corny as it sounds, it is important to go into college with a clear idea of who you are and what you are passionate about. Do not let other people's expectations for you cloud your vision. These are the only four years of your life that you will have to choose your future, so make sure that you choose to do whatever makes you happy. If you are doing what you love, you will be successful.

I would tell myself to take education more seriously. I was a good student in high school, but it came easily to me. I never invested much time in studying or signing up for honors courses. I was a good student, however if I would have put forth more effort I could have been an excellent student. Also, I would tell myself not to wait to go to college. I waited two years after I graduated to attend college because I thought I could not attend and take care of my baby. I know now it was just an excuse, and if I would have went as soon as I graduated high school, I would have already earned my degree. Looking back now I see there were many decisions I could have made to make my life easier, but I think I am doing an excellent job even with making mistakes.

Don't be afraid to go out and meet new people. College is the time for networking, so get out there and join clubs. In college there more opportunities to do fun things so try not to get too distracted from the fact that you went to college for an education.

As a high school senior, I wouldn't have change much. Senior year was my best year acedemicly and I didn't do much fooling around. The one thing that I would say to myself as a high school senior is that I should have applied for scholarships starting in high school. The cost of college is very overwhelming and by not starting to fill out scholarships in high school, I have put myself in a hole to be in a huge amount of debt after graduating. As for the transition to college itself, I feel that I made a great move from high school to college and that there isn't much that I would do differently. The transition was very smooth and I feel that I prepared myself well in high school for what was to come in college.

I enjoy goingtomy school because i've grown academically and socially as a person. The academics at Seton Hall is quite excellent especially for the science, nursing, business and diplomacy departments. The university is so culturally diverse that you get to learn about different kinds of people and expand your horizon on various ideas about life. I also have madefriendships that I do know will probably last me a lifetime. I have already made contacts for the future. I really have gained alot and love this school.

My college experience has displayed the quick changes that occur in business and has dramatically improved my tolerance and ability to work with other people. It has also been valuable in networking with individuals who know where to find the key, that belongs to the door on the road to success. It has motivated me to try harder to acheive my goals and showed me where to look to find the rocks through the fog to know how to avoid many pitfalls in business.

I can not imagine myself not attending college. I want to be able to speak the language of business, one that my mother only surfaced on despite her achievements, as she did not attend college. With my business degree, I am certain that I will be able to become fluent in the language that will allow me to connect to others who also strive to speak it. One day, I hope that Juana & Gloria’s Restaurant, my mother's self-owned business, will be able to expand its doors beyond the corner where it lies. That is my goal, and as my mother has proven to me, it will require a lot of sacrifice, a lot of attention, and a lot of love, all of which I know I will only be able to accomplish through an extensive dedication to my collegiate years, not only academically, but through a persistent network of amazing people. In my time at school, I am fortunate to have learned a lot, experienced plenty, and grown individually, all of which only continues day by day.