Southern Methodist University Top Questions

Having been raised in a small, affluent, protected city in California, exposure to different cultures and values has been very enlightening and exciting. Students at SMU are from all over the country, and bring a multitude of values and behavior formed by their past experiences. I have found myself questioning what I thought was normal and customary, and think I am becoming a better person for it. I have enjoyed being academically challenged. My High Achool was also highly regarded academically, but I am enjoying the stretch of college courses and opportunities for learning. SMU attracts noted speakers and professors, so there is ample opportunity to learn from seminars and out of class lectures as well. On a personal level, I have learned the art of time management needed to coordinate my on-campus work study job, my off campus job, sorority activities, studying, enjoying my new friends, and having "me" time. I have also been able to learn more about conflict management from problems inside my dorm. Finally, coming from a single parent home, I am appreciting the sacrifices my mother makes for me financially, and have become more involved with money management. Many valuable lessons learned!

I've had to struggle through college for the past eight years, I would definitely have to warn myself of the hazards of dealing with counselors, both academic and financial. I've encountered many errors and transgressions that have delayed my expected graduation time year after year. One of these years, for instance, saw my dog run away, the passing of a dear friend, and the ultimate death blow to my all (all this had occurred during Christmas). The financial implications forced me to take a year-and-a-half long sabbatical from school. I returned to continue my fight through classes and student finances, and even encountered some academic advising errors that cost me another semester. I don't believe one should know too much about their own futures, but I do believe that I would have to warn myself of the academic and financial burdens I am certain to encounter. No one else in my family had ever graduated from college, so I had a lot to learn, and a lot to overcome. I consider myself to be quite stubborn, and I do believe there are circumstances, such as this one, where it is quite beneficial.

Younger man. If you have just twenty minutes, I really have some information that you can benefit from. No it does not involve smoking or girls, though you might have a few encounters with them both where you will be going. Seriously now, I wish to tell you about establishing a plan for college. When I overheard your conversation at the urinal last week, I noticed that you were thinking about going to a university but you received information about community college. If you are willing to hear me out, I believe that with community college you will be very successful in your educational endeavors. I want you to take three things into consideration. First of all, with community college you can earn credits that satisfy university requirements at a fraction of the price. Secondly, you have a lighter work load at community colleges, allowing you to grow into college-level work without being overwhelmed. Lastly, the experience gives you the opportunity to plan your next step versus jumping out into the middle of the ocean with a life saver and a fish stick. So younger man, listen and become wiser. Make your first step a community college.

I would definitely tell myself to take more Advanced Placement classes so I could get more college credit and save money on tuition and books. The most important thing I would need to know is that it's perfectly acceptable to be yourself coming into a new environment that you've never been in before. There are thousands of other students in the exact same position, so knowing that you're not alone when it comes to being nervous in an unknown place should be a little calming to the nerves. Continue the work ethic you put forth in the last year of high school and listen to the voice inside your head no matter what anyone else tells you. With this newfound freedom comes an enormous amount of responsibility that you need to become of aware of and grasp before things get out of hand. Even though there's no such thing as a perfect start to college, it can still be enjoyable as long as you stay true to yourself and do what you know in your heart feels right.

I'd make a better effort to prepare myself for college, introducing better study habits, knowing I'd actually have to work hard to be successful. I would have done a different course selection, challenging myself more, giving myself a better chance to succeed.

My advice would be to learn to be more open-minded and expect a big change when you go to college. Expect to meet a new and diverse group of people from different cultural, religious, and socio-economic status. Be open and friendly to everybody and careful when choosing your friends. Also try and academically do as best as you can, and be very driven and dedicated to your academic work.

I still remember the difficult times I experienced during my senior year when I was going through the horrific application process. I was nervous, stressed out, and almost gave up going to college. However, I wish I can go back and tell myself that it isn?t so bad. All I had to do is maintain the good grades I already had, take the SAT, and write some essays. Maybe I should have started on those essays a little bit earlier. If I had acquired good time management skills during high school instead of waiting till college, it would have been easier to balance between homework and extracurricular activity. I would probably go back and tell myself to be more involved in clubs during high school because you really need these social skills in college. Colleges don?t only look at your grades, but they look at how well-rounded you are. Being the first the oldest sibling in the family, I had no one to give me any genuine advice about college life. However, I plan to use my experience to help students in the community to take advantage of the resources available to them to go to college.

As I entered college a year and a half ago, I was persistent in my attempt to withstand my preconceived notions of what I wanted to accomplish in my college career. However, after my freshman year, I began to wonder if my original goal of graduating with a BFA in Dance was the best course for me. I became aware of a multitude of opportunities and feilds of study that interested me. I eventually had to make a life changing decision, whether to continue to earn my degree in dance and take a few classes that sufficed my outside interests, or to continue taking classes but completely restart and persue a new major that would greatly benefit my future immediately after graduating or perhaps further on in my career. This decision would cost me a great deal of my scholarship and change my family's financial situation significantly, however what I learned was that regardless of what your personal plan entails, there will always be variables that challenge your path, and in addition to this, if there is a will, there is a way. Without risk there is little gain, and no one has ever felt satisfied from being comfortable.

"Don't quite while you're ahead." is the advice I would give to myself. These words reflect a song title from the Broadway musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Rumpert Holmes, an English-British composer, born 24-Feb-1947. Like Rumpert, I had high expectations to complete a major in music and to secure a job in the music field. However, one difference between Rumpert and myself is that after his studies (at the Manhattan School of Music in New York), he remained focused in music and became an acclaimed music artist. Contrastingly, now at age 41, I am recounting my reasons to complete the MUED BM studies at Southwestern University at Georgetown, TX. Regrettably, I withdrew from this university in 1986 following the completion of my junior year. Thereafter, for more than 10 years, I pursued other goals apart from my passion for music. Without a doubt, music still gives me joy. However, life has prompted me to rethink how I will achieve success. And with that said, I am pursuing a degree in anthropology at SMU in Dallas, TX with hopes to graduate by spring 2010, all while remembering "Don't quite while you're ahead."

When beginning the application process for college, I was unaware of what I truly desired of my college experience. I knew I wanted to thrive in college, however, I felt wanting for an area of study that interested me. In my senior year of High School, I lost my personal identity. Given the chance to talk to myself, I would merely have asked "What identifies you?" I would not tell myself anything I have learned now, I would have just posed the question. It took the experience of my first semester of college to realize what I felt passionate about and identified with. In my first semester at SMU I didn't fit in. I began to apprehend the missing piece in my existence - my family. I forgot I thrived on the benefits of a strong support group - my family's support. In High SchooI, I scarcely connected with my family and became detached; without their presence at SMU my identity got lost. After Transfering to UNT I found, with my family's help, that Film is my passion. Without the experience at SMU, I would never have realized this. With family support, my passion and identity came to fruition.