University of Puget Sound Top Questions

After I was accepted into the University of Puget Sound in March of my senior year, I became very lazy in school. I figured I had already made it and I could pick up my slack the following year when grades "really mattered". It turned out I could have made things a lot easier on myself. If I could go back and tell myself what I know now about college, I would start with the end of senior year. First of all, "don't give up, the fight isn't over". Many scholarships have a GPA requirement, and as I was stressing about my financial situation going into college, I was beating myself up during the summer scrambling to get scholarships done and realized I couldn't find many to fit my GPA standing. If I had tried harder I would have gotten more money. My second piece of advice to myself going into college would be "take off the cool cap". I was shy during orientation week of college and very stand-offish toward my peers. The first weeks of college are vital when trying to fit in. Be yourself and honest friends will the love person you are.

It has been valueable because of the opportunities i will have in the future and all the great people i have met!

My college experience can definitely be called an adventure. I have had my high and low points, but through it all I have grown as a student and an individual. I have learned things not only academically, but personally about myself that I think I couldn't have learned anywhere else other than at my university. Going to college to learn chemistry, art, philosophy, politics, film/media, and a language were subjects I was expecting to learn during my experience. I was not expecting to learn more about myself than my academics, which is exactly what happened. I have not only learned to except other opinions, but to voice my own despite my fears of not being excepted or liked because that is what makes me an individual. I have learned to be more open to new experiences and opinions not only in my academics, but in my everyday life. The main thing that I have learned through my first year of my college experience is to explore the world by learning new things not only about the environment and individuals around me, but to not be afraid to grow and learn new things about myself.

I would tell myself not to hold back in making friends and to be open to join clubs but not to lose the reason why I chose to go to college, to educate myself further.

Listen, young man, I understand how immensely talented and thirsty for knowledge you are - and how far your sheer intellect has brought you with mininal resistance - but there is a harshness in the world you have yet to understand. Your chosen path has been a privileged one, on which financial support has allowed you to proceed thus far, unfettered by the basic obstacles that beset the average person. To be frank, there will come a time - and sooner than you might imagine - when the rug is pulled out from underneath you, when your parents can no longer afford to finance your education, and the gift-money granted you by your chosen university will fail to suffice your needs. Prepare yourself for this eventuality, which I know you have not been made sensitive to as of yet. You must find away to become more financially self-sufficient. You must find the funding for your own education, as there will soon come a time when others cannot carry you any farther. Get a job. Look for third-party scholarships. Apply to cheaper schools that offer what you seek. Open your eyes, that you might escape the trap I failed to see.

The advice I would give myself would be simple. I would tell myself to appreciate my family, my existing friends and my new friends, and to enter all situations with a positive attitude. My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's during high school, but I never understood or accepted that fact until I was halfway through college. I wish we had spoke more often while I was away at school, and today I try to make up for it by spending time with him as much as possible. Also, I made a close friend freshman year of college, who died a year ago in a tragic accident. I will always miss him, but am very greatful to have known him. When I went to college I identified myself as an athlete, not a student, so I thought of the classroom as an obligation, not an opportunity. As a result, I hated schoolwork my first two years, and my grades suffered. I then forced myself to take on a new, more upbeat outlook to academics, and it made a world of difference. I not only enjoyed classes immensely more, but my grades reflected the change in a huge way.

College is going to be a challenge. It wouldn't be considered higher education if it were easy. Do not be afraid to accept defeat every now and then, because at some point throughout your college career, you will experience it. Things change, and are not what they always seem to be. Accept that, be okay with that, and do not stress over it. People will push you, forcing you to show yourself what you are really capable of, as well as help you to realize what your true ambitions are. College provides endless opportunities, so when you arrive to campus, come with an open-mind. Do not feel like you are a horrible student when you receive your first bad grade. It's bound to happen. It doesn't mean you will flunk out. It doesn't mean you are no longer capable of graduate school or a good job. It helps to recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and offers you a modified direction to take to reach your ambition(s). Keep up the hard work and determination, and just remember it won't always be easy, but you are there for a reason.

I would advise anyone looking at college to truly evaluate what is important to them. Location, family, friends, scholarly interests, and weather are all valuable aspects of a school to look at. Once you get to your school you need to be excited and willing. Forming friendships is a vital part of college life and all new students are in the same boat so be outgoing and take initiative when making friends! Don't close any doors when it comes to extracurricular or academic opportunities; college is the place to explore new areas of interest and you can make wonderful friends in the process. Lastly, don't be afraid to seek extra help in schoolwork. There are many people willing and paid to help you with any range of problems from writing papers to calculus problems. If asking for help enables you to succeed then it is worth it!

Work as hard or harder than you did senior year because the University of Puget Sound is all you're hoping it can be a much more. Going to any other school after spending the last three years here would be a huge disappointment. It's going to be hard at first when all your friends go to a state school and at times when you visit them you will feel that you are fading away from the relationships you used to have. But within a year you will realize that you wouldn't trade your collegiate experience for anything. The students here are modeled after everything you value; open, kind, willing to share and genuinely friendly. The professors feel that a class of 40 people is way to big, just like you. Sitting in a class of 12 people, all of whom you can consider a friend is worth all the money that going to school here costs. Keep your nose to the grindstone because if you do, the next four years could be the best of your entire life.

I would say self: I know you want to go have fun, but 10 more minutes and a little more effort will make life so much easier for you when you are out in the world. Learn great study habits now, and you will be normal to you. Talk to your teacher, your guidence counselor, they will help direct you. Now is the time. Go for what you want you are worth it and you can do it. Believe it you are GREAT, YOU can do anything you want. Now is the easy part, later it gets harder and you will have to find the help, it won't be right there for you. It's ok to be be a little scared, so what if you fall on your face, you are out of here in a year on to a bigger and better world. And you will know how to find what you need out there, because you have already done it.

If I could go back in time and visit myself as a high school senior I would have told myself to be prepared for something completely different from high school. I would have informed my high school self of the higher expectations, need for self-motivation and discipline, and general independence that comes with college life. I wish I could have known coming into college that my previous study habits and routines simply wouldn't cut it here, but instead I had to learn the hard way and struggle through my first semester. My high school self thought she was independent and I wish I could tell her otherwise.

Not everything will be perfect, but it will be okay; that is the hardest lesson I have learned since entering college. If I could go back in time and talk to myself a year ago, I would tell myself that a lot is going to change very quickly. I would say things like, you cannot procrastinate in college like you did in high school and you are going to gain a new perspective to life. You are going to realize what you want to do with your life, so stop worrying about your indecision. I would tell myself not to turn down those trips to grandma's house, because she has less time than you think. When you reach college you'll realize that your friends are going their own ways and you need to go yours. People will come and go out of your life and you just need to accept it for the way it is, and know that even when you live on your own you will never be lonely. I will say the college work is harder, but do not get down on yourself because it is like that for everyone. Never lose your faith.

To be honest, were traveling through time possible, I don't think my first priority would be to visit myself after high school--things like the Colossus of Rhodes or the library of Alexandria would be far more interesting to see. However, should the opportunity present itself, I would tell myself 2 things. The first would be to accept what i know about myself--my perfectionism, my love of pondering, my weakness for being overwhelmed--and really try to consider what kind of school I wanted. It took me almost 3 years to figure out what I really wanted, and while it was an excellent learning experience, starting my college career at the school I attend now sounds wonderfully appealing. The second, and the more important, would be to LIGHTEN UP, take some time to enjoy the world i was living in and the opportunities I was being presented. I'd want to tell myself, heck I'm still trying to, that I don't need to figure out all the answers right now. "Get out of your room (and your head) and explore the world a little. Just live. Don't get trapped in academics."

Once you get to college, get involved and meet new people. Being without your high school friends is hard, so do your best to make new friends who can support you if you start having problems. And don't just make lots of friends, make good friends. Meet everyone on the floor of your dorm, introduce yourself to the other people in your classes, get involved in clubs (not just one club, lots of clubs), sit with people you don't know at meals. Don't be shy, because everyone else wants to make new friends too.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would let myself know that picking a college isn't only about picking the best education that a college can offer you in the classroom. I'd suggest that I better assess what makes me feel comfortable with a living situation. I'd tell myself that I need to recognize what is important to me socially in a school such as diversity and within the community the school is located in. Being able to feel comfortable enough to live within a completely different community on your own is an exeptionally important part of choosing the right college; this I know now and I wish I knew it as a high school senior applying to colleges. I would tell myself that I should apply to colleges not just to apply, but because I could see myself living there and being a part of that campus.

Learn to effectively time-manage before attending college, and prepare to read far more than you did in high school. Having said that, remember to take breaks so that you don't completely overload yourself with stress. If you take your time and give it your all, you can easily get through college.

If I knew then, what I know now, I would have told myself, "Learn how to study!" There is an art and a science to learning good study habits and high school was a breeze! Getting good grades didn't involve much studying or talent and I think my high school teachers did me a disservice. They rewarded me for being likable and for completing my assignments. They didn't actually critique my work. The good grades I received got me in to my top choice school on scholarships; however, once I got there, I didn't know how to do school work. I graduated high school with a 3.8 GPA. My first semester college GPA was a 2.34. Ouch! Thank goodness for my wonderful floormates that taught me the lesson, "Sometimes, it's just not possible to watch TV every night. Sometimes, you actually need to read 100 pages before class the next day." After that first semester, my grades skyrocketed and I was back to getting grades I was used to receiving; however, I will always wonder how much better I would have done in school had I learned how to study earlier in my education.

First of all, try to break out of the image you've gotten during high school of what kind of college you "should" go to. It doesn't need to be the school with the highest academic ranking, and your life does not depend upon picking the perfect school. However, try to pick a location where you will be happy living for the next four years, and a school where you feel comfortable and from which you will recieve a good education. Don't go into college with a definite career path in mind, although it is helpful to have a general idea of the subject area you are interested in. There will be many resources at your college to explore your options for careers, more in fact than you will probably encounter in any other situation in your life.

Don't have any expectations. College will be a completely different experience from what you think it will be. It will be both great and terrible. You will have the best time and meet the best people but you will also have the worst times and meet not so good people. But take time to appreciate the good moments. They will not last forever, nor will the hard parts never end, so don't dwell in them. Go crazy, make lots of mistakes, and take honest time to learn about yourself. Most character building moments are not as fun or as heroic or as romantic as you may imagine them to be, but they are what will make your time more rich. And in the end, cut yourself some slack. Be ready to learn, more about life than anything else and be ready to learn how much you don't know and how far you can reach.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would honestly tell myself to do exactly what I have done. I love where I am, I love what I'm doing, I love where I'm going, and I'm super excited for what lies ahead. I would tell myself to work hard in school and to trust my inclinations. I would tell myself to find people who make me feel cared about. I would say to take classes that follow my passions, and to find people who will help me to learn and grow. Do what feels right, don't let people scare you out of living your life. Take chances and live it up. College is what you make it, and I am making it amazing.