Syracuse University Top Questions

Coming to college made me realize how much freedom I have at school. Naturally, teenagers take full advantage of this and do things they couldn't do at home. And I'm not just talking about partying all night or eating junk food for every meal, but freedom can go to your head in other ways. Like in school work. Or your social life. Or just everyday necessities, like getting proper sleep, brushing your teeth every night, or not watching too many TV shows on your laptop and neglecting just about everything else in your life out of either pure sloth or cowardice. Freedom makes me think, "It's ok, I'll do it later, I don't have to sleep." No more mom to tell me to go to bed at 11:30. And where has it gotten me? Under my covers, watching entire seasons of unrealistic dramas to forget I have my own life, not eating or sleeping, missing classes, ignoring my friends, neglecting my final project days before it's due with not even half done. My advice: Freedom is great, but don't let it make you forget why you're here in the first place.

I would advise myself as a senior in high school that being a college freshman you have to learn to balance your studies as well as the social life . Listening to others is a great way to find out exactly what the college life is like but going to a certain college because someone says that it's good, isn't a great way to know exactly what college life is like. I would tell myself not to listen to others opinions, it's good to know how people feel about their certain college or their social scene, but if I had the chance I would tell my past senior self to go to the school of choice and talk to the actual students and see how they view it and then actually experience it. Especially if the college setting is different for example my college Syracuse University is much bigger than my high school, so I would advise myself to get out there and try to get use to this by putting myself into uncomfortable settings to get used to how many people there are. Finally, always put as much effort into anything you want to achieve!

I would first and foremost tell myself to try to block out the people trying to pull me this way and that way in terms of where I should go to school. I would encourage myself to really sit down and think about what I am looking for in college and if each of the schools provides me with these opportunities. From there I would encourage myself to be me. Realize that in college you can find people with which you have common interests. I was confused about my sexual orientation going into college and it took me 2 years before I felt comfortable enough to come out of the closet. I think Syracuse University allowed me to grow and become confident in myself, that confidence allowed me to come out and show my friends who I really was. Be brave, take chances, and you never know what you might accomplish!

I would tell myself to wade in instead of jumping. I was so excited when I arrived on campus as a freshman that I joined a vast array of clubs and organizations. Although I am still active in the majority of these organizations and have joined more within the past semester, I think a little more downtime during my freshman year could have greatly benefitted me. I also would have told myself to take greater advantage of the city of Syracuse; it is a great outlet that I did not truly discover until about a month ago.

I would advise myself to be more outgoing and try to branch out a lot more within the first few weeks. Join more clubs, meet more people because although I have made really good friends I dont feel that i am as involved as I could be. Also now that everyone is established it seems more difficult for me to make new friends and bridge the gap with unfamiliar people. There are so many opportunities avalable at my University but since I did not join them immediately I feel that I have gotten caught up in my class work and no longer have the time to search for them. I would also advise myself to go to more guest lectures. I know there are allways a lot of lectures going on but I have only attended 2 so far and they have been really inspirational. The first was on cultural diplomacy, one of the speakers was Marjane Satrapi, the author of graphic novel Persepolis and the other was by Ira Glass, an extrordinary radio speaker. Both were interesting and intellectually stimulating so I do not doublt that I have already missed sevral other exceptional lectures.

In high school you were so excited to graduate and live the freedom of being out on your own and making your own decisions. I am now a senior in college and looking back four years from now I wish I had done more to use the full extent of my freedom. In college, professors won?t be pushing you beyond what you show them. If you show them nothing, then they will expect nothing more of you and so they won?t be able to give you the help and the guidance to take full advantage of the resources available to you. The professors will give you assignments and they will give you a grade, but if that is all you do, by the time inch towards graduation you will realize that all you did was pour money into a school to receive a diploma. If I could go back in time and do college all over again I would be more aggressive in learning and experiencing things that aren?t just the bare minimum. There are so many different lectures, galleries, shows, and people that you could interact with. Strive to improve yourself beyond what are expectations.

Do not be so doubtful.

Not to stress out so much about the college application process, just apply and the right path will come to you.

i would tell myself that there are career options in your field of interests. You will never be just having a job. You need to go to college now do not wait! Take your studies seriously and never let anyone destroy your passion.

There are two major things I would tell myself: apply for scholarships and start thinking about my major. Syracuse University is such an expensive school, and although they gave me a lot of financial aid, it's still not enough. I also came into school not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life. Now I might have to stay an extra semester to complete my major requirements. I know for a fact that if I had known this as a high school senior, I would be in a way better financial and emotional state right now. My transition into college was difficult, as I am sure it was for many others. I left Georgia and came to Syracuse for the first time the weekend before school started. I was lonely, home-sick, poor, and clueless. These factors made it even harder for me to focus on my studies. Now, as a junior, I am struggling with my major, paying for school, and being away from home. If I had prepared to face all these obstacles as a highschool senior, I know I wouldn't be stuck in this rut that I am in now.