Willamette University Top Questions

Be prepared for any and everything. Being on your own is not what college is about because you always need a support system. Do not refuse help, you are not in this along. College will not be an easy transition unless you have a good support system and are ready. Also, it is okay to give up sometimes. If you can't do something, it is fine. Remember, to smile and think happy thoughts. P.S. if you are easily offended, do not use a certain annonymous social media site that starts with "y".

The most important change I made this past year was setting goals. Before school started I sat down and I wrote 3 goals for the year; 1) To recieve a 3.5 GPA, 2) Be all-conference in golf, 3) Make friends that will push me to be a better all-around person. Even though I recieved a 3.4 and didn't make all-conferene, I did make a close group of friends. These friends and I compete in the classroom and on the course, we push eachother to become better students and better golfers. We compete to see who can get the A and we compete to shoot the lowest score. My friends have made me a better student and helped me in the pursuit of my first two goals. All year long, I had something in the back of my mind that I was striving for, and that alone helped me succeed. So for next year, I know what I need to do to accomplish my goals, and I was lucky enough to meet some great friends to enjoy college with along the way. I would tell myself, "Set goals and you will succeed."

College is a completely different world than high school. It will be necessary to study more and harder than you ever have before. It will be hard and you will miss home, but you can get through it with the help of the friends you will make along the way. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. College will change you, but you don't have to be afraid of that change. Welcome new people, including the new person you will become. Most importantly, have fun. College is more than just preparation for medical school.

Seek to achieve, to encourage, and to lead by example. Success as a freshman is guaranteed to those who are willing to apply themselves academically. Hard work and dedication reap rewards. You alone are responsible for your grade point average, not your Teacher. Knowledge is the fulcrum to your future, use it wisely. Have integrity; portray a positive demeanor, and a willingness to learn. Step outside your comfort zone often, who we become is magnified by our experiences. Be a person of sound moral character, a compass for peers to follow. Accept criticism graciously, everybody makes mistakes. Meet deadlines, attend review classes, and always do extra credit work when it is available. Learn that time management is not updating your Facebook profile while doing homework. Choose to be a frontrunner rather than follower, you gain confidence and garner the respect of others when you risk doing what is right over that which you know to be wrong. Persistence pays off! And Try, Try Again! Are motto’s to live by as you forge ahead as a sophomore, a junior and ultimately graduate. Lastly, and of equal importance, make great friends, laugh lots, and keep curfews!

Letter to the high school me: Hey there! It's me, your college-aged self. Not to scare you about what's to come, but I have a few words of wisdom that might save you later on. Here they are; pay attention! BE FRUGAL. Your biggest struggle by far in college will be money. You know mom and dad don't have money to contribute. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THINGS YOU DON'T NEED. At one point in your future you will simultaneously be working 4 part-time jobs to make ends meet. SAVE NOW. LEARN TO FOCUS. I know you're a procrastinator, but trust me, once you learn to just "get-er-done", life will be so much easier. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS. Seek out people that have the information you're looking for. Overcome your shyness and realize that you're not bothering people. Most people actually like being helpful. Most of all, STAY POSITIVE. Know that there is always a way if you just put your mind to it. Just a few words to the wise. Use them as you see fit. Sincerely, the college-aged you.

Although my college life has only lasted one year, I feel like I have learned a plethora since those last days I walked out of high school. The person I am today would change who I was back in high school in a great way. To start, a piece of advice I'd give to my younger self would to really make more of an effort with my fellow students. I realize now that in high school, I had a little bit of an ego to me. An ego that made part of me think I was better than any single person at the school. I was deeply wrong about that because I went to school with some incredible people that I never talked to because of how I thought. Those very people are now doing amazing things with their lives and I regret never getting to know them. Also, I regret not appreciating my parents as much for all they did and do for me. I didn;t realize it in high school, but I now realize they are the reason I am the person I am today and I thank them dearly for everythng they have done.

As a driven high school senior, I made some mistakes in my college selection process. My expectations of college have not matched reality. I have been disappointed in the lack of academic rigor that Willamette University has provided me. The students are not focused, and have no drive to succeed and avoid moving back in with their parents after college. When I originally chose Willamette, I had not realized that this would be such a large factor in my happiness in college. I should have examined the culture of the school more closely. I should have looked for a more academically rigorous university, where I would not have stood out for being driven, but would meet many more people who could motivate me further. In addition, I would tell myself to consider a school that is stronger in the sciences, specifically Physics. I had not decided on a major when I decided to attend Willamette, and now am regretting my choice to attend a liberal arts school as a Physics major. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to remember how much I love science, and to choose a school with a strong Physics department.

I would tell myself to not get overwhelmed. College is a big change and no matter how well you believe you are prepared for it the truth is you're never prepared enough. College can be a wonderful experience if you make it one. I would tell myself to get involved in the different programs at the school but don't put too much on your plate at once. I would say to leave room to make mistakes and don't strive for perfection as it is impossible. It's important to keep a social life outside of college because everyone needs to be reminded that there is life besides work and school. Another important thing is to use the resources available. There are friends, teachers, advisors, and programs to use at the school whenever help is needed. I would tell myself that no matter what you're not alone. I would say overall college is a great experience and it should be memorable not something to regret.

Don't stick your head in the sand and let this decision make itself. It's your life and it's your responsibility to get where you need to be. Don't waste your time worrying what your family or friends are going to think about your decision. In a few months, they won't be there. You need to learn to stand on your own, and you can't do that standing on a foundation that you played no part in laying. Try everything, waste nothing, and reinvent yourself a few dozen times while you're at it. Now get to it. You said tomorrow yesterday.

If I could go back in time, the advice I would give myself is keep up the work and don't slack off. I feel that in my senior year I slacked off a little bit and that because of that the jump to college was even bigger than it should have been. If I would've stayted ontop of my school work ethic I think that my first year of college would have been a little bit easier. Also, I would tel myself that altough I have been a procrastiantor my whole life, collge is the time to stop.

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school senior-self, I would talk about being more organized and disciplined. My parents used to talk about being organized but I didn't really listen to them. I thought I could continue to be disorganized and still keep a handle on everything. I soon found out at Willamette that the difficulty of courses, rivaling those at major ivy league schools, and the fast pace of course progression required me to be organized and disciplined or I got behind extremely quickly. My assigned reading from every course was more substantial than any high school class I'd taken, including my Advanced Placement coursework. Of course, my high school senior-self probably wouldn't listen to me anymore than I listened to my parents!

I remember how stressful I found the college selection process. There were so many to choose from, and I was convinced that making the wrong decision would ruin my life. But in the end, I had to make a decision, and to be honest, if I could go back I would probably choose a different college. However, that doesn't mean that I'm not happy at Willamette. It has its faults, but so does every other school. My experience has been what I've made of it. I find the academic rigour a little lacking, so I create my own projects, participate in internships and talk to my professors outside of class. The campus is a bit small, so I make sure and take advantage of the great Outdoor Adventure Club on the weekends. There wasn't a club for Catholic students on campus, so I took advantage of the ease with which clubs are created at Willamette and started my own. So, during the selection process, relax. Choose carefully, of course, but know that not everything will be perfect, no matter where you go, and be alright with that. Wherever you go, you make your own experience.

Since I"ve been at college I've relished the ability to take classes about things I'm interested in, in a broad range of topics. In my high school there was a "plan" for graduation, and there was little room for leeway in classes. In college there are many different classes you can take to fill the same criteria, and I love the freedom of choice. I've also made many friends who share similar interests that I have, and I was able to join a queer-straight alliance for the first time, something I've always wished to do but couldn't because I went to a small, rural high school. All in all, my college experience so far has changed my life because I have been able to experience so many different things that I never could in high school.

I'm learning many new things that I wouldn't otherwise have the oppourtunity to. The same definitly goes for people as well! Social networking is an important part of college and it is an important skill for later in life. I love college! It has taught me to be more independent and responsible. Not only all of those things but if anything you should go to college for the experience!

I’m mid-way through my career at Willamette University, in Salem, OR. The last two years at Willamette have supplied me with skills that will be sustainable well beyond the next two. Here I’ve gained an ability in community building, analytical thinking, reading, and writing, creative communication, various fine arts disciplines, not to mention real-life work experience and a grip on who I am that eclipses any experience I’ve ever had before. The thing I love about college is how everything I’m learning inside rooms is relevant to my life - it’s incredible how intersectional my life here is, as each semester experience builds on the last to inform my education in a really widely liberating way. Despite how overwhelmingly expensive WU is ($48,000 a year and climbing), I squeeze every benefit I can from each lecture, study group, social justice group meeting, project, -- you name it, I’m involved and thriving in it. This place has sprouted in me an ability to thrive under unending pressure, and a joy in accomplishing tasks and resting in that place of progress -- a balance that I hope to live out for the rest of my life.

The best thing I have gotten out of college so far is independence. Sure, a majority of students say this about their experience but no student can tell their high school friends that it's easy to be away from home. In the first few weeks, you are asked to mature and to know everything about the school. Professors or departments are not going to chase you down for things. You have to make a concious effort to close that gap and search for things yourself. But along the way, you may ask for help; the staff get paid not to see you suffer. They get paid to help struggling students succeed.

When I started college here, I didn't know for sure what it was that I wanted to do. Being here at Willamette University has helped me to realize my love for science. The small size of this college allowed me to take advantage of opportunities not usually available to freshmen students. I was able to get a research internship during the summer that has allowed me to experience first hand the kind of work that research scientiests actually do. This experience has not only helped to confirm to me that I am following the right career path; it has also provided me with valuable connections in the scientific community and experiences which will help me to get a job once I graduate. With a strong science program and great teachers, I know that Willamette University will continue to help me acvance on my chosen path in life.

My college experience has taught me so much about myself. I have discovered how I learn best, what I need to do to retain information effectively and grown infinitely more confident in my ideas. In high school I would hesitate to speak without first weighing the thoughts in my mind, afraid that someone might prove me wrong or think poorly of me based on my answer. I now have no qualms about speaking first, and I even present unfinished thoughts with the hope of sparking a good debate. I feel that I am getting so much more out of college than a simple grounding in facts. I am truly becoming a life-long learner, and I have finally come to terms with the fact that an education is worth the price.

Be genuine. Nothing in the college experience is going to wear you down and force you to seriously question what you doing with these four years of your life than trying to look good for your future. It isn't productive either. You will have ample opportunity to volunteer and participate in clubs that make you look "good." But taking time to tutor a kid or participating in the student run emergency medical service on campus is simply exhausting, if you only halfway care about the activity. In this exhaustion, it is nearly impossible to find something that you are fully, truly passionate about -- even if it is looking you in the face. If you find that you are spending a substantial amount of time on an activity, course of study, or club that you find moderately (but not very) interesting, do not be afraid to give it up. The free time will enable you to explore new opportunities. I wasted nearly two years on activities that only halfway interested me, because I had not realized this. Find you passions first. Then, enjoy yourself as you become increasingly proficient. After that, plan for the future.

The first thing I would tell myself is to focus on school. By doing this I would be able to figure out what I wanted to do and to tell myself in the long run doing what I enjoy the most is the best path to go. I would also tell myself to stay away from relationships and to avoid getting married at such a young age to lesson the burden of college life on myself. I would also tell my self as I rogress through school to keep my focus on the future and what I want to do in life. I want myself to be able to have the best oppertunity to be succesfull with the job I want after graduation.