The College of Wooster Top Questions

The main advice I would give myself is ITS OKAY TO NOT KNOW! College is a time of learning who you are as a person in society. It is okay to change majors and explore new opportunities. It is okay to not know what you want to major in straight out of high school. It is okay to be unsure about what direction you want to take. It is all okay. College is about finding out who you really are. It is about learning how to truly develop well-rounded skills to use in all aspects of your life. So many high school seniors worry about their future; I certainly know I did. If I could tell myself anything that resonates more clearly now as a young professional than it ever did before, it is that everything will be okay. I promise.

At the beginning of my first semester, I arrived on campus early to participate in the girls varsity soccer team preseason. During the summer we were expected to workout and follow a program that was supposed to get us into shape for the soccer season. However, I did not take this packet of information seriously. Insead of legitimately executing each of the activities, I did them to the best of my ability. I made it all the way through preseason, but I was not getting the results I wanted. The coach explained to me that I would not receive playing time till I was up to par on my skills. School work became hard to complete as well, so I quit the team to better pursue academics. If I could go back to my high school self, I would explain the hard work it takes to participate in a college level sport. Instead of worrying about my summer with my friends, I would try to explain how hard it is to not play soccer anymore because I was not taking my work outs seriously. I regret not being dedicated enough to a sport I love.

Don't worry about fitting in with people on campus and making friends, because it will happen no matter what. Have friends, but don't get too caught up in the social aspect of your education. You are going to college to learn. Listen hard in class, and study hard on your own. Just because something is available to you doesn't mean you have to participate in it, so don't spread yourself too thin. DO get involved in something positive and productive, however. Its going to seem difficult, but you are more than capable of achieving everyting you set out to achieve. You wouldn't have been accepted if you didn't belong there.

As a student enters college it is expected for him or her to develop emotionally and sometimes physically. The things that you were used to and the life style you once lead are expected to change, when I started at the College of Wooster the changes were evident. I was no longer the high school big shot or even apart of my household. I felt like I entered a world full of people with air bubbles full of ideals, aspirations, and desires and my poor air bubble was the size of a pea. I anticipated the physical and emotional changes but I soon realized the bigger change I had to face was a mental change. I had to accept the fact that I could no longer be the center of attention, I could not expect passes or things to be handed to me, I had to learn to strive for what I wanted and demand what I needed. After just one semester of college I have matured and so many ways, I owe this to my new found determnation to be the best me that I can be and that means putting forth my best effort not anyone elses.

I am an international student from China. Wooster is a great experience for me because I can feel the care and attention from the college, which is a special advantage that many other colleges do not offer. Students and faculty here are really really nice people who are always willing to help. As for academics, students here are competitive but not over-achievers who only want to beat you down. We help each other to improve together.

So far my college experience has been bland. Since it is a two year college, there is no dorming so instead of getting a college experience all I get is class. I feel as though it is just the same as high school minus taking every subject class in one day. My classes are pretty decent. I feel as though a classroom will be a classroom no matter where I go, but as far as the campus and the people...it's a llittle bit mediocre.

The College of Wooster is a very strong school academically, and especially in the liberal arts. I've never been anything but happy with the level of education COW provides, and know it will be incredibly helpful in my graduate school endevors. Strong academics dosen't mean endless work at the COW, as most students have the time (and energy) after class to use their knowlodge outside of the classroom in a variety of activities, and also to just have fun with each other. Few people here can say much of anything bad about the school, other than the normal complaints of college students, for most are just as pleased as I am. The COW deserves the reputation of Oberlin and Kenyon, for it is just as good, if not better, than these schools.

My advice to my self would be to learn how to effectively study before starting college. College is completely different from high school in that a student is completely on their own to complete the work and learn the material. If I knew how to study before college, I would have avoided struggling during the first month of school. College is also a learning experience so I am grateful that I was able to seek advice from others and figure out my own way of studying.

Look at only 5 colleges, choose one quickly, and stop worring about it. College life is much better than high school, so there's really nothing to worry about if you choose a school that reflects your academic standing, social life, and world view.

I would tell myself not to spend my senior year stressing about the college process--I realize now that in the end, we all get where we're going. I had so many pre-concieved notions about college that were, for the most part, grossly unfounded. I thought that I would only be happy at certain schools the students were all one way or another. I worries about competing with my peers at college in order to do well and find my niche. Now, I know that all of that is silly and trivial. I ended up at Wooster, where it seems impossible to put your finger on what kind of student this school caters to, which is so refreshing. People from all walks of life attend, and everybody is happy to coexist. I also realized that in college, we're all in it together. Your friends, classmates and professors are there for you, no matter what, and people want to see you succeed both during and after school. All in all, I would tell myself to just be my best self in college, and with that mindset I would arrive at school with the best set of tools possible.