Washington & Jefferson College Top Questions

Don't be afraid and have fun! College will be the best the experience of your life. Be prepared. Your courses in college will be tougher than anything you have seen in high school. Remember getting A's in all your classes without much studying? That will change, but don't be afraid. Start thinking about how you study most effectively, that way when you enter the gates of college, you will already be walking on the right path to success. Meet as many people as you can and always be yourself. Having a diverse and fun group of friends is essential to maintaining sensibility and having fun. Don't be afraid of who you are. College might seem overwhelming at first, especially during the intial transistion moving in, but I promise you will adjust in no time. Make friends with the faculty and staff quickly. Your professors love when students come to visit, so make sure to stop in their office. Your network is your networth. Try new foods in the dining hall, stay up past your bedtime every once in a while, and always be thirsty for knowledge. This might just be the best year of your life.

As a high school student my most difficult decision was deciding on which college/university to attend. Finally I decided on Washington and Jefferson College even though I was still worried about the possibility of making the wrong decision. If I could tell my high school senior self one thing it would be not to worry so much about the decision and that no matter what the idea of transitioning into college will be a new and exciting experience no matter what. I would say you will find your place and enjoy all the new adventures and experiences that the college culture has to offer. Through my experience at Washington and Jefferson I have experienced the challenging classes that were well worth taking, the competitive DIII Field Hockey Team, and have gained many new friends.

For myself, the advice would not be how to make the transition into college life because that transition never ends. My first year at school brought new people in and out of my life, some stay for good reasons and others you find are not fit to stay. That we learn every year, but my advice to myself in high school would have to be: " Mia, after this year you will have to do things as an adult your parents will not be on your tail watching and nagging to make sure things are done. You must take the lead from now on, stop procrastinating and apply for school and their scholarships. Or else you will be trying to apply at odd hours in the morning and ramdom times of the year for them." Maybe I would have listen to this advice or maybe not, but some things in life are just ment to be Such as winning scholarships some people are lucky and some not, but we are all lucky to have the opportunity to continue our schooling at any level and place. This would be the advice I would have given myself in high school.

Dear Highschool Senior, I remember the days were you thought college was going to be a breeze. Well, it's not. College is more than just living on your own and studying for hours. College changes your whole entire lifestyle. You now are going to be faced with challenges everyday, and it is up to you to make wise decisions. You are going to take challenging courses that you thought you would be interested in, and it is your job to seek help from your professors. You can not just say, "hey, I'll put this off for another day". My advice to you is to learn time management skills. It all comes down to time management. If you can form a healthy schedule with several hours aside for studying, you will do great! It is now time to start living for yourself. You will choose your friends, how you will deal with problems, and what you do in your spare time. Come into college with a good head on your shoulders and motivation. Sincerely, College Freshman

if i was back in high school i would have a littile bit of a higher grade point average, and i would have paid more attention.

Don't look at school rankings. They mean nothing to your personal education. Make a list of the things you want in a school and look for the school that matches your list. If you're not sure what you want in a college, go visit one and determine what you really like about certain schools like residential situations, class size, or even the social scene. There is no number 1 school, there is the number 1 school for you.

Knowing what I now do about college (having excelled both in my studies and extracurriculiar activites), there are several pieces of advice I would have loved to make myself aware of when embarking on the transition from high school senior to college student. Perhaps the most important aspect would be to join a club! I unfortunately waited until my second semester to seek out campus activites. The moment I did it absolutely transformed my college experience for the better! I am currently President of Suffolk County Community College's Art Club! In addition to this amazing opportunity I host several fundraising events. These experiences have allowed me to better my community, and act as a mentor to many young, aspiring artists! Campus activities offered at Suffolk Community College have been a life changing experience, and an opportunity I will never forget. Not only has it allowed me the ability to expand my outreach to the community, but it has given me a perspective of where I would like to take my passion for the arts in the future! If I could go back in time I would have urged myself to seek out these amazing opportunities from the beginning.

Tiffany, I know it is hard to imagine what college is going to be like, you are scared to move away from your friends and unsure if you are really good enough for college. Trust me college is not as scary as it is portrayed, however do not get me wrong there is a lot of hard work involved, but you can make it through. Do not get caught up in trying to be accepted by a well known, Ivy League college what really matters is how comfortable you feel with the college and if you can acutually afford to go there. Also, you are going to miss your loved ones a lot, but do not let that discourage you from attending a college you really like. Remember what I said the most important factors in picking your college are how happy you are with the college and if you can really afford it, after all if all goes well you will be headed off to graduate school in four years which will cost even more money.

I would tell myself to fully research anything involving college because as public school students we miss out on opportunities that could definitely allow us to make the most out of college. Although this is not our fault and due to the lack of indivdual attention in most over crowded public schools in NYC, we are obviously the most affected. So I would advise myself to ask questions from the experienced and exhaust resources to get the experience we all deserve in college.

To be completely honest, if I could go back I would not give myself any advice the transition into college life. The most helpful and useful knowledge I have gained is not from in a classroom, but from dealing with the unexpected. Very few people in my immediate family have attended college. I had little to no advice on what college life would be like. You could say I was completely unprepared, but my lack of preparation helped me to become a strong and independent person. Learning to live on my own, use my time wisely and create a social life for myself was exhausting and frustrating, but it taught me a lot about myself and reinforced the fact that I could handle and deal with any situation.