Syracuse University Top Questions

The best advice I would give myself is to do well in high school, be involved with as many high school activities as possible and being a leader or influential member. Learn to be a strong time management student, because you will find yourself so many things to do in college that you don't know when to do what and you will feel stressed out and lost. Take priorities in things that you do, PLANNERS are so useful in college, it's the path to get you from Monday to Friday, everybody uses them. DO have a routined schedule as to when to wake up and when to go to bed. Good learners have adequate amount of sleep and that helps them study better. Learn to express yourself and do not conform with a particular group of people. In high school there might not be so many people, but in college there are people from all over the globe and there are bound to have people who think and act like you. People in college always find a circle of people that they are comfortable with.

I would have tried to be more confident and focused more on actually putting myself out there and meeting people, instead of worrying about meeting people. I stressed about being able to get work done and making friends, and balancing the two, but the key was to remember that everyone else was in the same boat. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to embrace the fact that I was in a new environment with people who, though from many different backgrounds, shared my academic and exracirricular interests. I wish I had received the advice to just be myself and taken the time to understand who I was rather than who I wanted to be or what I thought other people would think. You have to know and accept yourself before you can know and accept others.

I would tell myself to relax. I was very nervous about moving up to school and leaving my friends and family. I thought that I wouldn't make any friends at first. I was completely wrong and haven't been homesick yet! I think I would also tell myself to work on time management because college adds in unexpected procrastiation and distractions that you don't have during high school. You really need to learn when to say no to social events or even just hanging out in people's rooms and focus on work. Getting behind in college is scary because teachers don't remind you to catch up and you could be eight chapters behind in a week! Also I would have told myself to get a job because money is huge in college. I thought I had saved up enough spending money, but I end up running out of cash and it would be nice to have some more cash on hand. Also, I would have told myself to bring Febreeze and Tide to Go as well, because I am always borrowing from people on my hall.

Time management is the most important thing you can learn in college. Organizing your class and social life is the key to success. Also setting aside time for yourself and relaxing is very important as well. You also need to learn to say no and avoid social pressures and plan everything out in advance, such as classes so everything would be easier for yourself in the long run. Don't be afraid to talk to people and set outside your comfort zone you can meet soo many more people that way and have a large network. Also never break your word because it will not only disappoint others but make you look bad and not trustworthy. It is really hard to gain trust back from others.

You did pretty good. All those advanced courses and extracurriculars paid off. Remember that the professors and others at SU aren't special...well, they're smarter than you, but so are a lot of people. Don't let yourself be intimidated. Learn as much as you can from every single person on this campus; they have a lot to teach. Listen to mom's cliches, because they always turn out to be true. Be open and honest with yourself and the people around you. It's the only way you're going to find the kind of friends you want to have. Do what you want to do, even if that means going by yourself. That's how you find the most lovely people. I know SU is REALLY far from home, but the people you're leaving love you and you will all make the effort to stay in touch. You're going to get stressed and worried about money and grades like always, but you'll be fine. Like always. All of the hard stuff is worth it because of the opportunity you're giving yourself and your future self. Bleed orange: it's so worth it.

You have one of two choices. You can either coast through college as a mediocre student; you can choose not to take advantage of any of the extracurricular activities available to explore yourself and life as a well-rounded student. Or, you can take full advantage of the opportunities that are put in front of you. Take your education seriously and set goals for a brighter future. Know what you want to study and what you want to be when you get out of college. College only lasts four years, but you can get a lifetime of achievement out of those four years. Don?t think of college as your last step. Think of it as your beginning. The biggest mistake people make including myself, is telling yourself that you have ?plenty of time? to figure out what you want to do. If you don?t know what you want to do when you get out of college then take the time and figure it out. Before you know it, you are in your last semester at college and you still don?t know what you want to do for your career. I should have taken that time.

There are a lot of people that don't know what they want to major in when they to college. There are so many areas to major in while in college. Had I reasearched exactly what I wanted to do more, it would have made enrollment a lot easier. It's okay to not know exactly what you want to do, just try hard to get a good idea of what you want to do.

I hear so many people talking about how "if they could go back", they would want to tell themselves so much. I, tend to think differently. Sure, it would've been great to know that I would find friends here, that I would fit in and would end up loving my college experience so much, but I've realized that a lot of what made me so successful was the way I got here and what I did for myself. I'd tell myself nothing different. I think getting here and going out, discovering who I was and meeting people was the best part of coming to school. Sure, I had my bad days and days I missed home but I got through them and came out a stronger, more confident person who has no regrets about my time in college so far. It's an amazing experience, let it happen and if you are honest and open-minded, you'll do fine. Everyone needs to figure that out for themselves though, no advice in the world could prepare you for it.

Make sure you go to College with an open mind about everything and have some kind of idea about what you like and what you would like to major in. When you're a freshman its very easy to lose focus especially when your parents are not there and to shy away from whats really important. Stay focused, be apart of as many extra curriculurs as possible and have fun. College is only what you make of it.

Education, Education, Education. That is the most important thing I would stress. Pay attention to your teachers, mentors, MOTHER. Take your studies seriously in high school and don't skip out on your classes. Talk to people who know the ropes and don't beat yourself up about things you can't change. Life is short so enjoy it while you can, just remember these are the best days of your life.