Syracuse University Top Questions

College makes you grow stronger in every aspect. Whether religiously, mentally, physically, or educationally. You have to fend for yourself. The only one who can go out & make your dream come true is yourself.

Collage has been a great experience. The community college I attend allows me to learn new and exciting way to express myself and obtain the thorough knowledge in my field of study. I?ve learned how to coincide with others and understand people of a different ethnicity may have a dissimilar point of view. I?ve also learned how to research date to support my facts and analysis my material to be accurate. Being a father of two kids and having a full time job makes college a big challenge, but I?m blessed that my college provided me the opportunity to engage in courses at night. The instructors are friendly and helpful making learning fun and rewarding. The education that I?m receiving here will allow me to unearth the dream job that I?m seeking.

Coming from a small island, Puerto Rico, where everyone is different but basically all share the same culture, it was impacting for me to come to Syracuse, New York to study. Besides the drastic differences in weather as soon as I got to my dorm the first day of college orientation I started meeting people from all cultural backgrounds; Hindu, Jewish, Koreans, Turkish and many others. I would have never thought that my best friend would end up being a guy from Zimbabwe. By meeting all these new people I have learned to be more understanding of life, of the how and why people think the way they do. In the middle of my freshman year and I must say that I am more than happy to be in college. It has been a couple of months filled with new and great experiences that have opened my eyes and made me more tolerant by the minute. College is my world where I am practicing to better serve the people on this planet. Through friends, professors and all the university community I am learning to be a better citizen of this world.

High school was a social outlet for me because I had it bad at home. I felt the need to stand out and be noticed especially because I wasn?t noticed in my personal life at home. In class, I was too busy creating closer bonds with friends via written notes and text messages. This ultimately fulfilled something that I wasn?t receiving at home, but caused me to neglect my future. If you?re a student with similar challenges, do your best to change your perception! School may be a social haven in the moment, but what would it be like to actually have the ultimate independence when moving onto the University setting? It only gets better, more students to socialize with, and more activities to participate in! Hang out with friends, and support one another in applying for scholarships. Work hard in your classes until the end, so you don?t jeopardize your entrance into the University of your choice. Open all the unlimited possibilities to your future by staying focused and college bound!

Don't make any assumptions about anything beforehand. Try to keep an open mind to new people and new activities. College is about trying new things and meeting new people. It is easy to be judgemental of people, events and organizations, but don't make up your mind about anything before you experience it for yourself. Sometimes a bad reputation may haunt something on campus, still give it a shot. Most often, you won't regret what you try, only what you don't (this does not apply to drugs). Many students sit in their dorm rooms and try to establish a comfort zone. Attempt to make any situation a comfort zone for you and experience as many different activities and clubs as you can before you decide what to dedicate your time to. Yes, it is okay to spend time relaxing (video games, doing nothing, etc.) but try to limit this time. Also, it's best to make as few enemies as possible and stay in touch with as many people as you can. It is always nice to see a familiar face anywhere you go!

I would tell myself not to be so worried about going to college. Don't worry about not meeting anyone or making friends because at the same time that you're moving into this new environment where you don't know anyone, so are hundreds of other freshman, and they're all as anxious to make new friends as you are. It is truly a time of your life unlike any other, where people feel completely free to walk up to groups of other freshman and introduce themselves, hoping to find a future best friend. Just let go of your worries and anxieties about being away from home and have a good time. Keep an open mind and try to meet as many people as possible, don't get too stuck in one clique right away because over the next four years, you never know who will beome a true friend.

I would tell myself to stop being so shy and to take risks in reaching out to people and befriending them. I would remind myself not to judge others before truly getting to know them. I would advise myself not to be proud, remembering that I don't know everything, and can always learn SOMETHING from everyone. I would encourage myself to remain strong in my religious beliefs--while learning about and taking into consideration the religious beliefs of others. I would emphasize how important it is to just be myself, and to be confident in who God made me to be, rather than trying to impress others by pretending to be someone I'm not. I would advise myself to take care of myself: get enough sleep, work on projects ahead of time rather than procrastinating, eat healthy, and exercise regularly; when you feel great, you perform well. I would remind myself to take advantage of the incredible opportunity of being at the university--the facilities, the paid-for materials, the wisdom of the professors, etc. Most of all, I would remind myself to stay positive and make the very best of every situation and day given to me.

See yourself as a child. When you call a child stupid, telling her she?ll never do anything right, she will hold that hurt and carry it around. It happens to all of us. Perhaps we feel too fearful or worthless to try, creating a world of untapped potential. Regardless of who we are, we are all faced with caring for an inner child. Many of us go on to abuse this child, telling ourselves that we can?t, we?re not good enough, or what we want is too far-fetched. We do this because we forget how powerful our thoughts are; but before we know it, our self-resenting thoughts can turn us into our own worst enemies. It is our responsibility to love and forgive our inner child?the part of us that yearns for love and support, especially when we make a mistake. With love at the base of all our actions, we can share it with ourselves and and the world, making it a safer place. So give that child a hug. For she will always need you, and she will always be there for you. And you?re both perfect the way you are.

I would make sure that before I went off to school I handled all my financial issues while I still had a good deal of resources because if you wait until the last minute it makes having to worry about whether or not you can afford to stay in school that much more stressful.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to go to Syracuse University. It is a great college for engineering and I enjoy being here due to all the wonderful friends I have made. I would advise myself to travel whenever possible because college is the best time to do it. One piece of advise I would tell my high school self is to stop procrastinating because there are so many activities out there for students who are early. I would tell myself to start planning my college time because four years isn't enough time to try everything.