Widener University Top Questions

If I go could back in time and give myself advice about college I would start off by telling myself that college is very different from high school. For example, you have a lot more free time and you need to know how to maintain it between homework, studying, social life, doing hobbies/activities and working a job. At first it?s overwhelming, but once you get into a good system of maintaining your time you should be fine. Also, I would tell myself that college is not a walk in the park; I would be completely honest with myself and say that you have to work hard to succeed. You need to be dedicated to doing homework and studying for each of your classes, but in the end it will all pay off. If you work hard for it, you shall succeed and the greatest feeling is success especially when you know you worked hard to get there.

Going back in time, I would tell myself to not worry so much about how to manage my time. At first, playing football, going to class, and being a part of a scholarship program may seem really overwhelming, but make sure you plan out week by week what you have to do day in and day out. If the day seems to be going at a million miles an hour, stop yourself and take a step back. Slowing yourself down will be the best way to get through a stressful day. Getting stressed out is only going to make college feel like a job rather than the experience that it should be. Make sure you plan out time to do both school work and have a social life. I found too that working out will definitely be a stress buster, but also include friends in there too so that it doesn't get so monotonous being a school. It's a fun experience, and as long as long as you plan your times right, it's less stressful than high school because you have so much more time to get stuff done.

Due to the many challenges and various changes that I have undergone through my college experience, psychologically, academically and even physically, the best advice that I could give myself is to use all of the resources provided for me. Looking back at my previous year at Widener, I felt that I didn't fully understand that being a college student is more than just academics and having a desire to be involved. College is an experience of a lifetime! Using academic support services, meeting administrators as well as making friends that have a similar mind set to that of own, are some of the many key components for thriving academically. By making friends who are involved on campus, challenged academically, and who share many of the same values as me, I have learned that success cannot be acheived without the assistance of others. The important concept is take college one step at a time, starting with students around your age group who share similar standards. It is the best way to climb the later of success.

No matter how smart you think you are there is always room for improvement. College is hard and you need to know that you have to be able to commit yourself to completing all your work before the deadlines while managing your busy schedule.

If I could go back to talk to myself as a high school senior I would probably say that I need to believe in myself. I am smart and can get through college with a good GPA. The transition into college from high school is tough, but it is for all students. Your friends and family are always there for you and you will never be able to disappoint your parents as easliy as you think. College will be the best four years of your life and you will make great friends that will be your friends for a very long time!

Make lists of things you are and aren't looking for in a school. Visit schools before September and compare them to your lists. The more schools you look at, the better. Talk to students in the same accademic program you want to persue. Ask them what the work load is really like, how the social life is at their school, and how they have adjusted to their paticular school. Finally, go into college with an open mind. College is the perfect experience for adolescents to find their true indentity, establish their own believes and values, and learn to live life in the happiest way possible.

I would tell them to make sure they visit at least ten different college campus to get a feel how different each one is to make the best choice.

The number one suggestion I would give parents and students is to visit the college you think you want to go to, tour it, and if possible spend a night there. This is the best way to get to know the people which you are going to spend your education experience with, and if you don't like the type of people your surrounded by you will not be as happy and it will make it harder to achieve your full potential. The Second thing I would advise it to figure out what size classes you feel most comfortable in and figure out of the school you wish to go to fits that. Do you want a large school with many opportunities so you can dabble in many different things to figure out your passion, or do you know what you want to do and want to go to a smaller school, which will help, you specifically focus on that career path. The last piece of advice I would wish to give is to live everyday to the fullest but to make sure you have a plan for the future.

The advice I would first give to the student is to do you college research early. Don't wait to the last minute and pick a school that will benefit you in the long run. A school that will help with your goals and your career. The student should made sure that the department they are going into are very welcoming and willing to help at anytime. They need to made sure once they pick a school that there advisor knows their career path desired, so they can help to their best ability. To the parents I would say assist your students, but do not try to pick their school for them. What my seem like the best school at the time is always not the right one. They should pick a school that will best help with not only their educational needs, but also help their career needs. A school that will help them in the right direction of their future. Sometime pressure from the parents could be a bad choice and can hurt the student in the long run. This could cause the student to accomplish their goals later then wanted.

I would make sure the student wants to go where their final chose is. You have to like the campus and environment. Make sure the school has your major. To make the most out of your experience I would suggest to get involved in an activity. Getting involved help makes friends for life, and connections around campus,