University of Pennsylvania Top Questions

My college experience was a unique, though not ideal, one. The most valuable thing I learned was to persevere and to believe in myself. During my freshman year, I was diagnosed with a rare disorder that required a Bone Marrow Transplant, resulting in a two year medical leave. My medical complications created a seemingly insurmountable challenge. It was difficult for me because I had been looking forward to attending college for so long, and I hated that once I was there, it would be interrupted. I was also afraid that I wouldn't be able to go back. I did get through my medical issues and I returned to school in what would have been my senior year. It was hard to see all of my friends graduate, but I soon realized that I could still do it, despite lingering health concerns. I had made it this far, so I continued to push. I wanted to get everything I could out of my college experience. I studied, I socialized and I pursued my interests. I learned that no matter how difficult a challenge might be, I would only have to push harder and I would achieve my goals.

I have gotten reassurance in my lifes path. I have finally got to indulge myself with people who have the same interests and not always the same beliefs. But its from those people i have learned new perspectives and outlooks on life. I'm pursuing a career in teaching at the grammer school level. it has been valuable attending college because i can see my dreams becoming a reality. Every semester that passes i feel that I am one step closer in completing my goal of becoming a teacher. My drive and determination of becoming a teacher pushes me harder and harder with each new semester. Knowledge is king.

My college experience has been very interesting. I am currently enrolled at Lincoln University in PA. When I first arrived on campus, I didn't know what to expect. I wasnt sure if I was going to adapt to this big change, especially with me being so far away from home. It is now my 2nd semester of my freshman year and I've realized that I have already changed drastically. What I have gained from college is a sense of accomplishment that I have never felt before, confidence in myself and work, and admiration from my family and others. I've learned to adapt to diffrent environments and situations, and to make desicions based on my own beliefs and morals. I've gained an understanding of myself, and is being introduced to a new part of me everyday. Its has been valuable to attend this school because I've realized that I am blessed to have an opportunity, to advance exceedingly beyound boundaries that I've always been too afraid to overcome. I've learned that good things do happen to people like me, and to value my life and opportunity to shine!! :)

I have not only been able to refine my academic study strategies, but also I have learned so many essential life-skills such as doing laundry, buying groceries for myself on a weekly basis, as well as maintaining and cleaning my dormitory room on a regular basis. So far, I have met so many people from various ethnic backgrounds who have so many experiences and talents to offer. Not only are the students excellent in numerous fields, the professors also are so willing to help and share their knowledge with me about their field of study. It has been valuable for me to attend, as I have gained so many important skills that will help me later on in life, as I aspire to become a researching medical physician. I have been able to involve myself in organizations that provide public health service to countries around the world, including Peru and even my country of heritage, Sri Lanka. I have also been able to collaborate with wonderful musicians from across the globe, such as the Netherlands and Austria, and grow in my musical passion. My interest in academics has only skyrocketed, and I look forward to exploring more academic fields.

College is not only a central point of intellectual growth in the tradition sense, but a beacon of worldly knowledge. The college experience is comprised of its students and he or she's experiences in life. During college, students are able to easily interact with other students from many different background, cultures, and ethniticies. This promotes the diffusion of knowledge, or the acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation. One's college years also present one with the able to grow individually, seperate from one's guardians.

Take a look around you. What do you see? Your room, your current friends and classmates? Now think bigger, outside of your home, your school, your city, or even country. In college, I have been able to meet so many amazing people from all over the entire world. They each have their own unique experiences to share and have really helped broaden my perspective. The places we come from all have their own cultures and only through meeting others and sharing our cultures with them while learning about theirs can we truly learn and live.

One year into my college career, a swelling is growing inside. A sense that's immense, of something much greater, of words and ideas all echoing close and intense. I've learned new confidence, fed by practiced competence, and a wakening awareness of something--many things--more. For when I was a child, the kind who rarely smiled, such expansive futures were not to be--not for me. For I came from a place not so much full of grace, but of an empty, a doom and a dreary tomorrow or two. Onto the campus I stepped with much fear, my heart thumping hard and afraid! And the sun lit up bright, showed me all would be right, just a little effort be made. I found new ways to open, new ways to see, new ideas to think on--and a new, better me. So class by class, I've gained a new sense of ID-of loved and unknown ones, all part and parcel of me. Such values as these are rarely expressed, for it seems so unfair, to have their meanings compressed; but assured may you rest that what I've gained from college is the quintessentially best.

Aside from graduating with the skills I need to start a promising and fulfilling career as a nurse, one of the most important things I got to do in college was to learn a lot about myself. The stress of juggling classes, work, and extra-curricular activites taught me how to handle a busy schedule. I learned how satisfying it can be to set goals and then work hard to achieve them. I also met wonderful, inspiring people who started out as my classmates but ended up as my close friends; these relationships continue to inspire me, long after we tossed our graduation caps into the air. All of the late nights and hard work were worth it because they helped me become the person I am today!

The most valuable thing I've received from my college experience is the confident assurance that I can do anything, coupled with the knowledge and skills to figure out how to make my dreams happen. Success and drive are unparalleled at Penn, and you come to expect more of yourself and the people who surround you. The world is a smaller, interconnected place, and you act accordingly. You rid yourself of doubts that you can't fund your projects, that you can't accomplish something because you're not good enough. Through its immense resources and support, Penn enables you to launch your career and a life-long process of developing yourself as a world citizen. I never knew the extent to which my advisors would be patient and advocate on my behalf. I didn't realize that literally EVERYTHING was at my fingertips. I also didn't realize the extent to which it would matter that I'd made friends from around the block and from around the world. I've gained a sense of myself, a committment to fully utilizing all resources to make change in the world, and a passionate desire to open those opportunities to others!

a competitive teamwork culture that prepares me for the working world