University of St Thomas-Saint Paul Top Questions

Carpe Diem means "seize the day." I have learned to take everything I am taught by my eager-to-teach professors and apply it to my life with my friends, church and work. I bring education into my job as I learn new concepts in Business. I bring my education into my friendships as we discuss studies and world problem solutions. I bring education into my church as I learn the difference between blind faith and faith based on reason. My time at this School has shaped my life in the best ways. I am completely self-sufficent through a part-time job and have learned the value of a hard earned dollar. I have learned the different opportunity costs of my time spent on studying and with friends. And I have learned the meaning of a self-examined life; the peace that comes with a personal belief that is not a just a bandwagon, but rather a individual commitment to a way of life.

What I have gotten out of my college experience is that I have learned quite a bit about who I am. I was put into situations that I have never experienced and was uncomfortable with these situations. Although I was uncomfortable, the University and its professors have assissted me to make sure I succeed in those situations, even if I am initially unsure if I will be able to make it. I have learned that I can succeed and I am a stronger person than I originally believed. Through business classes, I have also learned what field interests me and what assets I bring to that area. I did not quite recognize the strengths I had and the University has greatly helped me to understand these gifts. With this understanding I have learned what I was good at and how that could translate into a career for myself. I now know that my college experience has given me the ability to focus on my strengths and apply them to my life. It has been quite valuable because it has truly helped set me up for the rest of my life.

My college experience has really put life into perspective for me. I have realized how short life really is, and how ever day is a new opportunity for change and success, because the choice is mine. My first year of college went by faster than any other academic year. It made me look back to my highschool years, and I truly realized how fast that went too. Given this, I now know that before I grasp it, I will soon be out of college and on to a new world, a world that is completely foreign to me. Will I go on to grad school? Law school? Maybe I want to become a teacher. Perhaps I will go directly into the workforce. Point is, nothing is certain during these times for me. The only thing certain is that I'm going to be out of college before I know it. It's going to come too quickly and the uncertainty behind it all makes me a little scared. Who knows. Perhaps I would have come to all of this if I hadn't come to college, but the thing is, I did, and I dont regret any of it.

My college experience so far, although brief, has taught me a few very important things that I won't soon forget. First of all, I learned that no matter how desperately a person wants to be independent, to leave their parents, and go off and do things their own way, they will always wish for those home made dinners, morning wake up calls when the alarm didn't go off, and for someone to tell them what they should do when things start to get crazy and the world starts crashing around you. I learned that it's hard to separate from your closest friends that you grew up with, and meeting new people is scary, but new friends are a blessing. Finally, the most important thing that I have learned so far is that life isn't about getting the grade, it's about learning. It's about gaining all the knowledge you can and combining it with your talents and skills to go out and do something with your life, to attempt to make a difference in the world. College is about finding out who you are and who you want to be someday.

From my college experience, I have learned how to be a morally responsible leader. I am involved with a variety of on-campus clubs and organization, which has strengthened my personal values and taught me how to be a role model for others. It has been valuable for me to attend the University of St. Thomas because it is a place where I can succeed and I am confident that it will prepare me for the working world after I graduate. I have learned how to think critically in my Elementary Education classes, which is an important characteristic to have in order to be an outstanding teacher (which is one of my career goals). My time so far at the University of St. Thomas has shaped me into the person I am now.

More than being challenged academically, I have been challenged as a person. I have been forced to admit my flaws, and I have been inspired to work to improve. Along the way I have had help from genuine friends and helpful professors. I feel I have grown in ways that I would not have without attending college. St. Thomas in particular is big enough that I got to experience life on my own, but small enough that I felt the peole around me really cared about my success.

My college experience has been great so far. This immersion into a campus that you have been on only a handful of time before you come for move-in day, is a great overall experience. It really makes you step out of your box and discover who you really are and what you want to do with your life. College is not only a good academic challenge, especially for those who were not challenged in high school, but also a social challenge as well. All students must learn to leave behind what they had in high school and discover who they are in a new environment. This is really valuable to all people. These skills of meeting and working with people will help you with whatever you plan to do after your college days are over. Overall my experience here at college has been a great one, and I would recommend that everyone go to college. I say this not only becuase it will allow you to advance in your career field, but also because of the social lessons you will learn!

What I have gotten out of my college experience is that I can actually succeed. High school was tough for me and being in college helped me realise that I can actually do anything that I really set my mind to. It has also taught me responsibility and has allowed me to take pride in being an adult and knowing that I am responsible for my future and knowing that I passed my class because I put in the hard work and dedication I needed to succeed. It has been very valuable for me to attend because I know that I can get my Nursing degree and provide a better life for me and my future kids so that we dont have to struggle to pay the bills and all they can worry about is being kids.

My experience has allowed me the enlightenment of diversity and acceptance of knowing that there are many things that I may never know the answer to and therefore there will always be something more for me to learn. The desire to learn which easily can be equated with the desire to suceed or further ones' self is probably one of the most motivating factors common to the human experience. It is also a matter of give and take in as much as being a student also makes one a teacher and the best teachers are themselves students and capable of learning from their students. My ultimate goal is to be a master teacher in which it would be requisite to be well versed in many aspects of life not only physically yet mentally and conceptually as well. It stokes my thirst for knowledge to know that there is so much out there for me to learn and hopefully so many out there to learn from me as well as I from them.

Through my education here at the University of St Thomas, I have grown in understanding of what the Catholic Church and Faith are. I have learned why philosophy is so critically important to change our world for the better. The Catholic Studies program has aided me to grow in my relationship with God, to understand Him better, and to understand His creation more thoroughly.