Texas A & M University-College Station Top Questions

I would tell myself to establish good study habits now and convince myself that anything is possible, you just have to work for it, but never, never give up. Even when things seems bleak there is always something or someone there to help you get through the hard times just when you are about to give up, you just have to learn to ask for help. Also don't ever let anyone tell you that you are smart enough because it isn't true because there is a big different between college and high school. In college you have to work hard for your grades meaning you have to study everyday.

I would tell my self not to take the classes I did first semester. I didn't listen to my dad or my advisor when they tried to tell me not to take Organic Chemistry, Calculus, and Genes, Ecology and Evolution all at the same time. I had a hard time keeping up with my classses. Studying for one and forgetting to studying for the others. Also, my downfall was waiting until the last minute to study for anything. I had so much distractions, watching tv on my laptop and hanging out with friends all the time. So if I had the chance to tell my high school senior self I would tell him to choose his classes wisely, set time aside to study and actually study. And if he starts to struggle, he should immediately go to tutoring and to the professors office hours to seek help. I would tell him study each day so that he won't have to cram for the exams the night before. One last thing, never ever pull all-nighters, they are not worth it. Get a good amount of sleep before each exam.

When chosing a school, try to step a little outside of your comfort zone to maximize your learning experience. If you grew up in a small town, go to a school that is in a more populated region. This way you will meet and interact with different types of people and become a well-balanced person. One needs to be exposed to different personalities so as to become familiar with working in diverse teams. The working environment will place you in teams, so a more diverse college experience will prepare you better.

Diveristy and unity build the foundation of a community. When you have thousands of your best friends asking you to hang out every night its pretty hard to get homesick. Throw in some character, and you are guarunteed to have a unique experience, something that you'll enjoy telling your folks about back home. Tradition is what really brings people together to remember the past and build experiences for the future, while hearing stories is nice, living them out and building upon them are even better. Excellence will help you aim for achievement and give you the ability to strive for what you believe in. Optimism will motivate you to take on the impossible. Loyalty will give you a sense of belonging to something greater than yourself. Find a place with these core values and you will have found a school in which you will succeed.

Make sure that you take a tour of the campus and talk to some people who have gone there. It is important to feel like your going to fit in before you even get there, and these people will give you the best representation of the school itself. Don't be afraid to start over with friends, because everyone else is too! Have fun and get involved but not too involved to where you are overwelmed and can't keep up with your studies.

I just recommend feeling the campus for a few days. Go and visit all the things on the campus you want. Definently go and sit in on a class, because if you see one proffessor, you will end up getting a feel for what classes will be like later. Figure out how many greek houses there are and figure out if you want to be in one before hand.

It is important to manage your time wisely. Studying and writing papers honestly doesn't take very long as long as you have your time well organized. Twenty minutes of reviewing your notes after class every day can be more valuable than 2-3 hours of cramming to reteach yourself what you've forgotten when you get to an exam. Also, when you just review regularly, you won't be studying under stress like you would during a cram session. I find that I really retain information better when I'm in a casual mood when reading it. Twenty minutes per class a day to review notes also leaves with with plenty of time for social activities later. Outside of class, make sure you don't JUST do the reading assignments, but also review your notes. I can't stress that enough. Many of professors I have had value what they think over what their assigned text books say.

Mom's and Dad's while very helpful can also be overbearing when it comes to the college search and experience. Prospective college students need to learn to be on their own as quickly as possible without mom and dad constantly holding there hand every step of the way. Let your student take their own initiative. If they're ready for college they'll get there own their own. It's ok to help with things they might forget, but let go of the riens and let them be big kids, so that they can ultimatly mature to adulthood on their own.

The best advice I can give parents and/or students about finding the right college is to be realistic about the location of the college, the financial responsiblilty that the college incures and making sure that the student can adjust to the environment and fit in. In order for the student to make the most of their college experience they need to know how to balance their school time and their fun time. College is about having fun and meeting new people but the main reason your at school is to get an eduaction and a degree. If a student can learn from the start how to balance their school and work time their college experience will be great. My best advice is to have fun and work hard because this moment in your life is going to determine your future and who you become.

Students should honestly follow their gut when deciding what school is right for them. Research the campus, talk to advisors and students, learn about the services the campus offers and go see the campus. Go to a campus can make or break your decision, you may love the school on paper, but you get there and it just is not what you were expecting or the people are different than you thought they might be. Use the paper research in order to narrow down your schools, but do not let it be your soul deciding factor. Also, don't go to a school because somebody wants you to. If you are like me and paying for most of your education, you don't want to be unhappy with what you are paying for just becasue mom or dad wanted you to go to this school. It is ultimately the student's decision, so parents...let them make it!