SUNY Cortland Top Questions

Just be patient and realize that every assignment has a purpose.

To my high school self I want to give you some advice. Some of it will make sense, some won’t. But believe me you want to follow it. 1.Wash the makeup off your face every night; mom is right about taking care of your skin. 2.Don’t eat doughnuts for breakfast, you will gain weight and it gets harder to lose as you get older. 3.Do not smoke. 4.Appreciate the fact that you can get by with only six hours of sleep; use the time for good, not television. 5.Slow down behind the wheel, nothing is so important you should risk your life and lives of others. 6.Love your friends; many won’t make it out of their twenties. 7.Do not get credit cards, just don’t. 8.That boy you love so very much is going to get you pregnant and leave you, but your kid will be amazing. 9.Appreciate your Dad more. He may be a gigantic pain but you will miss him someday. 10.Love deeply and without conditions. 11.Every mistake is a lesson learned. 12.Anything and everything you put on the internet is PERMANENT.

If I had the opportunity to talk to "High School Senior Kim", I would tell her to apply for more scholarships during high school. I did very well in high school and applied for a ton of scholarships, but I would tell myself to apply day and night until I received something. I would tell her that Mom's health is going to go downhill soon and you can't let her and Dad bear the burden of school bills. "Start establishing your credit." I would tell her. "Mom and Dad can't take out any loans because of Mom's medical bills." I would remind her that her parents will do whatever they can in order for her to go to the school of her choice, but she won't want them stressing out over something like that when there are bigger matters at hand.

There are many things that every freshman should know before they come to SUNY Cortland. The most important thing that was shocking to me, is that it gets really cold and really fast. It starts snowing sometimes as early as mid-October. Be sure to bring up some winter clothes and a coat when you first come here. Even though it gets cold fast, definitely bring a fan, because the dorm rooms get really hot and there is no air conditioning. Another important thing is to stay on top of your work. Do not fall behind. college classes are a lot harder than high school classes and involve a lot more work (which is hard to transition to after having senioritis haha), but it is definitely manageable as long as you do your work on time and don't procrastinate too much. I have known a few people who have dropped out because they have skipped too many classes or they failed and it's a very sad thing. Another important thing to remember is to join as many things as you can and remain active. It's nice to joing a group of people to hang out with and to do fun activities with. It's my senior year and although I'm in a sorority and already am involved in something, I wish I would have involved myself a lot more. There are so many clubs I wish I would have taken a part in and I wish I would have went to more campus event and sports games. Another thing to remember is to be friendly and try to meet as many people as you can. It may be hard to meet new people and to transition from living at home to not, and being away from your parents, but I promise it will totally be worth it and you will love your time at Cortland!

There are many things that every freshman should know before they come to SUNY Cortland. The most important thing that was shocking to me, is that it gets really cold and really fast. It starts snowing sometimes as early as mid-October. Be sure to bring up some winter clothes and a coat when you first come here. Even though it gets cold fast, definitely bring a fan, because the dorm rooms get really hot and there is no air conditioning. Another important thing is to stay on top of your work. Do not fall behind. college classes are a lot harder than high school classes and involve a lot more work (which is hard to transition to after having senioritis haha), but it is definitely manageable as long as you do your work on time and don't procrastinate too much. I have known a few people who have dropped out because they have skipped too many classes or they failed and it's a very sad thing. Another important thing to remember is to join as many things as you can and remain active. It's nice to joing a group of people to hang out with and to do fun activities with. It's my senior year and although I'm in a sorority and already am involved in something, I wish I would have involved myself a lot more. There are so many clubs I wish I would have taken a part in and I wish I would have went to more campus event and sports games. Another thing to remember is to be friendly and try to meet as many people as you can. It may be hard to meet new people and to transition from living at home to not, and being away from your parents, but I promise it will totally be worth it and you will love your time at Cortland!

If I was able to go back in time and give advice to myself as a high school senior about the transition going into college, I would tell myself to have more of an open mind and not to care what other people think about you. Many people change in college and a big part of that is because people move away from home and go to a place where they experience new ways of how people live and they mature. People realize that theres more in life and to have an open mind and experiencing new things is a great way to grow as a person. I would also tell myself to be outgoing and friendly because you see the majority of the same people everyday whether your in the dorms, classes, or walking around campus and those people can become your friends that you can have for life.

I would say, " Tatevik, college is like a test for you. If you can survie and past the test then you have nothing to worry about. College will test you on how responsible you are and if you know that you want. It is a lot of fun, but you can not forget about your work. In High school you don't have to study to get an A, but in college you have to. Don't waste all your time partying. Remember, study hard during the week and you can reward yourself with a party on the weekend. Don't worry about not making friends, you will make them. Just be who you are and don't change. Definitely, talk to your parents and friends at home, they will make the transition so much better. Try not to get depressed too much and enjoy the college life. Be friends with the professors. Usually they are very friendly and are willing to help as much as they can. College is for fun, but don't forget, the most important thing: School work first, then the fun."

If I was to go back and give myself advice about college life I would tell myself two things. The first is that don't expect college work to be the same as high school work. In high school I skated by with straight A's when I barely studied. When i came to college I found out that college is a lot more work than high school work. It involves a lot more of your time and it is very important that you study for every single exam unless you want to fail. The second thing i would tell myself is to not change yourself for other people, be who you are. When I came here i tried to be less of myself in order to make friends. I soon found out that my true friends here were the ones who liked exactly who i was. So i would tell myself to not change who you are just for the sake of making friends. You will make friends when people get to know who you truly are and they will love you more for who you are than who you are trying to be.

I should have done better in my grades. Advanced Physics was a little weaker, and I should have spent more time in working getting a better grade

I would tell myself to study just a little harder because college is harder than I expected. I would also tell myself to not worry so much about the little things because there are bigger things in life to stress about. There is no need to become so overwhelmed with drama when there are real problems out there to worry about. Also, utilize your teachers as much as possible because they truly are there to help you and they really do want you to succeed. These are all helpful things that I would tell myself if I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior.