The New School Top Questions

I applied George Washington University and was accepted. I decided to attend because it was the most prestigous school that I had applied to. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself that the most important thing about a University is not its ranking. There are a whole host of other factors that are important. I ended up transferring from GW because it wasn't exactly the right fit for me. I had a pretty unconventional undergraduate experience after that. I went to Costa Rica and studied there, learned spanish and volunteered. I finished my undergraduate education at the New School because it was a good fit for me at that time. The New school was more accomodating to my needs which greatly augmented my learning experience. I am very grateful for the opportunites the New School afforded me. Choosing a school is not just about prestige. It is a very personal decision and therefore should be narrowly tailored to your needs and wants. I feel this is valuable advice for any high school student beacuse at the end of the day, its what you think about the school -not what others think of it.

As a graduating senior I was sheltered and I held back so much of myself. I was easy influenced by the outside world and allowed others to tell me how I should live. If I could go back and talk to myself I would tell myself not to hold back and to not be afraid. It took me years to realize this and I wasted so much time and energy trying to conform to social norms and expectations. I was afraid to be myself and to go after what I wanted for my life. The person I am now is completely different from that high school senior who thought he had life figured out. I would tell myself to throw all rules and expectations out, and to live life to fullest.

Madelyn, Walking into the classroom on your first day of school will be one of the most intimidating experiences of your life. You will worry about making friends and be mortified you might make a fool of yourself in front of your classmates. As the first project comes to a start, so do the comparisons in your head, causing your self-esteem to plummet. You will wonder how you got accepted into this school and believe your work and talents are insignificant. My advice to you: remember what you are here for. You have come to learn and become a stronger artist. You have come to pursue your passion for design and fashion. You are only holding yourself back by belittling your work. If you truly yearn to get the most out of your studies and advance your design skills, have confidence in who you are and what you create. Everyone's work is unique to his or her own persona, but that does not make one person better than the next. Embrace your inner character and channel that into what you do. Otherwise you will never discover the full potential Madelyn has to offer.

As a high school senior my life concerns were centered on being accepted by others, physical appearance, and maintaining a popular social status. I completely lacked academic drive, was selfish and superficial, and seemed to always be in a hurry to get nowhere in particular. My high school senior self could have really used this advice, but learing it first hand is what life is about...Keep in mind that the world is much larger than just you. Stay updated with what's happening around the world; this will be a good reminder of how good you've got it. Make sure to tell the ones you love how important they are to you, and do your best to let go of the people that try to bring you down. You won't be the best at everything, and that's ok, just always give your best effort and work hard because it will mean so much more in the end. Ultimately, we are the choices we make, so try to make good ones that will keep you healthy and happy. Above all, find happiness within yourself, because no person, job, or amount of money will give it to you.

(sighs) Tyler, you should probably focus more on your math class, cause math is one of those things you always struggled on. Also Tyler, make sure you listen to what you wanted to do and spend alot of free time making short films while still keeping up with you're relationship with jesus. Also, talk to your parenst about not having us switch churches after dad retires as a youth minister, although Lakeview Church of Christ is a stronger and has better lessons, the move away from Olympia Church of underclassmen at school look up to you and you should show them how great life can be when you have god in your life. Also, the play you wrote, "Cedar Park Hostage Situation", do something with it, it was a very strong and very heartfelt while at the same time painfully funny, so please get the school to perform it at state, you worked really hard and have directed a self written play every year at state, one more will keep your record going. That's almost all i have to say, just remember to be respectful of mom and keep a good christian relationship with everyone around you. Bye.

Dear High School Me, If I could give you any advice it would be to never forget who you are, and the power you possess to be something great in this world. You are the master of your destiny, and no high school issue will be permanent enough to change your destiny, but rather shape it. You radiate with inner and outer beauty, strength, compassion and intelligence, and you have the ability to bring all of these to the world, and you can and WILL. Do not let any highschool drama, a seemingly difficult class, a bully, or even a bad day distrct you from the ultimate vision: being a good person and a successful one. Transitions in your life have never been easy, from elemantary to middle school, to high school, and the transition to college or even to a change of scenery won't be an easy one, but that's the point. Nothing is supposed to be easy, you need to work hard to break down the challenges in life and conquer them, and if you keep a clear mind and take the chance to breathe, you will. Work hard and be nice. You are loved.

Stop thinking your dreams are stupid and unachievable. You are an artist through and through; it's in your blood. Don't settle for studying something because it's easy. If it's easy, you won't be happy. Don't let the people that don't understand you hold you back or make you feel like you have something to prove them. Never compromise your self-esteem, your integrity, or your sense of well-being. Always do what is right for you, and if you need help seeing what is right, you have the right friends by your side to se you through it all. Rely on them. Lastly, have fun. You spend way too much time worrying about things and people you have no control of. Let down your guard, and feel free. Find your inspirations, and let them guide you.

As a college freshman, you will be required to meet certain obligations, such as, writing papers and essays, taking exams and reading course materials. Meeting these obligations is certainly important for your career, but to be a successful student, this is not enough. You must learn from life, and learn from professional experiences. All of those experiences outside of the academia enviroment will enrich your mind and help you develop a unique perspective on what is covered inside of the classroom. Otherwise you will end up learning the material, but not learning how to apply it to life.

As a high school senior, I invariably fell into the so-called "Senioritis" disease that afflicted just about 98.99{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my grade. If I could go back in time, I would definitely tell myself to work a bit harder and re-live the year without succumbing to the ever-dooming consequences of procrastination. Because I knew from a young age that I wanted to go into the arts and design field, I had worked diligently in school and art classes all the way to junior year, completing a challenging college art portfolio. Thus, once senior year arrived, I took it for granted that I wouldn't have to keep up my grades. In reality, I realized that it was just as important as any other year, and I had to keep up my academics as well as complete college applications . Although I got through the year successfully, and I'm now eagerly anticipating attending a prestigious art school, I still wish I could have kept better grades, even if only to satisfy my own expectations. One thing I know for certain - college will be a brand new beginning, and I will certainly be working & studying my hardest for it!

Sometimes we, as human beings, reflect on our past mistakes and wish that we could somehow reach back in time to prevent such mistakes from occurring. One might consider missing scholarship deadlines as a correctable mistake, or being a little bit more prepared for senior finals. Proper preparation in general would likely be the subject of nearly all conversations I would have with my past self. However, I doubt that I would ever act upon this sort of impulse even if I did have the ability; as regrettable as some mistakes may be, it is one of the cornerstones of experience that we make them. Were I to keep myself from making such mistakes, I would deprive myself of the wisdom I've learned from them. We as humans are bound for mistakes no matter how careful we may be; were I to advise myself in the past, my past self would inevitably find some other mistake to make, one which I wouldn't have without my future self's interference. To keep alternate timelines from getting out of control, I would instead advise my to-be-future self, for it is the future we head towards, not the past.

I have gone to two schools now. Originally I went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst and now I go to Eugene Lang The New School for Liberal Arts. If I could go back I would tell myself that I should meet with another college counselor who might have steered me to the right, better place for me before going to college. That way I would not have had to transfer thus putting myself in debt (due to my 2nd school's price). I have maintained a 4.0 GPA. I challenge myself academically and I push myself to get involved on campus to make sure I make the most out of it. I have also made strong connections with my professors so that I can learn from their experiences, network with them in the future and make sure that I have the most personalized educational I possible can. I want to get the most out of school and right now the only thing holding me back is money. If only I had known not to go to such expensive schools and had been told how to go about finding money for schools I would have been prepared.

Do not procrastinate on the application process! You really need to take a lot of time to think hard about what you really want to do. If only I had realized earlier that my true dream is to become a musician, that music is all I really want to do, then I could have focused all my energy in pursuing that dream much earlier, and not waste as much time. But there's no need to worry: there are a lot of people who have unclear futures. Perhaps their dreams may change. What's imporant, though, is that you get good grades in high school, and hone your skills, so you can play a killing audition and get a scholarship. Money is very important, and there's a huge risk your parents won't be able to afford all of your college time, especially with the poor economy and recent disaster in Japan, where your family lives and works. College is the last step before the real world for most of us, so you need to be prepared. Gather the right friends and make many connections, because in the end, that's all you can hold on to.

I gained the ability to be independent in the world. I have used my previous artistic abilities in the world of design and architecture. The college experience is paramount to prove i have what it takes to persue a career in architecture and design.

The way in which I live, based upon my educational experiences, has and still affects/supports the person that I am today. I strive not onl y to be an expert in my field but implement my research and knowledege with the real world.

I am gaining valuable skills as a writer and artist that I did not have before and the confidence to go out and do well in the world. It is also a valuable experience for personal growth, that might mean even more than the books read and facts memorized. It is a tme like no other, where there is a community, that I am part of, lifting me up and showing me new possiblities that I may not have ever found on my own. I am learning both about the inner and outer world and how I can contribute to it. I was stuck in my life and didn't know what to do. This experience is setting me off in new directions and I feel I am gaining the experience to make my life a bigger success. Without it, there was always something missing. Being in college now, I relish the exhileration of learning, the pride in doing well, and I can find appreciation where I took no notice previously. It is changing my life forever and I am grateful.

The proffesors are great and you form great connection in the professional world

When I first went to college, during my freshman year, I was a really shy and quiet girl. I felt out of place because I was in a school where there was not a lot of Latinos or African American students. I did not have anyone related to me and my experiences so I really decided to keep everything to myself. English is not my first language and many of my classmates didn't understand why I was attending a predominantly white school. During that first year of college, I was almost invisible and almost considered dropping out of school. But all this changed after I met my academic advisor, Kim Foote, who really helped me integrate to extracurricular activities such as foreign language and salsa class. She also introduced me to the field of Education Studies and I immediately fell in love with this major. I had a strong connection with teachers and even students in this field. It was in this field that I opened myself and started to participate and express my opinion. Exploring the social sciences that the New School offers is an amazing experience and is worth attending.

Moving from Los Angeles to New York City to attend college has always been my dream and I am living it! It has only been a couple of months into my first semester but feels like a lifetime of experiences. I really love my classes, the professors are so enthusiastic about the subjects that they teach. I am involved, engaged and excited to wake up, walk to school through the village in New York City, and feel the energy all around. I value this experience more than any other in my entire life. I worked very hard in high school to graduate in the top of my class so that I could attend a prestiges college that would allow me to learn new concepts that had never crossed my mind before. This experience only happens once in a lifetime and I am so grateful to be at the beginning of an amzing journey.

I have learned so much out of my college experience. I've became wiser, stronger, and responsible. Attending college is very important to me because I was always taught knowlegde was power and the key to success. I love to learn new things no matter how great of a challenge it may be, and I know that as long as I attend college then I know I will continuely grow as a better and smarter person.

The main idea that I have gotten out of my college experience is that life is going to throw you curve balls, but the point of life is to change your stance to be able to hit those curve balls out of the park. Last year I had to take a semester off due to severe illness, I managed to get Swine Flu, then Pnemonia, then mononucleosis all within a 4 month time frame. This taught me a lot about life. I had a whole semester to think about life and think about my choices and whether they were going to benefit me in the long run, not just the short. I was literally bed ridden for months while my friends continued their free lifestyle. In result of this, at the time, tragedy, I learned that although live throws you punches, you have to get through it and keep you eyes on the mean idea. Look at things holistically and not worry about the small stuff, because everyone has a reason or purpose in life, and mine is to be succesful, and no sickness or hopsital bill is every going to bring me down.