Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

The most valuable part of the college experience so far is the connections made while at school. I've learned that it's more important to have meaningful friendships with fellow freshmen than having straight A's. And since I am part of the January Program at Washington University in St. Louis, I also had the chance to discover myself in a way that would not have been possible if I was an average student. Being a January Programmer has helped me understand myself more and allowed me to attain dreams that I would have missed out on otherwise.

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, I would give myself a pat on the back for all the hard work I accomplished. Without a doubt, there were times during my high school career when I questioned whether six AP classes in one year was too much to handle, and if it was really worth it to attend a highly competitive university. All I can say is, it has been well worth it. As for what is to come, I would tell myself to relax and take everything in stride. The transition to college was more difficult for me than I had expected--I had a hard time finding my place on campus and letting go of my inhibitions about going to a college where I knew absolutely no one. The key is to keep an open mind about everything: classes, student groups, and friends especially. I would remind myself of the importance of being friendly and personable, because those qualities have taken me far in my college experience. Ultimately, I would tell myself to enjoy the ride, because there is no way to know what the future will have in store for me.

There are several notes that I want you to take about the things we are about to discuss. First, in all capital letters write CREDIT CARDS ARE BAD. They really are not but in the hands of the ill informed and the impulsive, they are dangerous weapons. Those pair of shoes that you had to have for the party even though you didn't money in the end may cost your that dream house 6 years down the line. So, stay away from the vendors no matter how many free shirts they offer. Second, walk through the library. Walk past the sleepers and find those students that are in the rooms actually reading the books; Make friends with these people. They will be a vital asset to you when it comes time to study for midterms. Third, you are away from your parents but there were methods to their madness. (i.e. cleaning your room, doing your homework) Last, take as many pictures as your phone will allow. The moments that you will experience are unlike any others you've had thus far. These are going to be the times of your life; Enjoy!

Lisa, college is exciting, scary and challenging. It is the first time in your life you will be living in a place without your parents. Of course this will be thrilling but it will also be hard. You are leaving everything and everyone you know to begin something different. It?s ok to be homesick. As someone expecting to play varsity soccer, your time management skills must be flawless. Not only will you be travelling, but your academic workload will be far more rigorous than that of high school. Thus, individual accountability and responsibility will be crucial to your success. Choose a college that allows you to explore any subject of interest. This will help your transition. This way, if you happen to dislike a subject, you can always change and or transfer to another program. Take risks, get out of your comfort zone, explore the unfamiliar, and fail. Push yourself academically and physically. For not only will you learn a lot about yourself, but those that stick by you through thick and thin will be friends for life. Show patience for others and yourself, and allow yourself to change. Don?t be afraid and most importantly, HAVE FUN!

I would start off by telling myself to take more classes and not spend so much time goofing off. I should of taken more math classes at the very least. Sure having a lot of time was nice, but the extra time i did have could have been put towards better preparing myself for college courses. Probably the most important thing I would tell myself is not to blow the amount of money I did on items that are not necessary. I never liked to study but I would warn myself that it's a very crucial part of schooling, especially in college if you want to pass those harder exams. And do not slack on those class readings that are assigned for the next day because the chances of you being called on seem to increase drastically even if you do not think so. All in all tell myself to take senior year more seriously.

Don't worry. College life is great. You WILL make friends and still seem to stay in touch with the old ones. You'll maintain your GPA and manage to get some great parties in as well. It's a little bit difficult to get used to at first, but after a while it's just like being a home just a lot more fun. I know that moving from a small town to a big city seems like a huge transition, but once you get to St. Louis you will fall in love and never want to look back. Spanish will be hard but keep studying. It'll pay off at the end of the semester when you're practically fluent. Use the library. I know it seems intimidating at first, but it's actually not. It's so quiet and perfect for reading and studying your notes. Going there actually improve your grades! Who knew? Good luck with the rest of senior year, I know you'll have a blast. Give Mom a kiss and tell her you'll be calling her a lot soon, because you will! She really does understand more than you think =)

When hearing about colleges and universities you are considering, never believe your ears. No matter how many times someone tells you how great a school is, it may turn out to be your worst nightmare. A college can be rated the happiest campus in the country--but not for you. In selecting Washington University, I knew I was going to a challenging school, and I thought everyone here would be great, would be nice, fun, laid back, accepting. My thoughts about the academics were true, but otherwise, everything was wrong. The accepting school I chose to attend turned out to be judgemental of my lifestyle--Christian, alcohol-free, studious. I never expected that a school with such a great social reputation would turn out to be socially repulsive. I didn't do proper research, and now I'm stuck. I'm stuck financially and academically, because those options are not available elsewhere. So, do your research, but know it won't be enough. Visit the school, get a feel for yourself over a weekend. Then, you will be as close as you can get to real college life, even though nothing will be enough to prepare you.

A key fact I learned during the freshman year of my college career was in the selection process. I found that no matter how much you think you love one particular college you never exactly how much you will love it when you live there. I went into Northeastern with the mindset that this would be a great college for me, and as a result neglected to consider even a college right down the street from where I grew up. I left with the mindset that I wanted to get out of my hometown, as far away as possible; however, I came back soon enough, realizing that this was the place I want to be. I would tell myself that even though the college transition is a rush, with deadlines, school visits and tests you really do have to sit down as best you can and consider all the options presented before you, even if those options don't necessarily make sense at the time.

Relax! The transition to college is not nearly as stressful as you think it's going to be. You just need to be willing to put yourself out there and meet as many people as possible. At the beginning, friendliness goes a long way; this is no time to be shy. You also have to remember that you will be in an academically rigorous environment. Don't be shocked on the first day of classes when you are not the smartest person in the room. Try to learn from everyone else, and don't be so intimidated by their intelligence that you are too scared to participate. The most important thing to remember, however, is to just try new things. If a friend wants to make an impromtu trip into St. Louis, go along. If you have to choose between seeing a fantastic speaker with an acquaintance or staying in with friends, take a chance and go to the speech. In order to get the most out of your first semester, you have to be open and willing to try new things, no matter what anyone else tells you is best. You're in charge now. Good luck!

If I could go back in time and say one thing to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to not be afraid to follow my heart instead of my brain. Senior year of high school, I decided to go to the highest rank university I was accepted to, The University of Pennsylvania, while my girlfriend (soon to be fiance, fingers crossed!) boarded a plane to Washington University in St. Louis 1,000 miles away. Freshman year of college was undoubtedly the hardest year of our lives. We would find ourselves counting down the days, and talking on the phone in the freezing cold, so that we didn't wake our roommates, until the early hours of the morning. I knew I couldn't last four years like that, so I made what I consider the best decision of my life and applied to transfer to WashU. I'm proud to say I am currently a sophomore at WashU and enjoying every minute of it. In essence, I would tell myself to be myself and to not be afraid to make a decision simply because everyone else thinks it is the wrong one.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, the first thing that I would tell myself would be to relax. The college application process proves to be very stressful, but in the end everything will work out for the best. Stressing about whether the colleges I have already applied to will accept me or not is not going to affect the final decision and causes me to lose focus on what is really important to me at the time. Next, I would tell myself to take a physics course in high school, because although I still managed to learn the material presented in my college courses, many of my professors assumed that everyone in the class already had knowledge of physics which was disadvantageous for me. Last, I would tell myself that no matter where I end up, my college experience will only be as good or as bad as I make it. The most important thing that I can do is to go into my college experience with a positive attitude and an openness to new experiences. Academics are extremely important in college, but learning doesn?t end in the classroom.

The major advice I would give myself would be to never stop meeting new people and making new friends. There are so many amazing people out there, and most people get comfortable with their small groups of friends that they make during their freshman, especially during first semester freshman year. Do not hesitate in going up to someone new and introducing yourself and starting up a conversation. You never know who might become a great new friend and allow you to see the world in a whole new way, who is different from anyone you have ever met. There are so many intelligent, passionate people out there, many with different backgrounds and ideals than your own. People here are incredibly accepting, so do not worry about being singled out or judged; just be yourself and let youself be out there. If you do not, you will not be able to meet all of those amazing people and have the best time of your life.

To my younger self, Before you start college and go far away from everything you've ever known, take time to really appreciate your past - your friends, family, experiences. Now get ready, college is going to blow your mind, in a good way. You're going to meet new people with different personalities, opinions, religions, cultures. Be open to it all. No matter how hard you might want to fight it, give everything new a chance. Overload yourself with activities the first few weeks so you can find your own niche in your new home. You can change your mind later. Transitioning is going to be an emotionally draining experience, but with a satisfying end, I promise. Don't forget who you are, but don't shut who you might be out. Everyone is going through the same thing, so find some friends and get through it together. Mingle! Even if it's against your nature! Surround yourself with all kinds of people, and hopefully you will find those that will be there for you forever. Most importantly, respect yourself and the people around you and I know that you'll excel. Good luck in your journey of self-discovery.

Working hard is just a matter of sitting down at your desk every day and working hard. It is not that difficult of a skill - your room will be so small that half the time you spend in it will be sitting at your desk anyway. Instead, learn how to manage your time so that you don't need to sit for 4 hours on a Sunday night to do a week's worth of work. Truly working hard is working well, which entails efficient and spread out studying. Don't be afraid that a half hour of work here and there every day will cut into your social schedule - it won't. You'll have more free time in college than ever. In addition, make sure to add a half hour to an hour of exercise every day. That won't cut into your work or your free time either, and you can incorporate it as part of your social schedule. Exercise is important to your physical and mental health. Eat healthy and not too much, and not all the time. Drink a lot of water during the day, and go to sleep early. You'll be fine.

I would tell a high school senior that you definitely have to be a hard worker to do well here, but there is still things to do around St. Louis and lots of good places to eat. But don't let your social life get the best of you or you won't do well. It's also easy to overcommit yourself too early because there is a lot of different activities to get involved in.

As you make a decision about college, I would like you to ignore all of your initial criteria for the ?right school.? First, the fact that you love your small school now does not mean that you need to attend a school of 2,000 students or fewer. You will always be able to find a small, comfortable community within the school. Second, you have lived in a small town all your life, and while you would certainly love to go to school in the country, give the city a chance! There are so many great schools that are in or near cities but have fantastic campuses that will make you feel like you are in a small town. Finally, I know that you have always planned on staying close to home and that you might get a little homesick if you move too far away. But when else in your life will you have the chance to move to a new part of the country and still live in a fun, supportive environment? If you disregard your initial ideas about what college ?should? be, you will see that Washington University in St. Louis is the right school for you!

Dearest Self, I know you are anxious to start college, to prove yourself, to make sure that you have made the right choice in leaving, but let me assure you that you have made that correct choice and that you will prove yourself there. Please remember to enjoy right now though because someday you will realize just how blessed you were to come home every day to such an accepting and loving family. Stay true to yourself, Lydeah, explore your options more, and do not be afraid to grow and develop yourself. Do not dwell on the past, you are who you are and you cannot change that, so embrace it more readily, regardless of other people's opinions! All in all, remember where you came from, and that every step you carry your family with you. Be true to yourself, love others, and know that the world is hard enough on you, so give yourself a break....and above all flesh out your passions, have fun, and create memories! Love always,forever, and truly, Lydeah

The word healthy can be defined in many ways. Healthy may mean working out 45 minutes every day, never staying up later than midnight, eating from the vegetarian food line or sleeping in every day until eleven o?clock. It is different for every student. I found it challenging to discover what this meant for me. I realized it was not possible to follow my high school routine in college, as I had to deal with the sleeping schedules of two roommates, survive the grind of midterms and motivate myself to walk to the athletic complex. However, once I found my healthy lifestyle things changed. I was happier, more successful in class and had even more free time. This is why finding and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important. Not only does it do exactly what the word personifies, keep you healthy, it allows you to accomplish many things you didn?t think you had the time, effort or desire to achieve. Whether your goal is receiving a 3.95 G.P.A., becoming captain of the basketball team or becoming President of student government, it can be fulfilled if you make sure to maintain one thing: a healthy lifestyle.

I was addicted to Barnes and Nobles in high school. I could work, coming home accomplished after flying away from the tempting voices of my facebook page. When I came to college I knew that I would need to find this perfect study environment on my campus, and eventually I succeeded in chosing Olin Library as my new, collegiate "B and N." I would read just as I had done back home at my bookstore, but after a few weeks of this routine I realized I felt lonely, something I never had experienced in high school. I now know why, and because of it, I know what advice to give my 17-year-old self. Stop thinking that academics are the most important aspect of school. They're not. All I saw during my hours at B and N was the homework completed. I forgot about friends from school who would come to have lunch with me. Coming into college I was so focused on what I saw as what got me in there, my GPA. I forgot that my personality wrote my essay, and much of my character comes from how people in my life push and inspire me.

Don't stress yourself out! Finding and deciding on the right college is an important choice to make, but whatever choice you make, it will work out in the end. You may think that one college is THE place to go, and attending any other school would simply be sloppy seconds. But even if your college plans don't work out as you thought, don't worry! No matter where you end up, you will find that college life on the whole is an overwhelmingly enjoyable experience, and you will learn new things and find such diverse opportunities that you can't anticipate. So, though you may have done all the research and you may think you know which college will offer the best education, or offer the best opportunities for your future career, or blah, blah, blah...College is more than just a ticket to a career! While education is important, college is an overall experience, and it is best to find a college where you feel comfortable. So do the research, VISIT THE SCHOOLS, and choose your favorites. But, if it doesn't work out exactly as you thought, don't get upset. It will still be awesome!