SUNY College at Potsdam Top Questions

In college, you can be who you want to be. You have the opportunity to be a leader, make a difference, and be the best you can be. You can excel no matter who you are, where you come from, and no matter what you want. You learn what you want in your life - in all areas, not just career oriented ones. You learn who you ARE and who you will always be. You learn what is most important to you and what you want to fade into the background. You grow up, but not in a sad way. It is a completely rewarding experience. College is the perfect blend of your past, present, and future. You make friends, you gain a new community, but most of all, you find yourself. It's valuiable to attend because of career opportunities after, but also because it is a self discovering journey that is important to everyone, no matter who you are.

Through out my last semester, I have grown as person. I am no longer a high school student, I am now a part of something much bigger. SUNY Potsdam is like one big community, and I have never felt more welcomed in my life. I have learned that you can always find the good in a person. Though we all have our flaws, deep down there is a part of us that means well. Through group seminars, I have learned that you should give every one a chance, and that you should never judge with out knowing the person. The school teaches about diversity, and teaches us to embrase the differences in one another. We have a whole weekend devoted to diversity, and I got to learn about places and people I had never heard of before. You learn of their culture and their way of living. It really is truly fascinating, and made me want to learn more. This school has taught me to see the beauty in everything, whether art, a performance, liturature, or the way one expresses themselves. I feel as though this school has opened up my eyes, and helped me see the world more clearly.

After working so hard to become college ready, most people could not understand why I chose not to enroll in college after graduating from Holy Names High School in 2008. I applied to a few colleges but my heart was not in it. After a six month break from academics, my desire to go back to school was stronger than ever. I was eager to get back into a classroom and learn! In the spring of 2009, I enrolled in my local community college, Contra Costa College (CCC). CCC has been a valuable resource to me. It has allowed me to move forward academically while giving me time to mature and to make some very important decisions for myself. While CCC did not offer me the experience of dorm life or typical college sports, it did offer me the coursework required to transfer to a four year institution. CCC has provided me with the academic foundation to pursue a higher education. With the skills that CCC has instilled in me, I am now ready to transfer to a four year institution, bring my education to the next level, and see what the future holds for me!

After my fist year of college, I began to realize how important it is to take things in life seriously. I began to see the world through a different perspective, and rather than attending college because I had to, I started thinking along the lines of attending college because I wanted to learn more. I never thought that I would be aiming for a goal of taking more than one major, and trying to fit in as many classes as possible into each semester until college showed me that there is more to education than just learning essentials about a potential career. College has been a huge value for me to attend because it showed me that, while I can never know everything, I want to strive to know as much as possible, even the things that I do not have to. It showed me the true meaning of knowledge, and in the process, made me a more responsible and aspiring student.

My college experience has offered me a chance to experience the carreer I want while I'm still studying my degree. SUNY Potsdam offers many observation and interern oopurtunities in the teaching field. You have to complete two practicums in a school, and student teaching before you graduate. Besides those there is mentoring oppurunities and other optional practice with teaching. SUNY Potsdam also has many clubs, and i have gotten to participate in the running of three different clubs. I also have been working in my SGA (student government) and the school offers leadership confrences that help you gain skills for the work place.

I have gotten a lot out of my college experience. I have grown so much through my experiences. I have had some of my best memories during my years at college. I will cherish the times I shared with my friends and professors. I?ve learned a lot from them inside and outside of the classroom. Whether it?s finishing a paper on time, being in my college's fashion show or studying abroad I have changed for the better. These experiences made me more responsibility, outgoing and confident.

For me, college so far has shown me some amazing opportunites. I have been able to meet many different kinds of people from all over the world for different reasons. I have met actors, scientists, historians, I even learned how to spin a rope from a Chinese circus artist. So many things have happened because of college. I been able to open up more in social situations, I have gained confidence that I lacked before in my ability to handle situations, I have grown as a person and an artist. Most importantly, I have discovered my love of learning. Every single class I have taken has taught me more than what is outlined in the course syllabus. With each class comes fellow students and an instructor. And in each person there is a different viewpoint and experiences. It helps us all to learn when we can see the problem at hand from other peoples viewpoints. Sometimes, I only was able to grasp an idea because someone elses vantage point. To me, college is more than an education, it is about learning how to be around other people and learning to absorb as much as possible when you can.

I have found myself in attending SUNY Potsdam. By going away to school, I was able to break free from high school and create a new name for myself, something I have greatly enjoyed. Meeting new people and making new friends has been great. Everything I have experienced at SUNY Potsdam has been wonderful, and I've learned a lot of good life lessons.

I am currently attending Anthem College in Beaverton OR. It is one of the best experiences i have had the teachers and staff are very supportive and do everything possible to make sure you succeed. Its a family atmosphere and its an open door policy with and of the staff members from the counselors to the dean of education. I love that they not only teach you your core classes but they also prepare you for the professional world.

Beginning college after some traggic times in my life was the best decision I could have ever made. This was such a wonderful college that helped boost my spirit and gave me a stronger sense of self. I raised three children on my own for several years and continuing college at SUNY Potsdam has been a blessing for my family. My oldest son will be graduating from high school in June 2010 and now he is deciding to pursue his education into this college also. He has seen the strength and wisdom I had gained from my duration within this beautiful college and he wants to have the same. Education no longer appears to him as a chore but as something fulfilling and enlightening. SUNY Potsdam has not just brought me progress and education but a sense of peace that my children believe that if I can still struggle with obsticles and make it, so can they. It was a win, win situation due to my choice of attending SUNY Potsdam.