University of the Pacific Top Questions

I would tell my younger self to trust my heart. I have gone through many changes to get to where I am now-one of which was leaving a small sect similar to the Amish. I did this so that I could pursue my education and follow my dreams of going to college and studying violin. It took so much courage to tell my parents and friends that I was leaving them. It took courage to leave that quaint way of life behind and enter the loud American way of life, and it still takes courage to keep walking forward when I get those "culture shock" moments. But, I know I made the right choice. I would tell myself to trust the dreams that lie in my heart, and, to keep walking forward with my chin held high. Because I am following my dreams and doing what I love I can not go wrong. Every morning I wake up and know that I am thankful to choose my own path of life and find my own answers to life's questions, and I thank God that I am here.

To be honest, I would not tell my past self a thing. Sure, I could say "Get out and socialize more freshman year!" or, "When you write papers for your Lit class, don't wait until the last minute!", but then I would miss out on the life lessons that each of my mistakes or missteps taught me. For instance, if I went out and met new people more my freshman year, instead of staying in my room most weekends reading or studying, would I have gotten the grades needed to get into the Honors program? And if I had not procrastinated so much on many of my papers, would I have understood the values of planning ahead and time management skills? I would like to think that I made each choice I did for a reason, and I would not want to drive myself crazy worrying about what would have happened had I done things differetly. So sorry, Past-Kayla, you're just going to have to figure things out for yourself! That is, after all, part of the college experience, and part of growing up.

I would tell myself to do what you need to do for schoolwork, and to balance it out with social time. I would tell myself to try everything--classes, clubs, activities, study abroad. You won't know what you're passionate about until you try it. I would tell myself to make friends with people in and outside your major--you'll need a break from your studies at some point. Find a couple of good friends that you can talk to about anything. I would tell myself that there is no shame in needing to see a counselor or to spend some time with family. I would tell myself to get out there, to do what makes myself happy. College is the best time of your life, filled with activities and people you won't ever forget. Overall, I would tell myself to have fun, and to remember that you'll always regret more the things you didn't do than the things you did.

If I was able to go back in to time to speak to myself there are a number of things that i would say. First, I would tell myself to join some more extracurricular activities. I would tell myself this to set up for my second piece of advice which would be to apply for my scholarships. By joining more extracurriculars i would have more scholarships available to me and i would have a better chance of winning the one that i applied to but didn't get. I would also tell myself not to worry about starting over again because the transition was easy and exciting. Telling myself this would help me to survive through the tough life of a college student.

Take the time to look through every school that has the inteded major and look at your financial status, make sure that the school of your choice is the right one and worth your money. Students, follow the major that will make you happier and make the education process worth while. Parents, try not to put so much pressure on your children, they have enough stress just trying to get accepted and actually choose their future, help them out, don't hurt them.

My advice would be to look at your interests and compare those to various schools? programs of study. When you find several matches (give yourself options), then look at the location of the school and surrounding area and see if that?s a place that you can see yourself living. Then find out if those schools have any profile/preview weekends you and your parents can attend. These weekends are great ways to tour campus, talk to students and professors, and really get a feel for the school to see if it?s right for you. Some schools even have over night programs where you can see campus life by staying in on-campus housing and possibly sit in on some classes with your host student. After selecting your school, make the most of your college experience by getting involved. Living on campus makes a huge difference, I am a resident assistant at Pacific and develop programs for students? involvement all year, and it?s a great way to make friends, network, or just have fun! Colleges offers tons of opportunities to participant in activities that fit your interest, be it academic, social, or whatever. So don?t be shy!

The right college for you is the one that will give you the knowledge and skills to succeed academically, professionally, and socially. Tour the campus, read the course catalogue, sit in on a class, and talk to students who aren't getting paid to give their opinion of the school - they will be more honest, for better or for worse. They will also tell you information a tour guide won't, or doesn't have time to. Try to talk to people in your prospective major about the program specific to the school you're considering as well. As to making the most of your college experience, it's all about getting out there. If you live in a dorm, leave your door open and people will always pop in to say hi. Pick up every flyer you see and attend as many events as possible before the workload kicks in. Remember you're there to study, but studying with or even alongside others can be fun and helpful too. Don't be afraid to try new things (except drugs). Most importantly: don't second-guess your college decision! The more positive you are, the better experience you'll have.

You must be fearless during the application process. Apply to schools you want to attend, even if you don't think you will get into them and/or they appear too expensive. If you find the perfect school, the faculty can help you work out the details. If you make yourself attractive to the specific department you are interested in, a faculty member can get you jobs assisting them (or refer you to a job off campus). Also, realize that if your favorite school rejects your application, it reflects not on your value as a person, but simply that said school is not a good fit for you. The point is that you cannot deny yourself options on the sole basis of difficulty. You will meet with resistance throughout your life, but do not accept defeat before the battle has begun. It may be difficult to navigate your way through the maze of college applications, but it is much more difficult to realize, after the end of a four-year college stretch, that you attended the wrong school and that you could have done better. Do not accept mediocrity from your school or anywhere else? least of all from yourself.

When choosing a college, it?s important to obtain a feel for the personality of the campus. Talking to current students is a great way to get a feel for a school because they have the ?inside track? on what is going on at the college, it?s problems and strong points. If a visit isn?t possible, the prospective student should talk with a current student over phone/email. Also, parents and students shouldn?t let public opinion impede them in finding the college that will best fit the student. Just because the student was accepted into an Ivy League school doesn?t mean that school is the best fit for the student?s personality and desires. Students must be friendly from day 1 if they want to be integrated into the community of their college. The group of friends they make will serve as their support environment while away from home, so the faster students find friends, the faster they adjust and begin to fully embrace their lives as college students. With friends, studetns can go out together to enjoy what the college and local community have to offer to make the most of their college experience.

Figure out what your preferences are. Small campus or large campus. Faculty student interaction. Things to do around campus.

thouroughly research each individual college and make sure to visit the campuses and classrooms along with the labs and dining areas etc.

Listen to what the student wants to do in life and find colleges that work in the field or area then visit the schools if they are close by and if they are not ask for information and set up for a phone interview after revieiwing the information to get more details. When searching for the school take into account the location and benefits of the school. When one finds the right school and start attending you will make friends that will help you get through the days and learn the city around you. Once your at your school talk to your counsler and see what it will take to get to your goal and ask about their expeirnce and the jobs you can get in the summer as intern to help understand the ropes of your future. Then have fun with your friends and balance school and social activites so there isn't stress and when you do just breath and know that you can to this.

The advice I would give a student would be to start researching options as early as possible. An early start will help deter impulse decisions/overlooked opportunities. It's also important to weigh the pros and cons of each university under consideration to see what fits you best, not what fits your parents. After all, you're attending- not them. Don't waste time looking at universities that do not offer your major just because it's close to home or your friends are going there. College is the place you get to grow as a person and become a unique individual. Having things in common with people you meet are good, but don't feel the need to conform to their every way of life to save what you thought was a friendship. That can be a quick way to waste your time and ruin your mood. Don't expect for people to stay the same as you once knew them (old friends, parents, and new friends). Be sure to take time to relax and exercise regularly and your concentration with studying will improve tenfold. Remember: Change is the only constant and things always turn out for the better.

When giving advice to someone to help them find the right college, I would definitely encourage them to visit the campus to see how they feel, because I know when I was selecting colleges, there were some I thought about attending until I visited the campus and didn't like the atmosphere. I would also encourage the person to consider whether they prefer being in a big or small school, with big or small classes. Do they need one-on-one attention from the professor, or are they okay with being taught by the teachers assistant. Also, consider the location of the school because they have their social life to consider too. Do they want to experience moving away from where they grew up or do they have higher priorities, like kids, forcing them to live at home? Lastly, one of the biggest things to take into consideration is what majors the school is offering. It's important to make sure the school offers the major you're interested in. To me it's important to know how likely it is to find a job after getting a degree from that school. These are just a few things to consider.

There are many colleges that provide a growing experience. There is not one right college for a student.

I would first suggest that you never fall for "name brand" schools or strive to get into an elite college simply for the prestige or because your whole family went there. There are three important factors that should always be driving your choice: 1)The size of the school (do you like small classes with access to professors or are you willing to remain more or less anonymous on campus?) 2) Can you study a subject(s) that you are interested in and what kind of options will this school be able to give you once you graduate? (If you are interested in medicine and your school doesn't have a pre-med program, well...) 3) What is the social atmosphere of the campus and does it fit with your own social proclivities? (For instance a dry campus would be a bad choice for the aspiring fratboy party animal.) If possible, stay a night on campus with a student host, most schools now offer something like that. Those experiences generally give you a much more accurate picture of life on campus, especially if you stay in the dorms or visit a classroom. Visit the dining hall before you choose!

I believe that the most important thing to finding the right college is all about finding what you want to major in or learn about. Many different colleges have different settings and I believe if you pick the right setting for what you want to focus in you will be off to a good start. For example if you want to study pharmacy, you should go to pharmaceutical school which has a program and a center for pharmacy. Many schools help out students that major in the profession that the school is most recognized for. Another very important aspect of choosing the right school is looking what is around it. Schools that do not have much to do around it tend to be more party orientated schools since there is nothing else to do, thats in my opinion. Schools that have many things to do and many places to go offer students a way to get away from those parties and to participate in more productive aspects. Another good way to tell what kind of school is it is to walk around campus and see how many people you see walking around wearing greek letters. Greek letters are good/ bad.

When visiting the different universities and talk to different students as well as professors to get a better feel for the campus. Try the campus food, do an overnight stay if possible. It is an experiance that you truely get as much as is put into. It's important to get involved in different things, if nothing else than to meet new people, broaden horizons, learn more about yourself. When you look at the campus, ask yourself if you think that you can fit in and integrate with the rest of the culture of that particular uniersity because there is no wrong choice. Go with whichever one feels the most comfortable.

Apply to lots of places.

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