Berklee College of Music Top Questions

The best advice I would give to myself is to be very aware of time management. As soon as I got to college I realized I have to balance work and play and be organized about it. I was saving my homework until nighttime as I went out with friends during the day. I now know that it's best to do your homework right as you get home from school cause the concepts are still fresh in your mind from just being in class. I feel so much better going out with friends after I've completed my homework, like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Just being organzied in general is a great tip. Knowing in between which classes you have time to get a bite to eat so your not going all day starving in class, and writing down your homework in a "agenda book" of some type are some good starters.

If I could go back into time and speak with myself as a senior in high school. I would give myself the advice to never let anyone else affect your path and your dreams of success. Through the past few years I have been put down as an artist, and been afraid of showing other my talents and music for various social reasons, mainly the fear of their acceptance. I realize now that I can only create what I am inspired and educated to create. I wish that I would have wasted less time worrying about the other people pushing me around with my musical tastes. My musical talents and my paintings are not shown off nearly as much as they should be because of the fear that ensued through the transition into city life and a larger social audience. I recently have overcome my fears partially, and know that my education is still the biggest part of my journey as an artist; musical, visual, and literary. I look foreward to the journey in life. Knowing now what I would have told myself a fews years back is currently a stronger driving force than anything else in my life.

Take advantage of all the resources you have while in school. Your classmates and your teachers are valuable; interacting with them will give you life lessons that can help you when you go out into the real world. Make sure there is a balance between doing schoolwork and having fun; don't overload on too much of either, it's not healthy. Get involved in activities and hang out with people that better you as a person. And soak it all up, college will be the experience of your life!

I think that the biggest piece of advice I would give myself if I were entering college now would be to take a year off and work full-time to save money. I took this semester off and am returning full time next semester (January, 2010), but I have been living in Boston, so the money I have earned has been going to pay my rent and my bills, rather than being saved for tuition. I was able to come to music school and test out of a couple of classes because I had extensive musical training in high school, but having to work a lot outside of school has been difficult.

i would tell myself to stay focused on the acaemics and to try and find balance between my work and my social life. too much of either is unhealthy.

I would tell myself to not procrastinate and to get involved in more community based organizations and reach out to the professtionals in the community. I would tell myself to get more organized and responsible and take the necessary steps to get to college in a timely manner. I would have also told myself to not be afraid of my gift and really put myself out in the open as a brand and as a confident musician who was put on this earth to really persue music and be a vessel to the masses in providing music for people to partake.

i would tell myself to never slack off or be a procrastinator. To always follow your hart. Study hard. Make a name for yourself. Be a leader in everythign you do. Never let someone determine your fate because only you can do that. You can graduate college no matter what statistics may say, or what tradition has been passed down throug hyour family. There is enough money for you to finsh and pay for school. Just believe in yourself. You can inspire yourself more than anyone else ever can. There will be hard times, and mountains to crawl, but do not let the trial, obstacle, or mountain defeat you. You tackle the mountain, and keep climbing.

If I could go back in time, I would ease the worried mind of "high school senior" Anthony. I would say, "Anthony, you WILL eventually be able to find your way to your classes without getting lost, you WON'T be rejected by every cute girl you talk to, you WILL get used to living on your own, and with a little focus and a lot of determination, you WILL be the very best you can be at all of your academic and extra-curricular endeavors." And as I begin to notice "high school senior" Anthony relaxe his tensed-up shoulders and release his scrunched-up eyebrows, I would look him straight in the eye and say, "You are about to embark on the greatest journey you will ever know. Cherish these years, give 110{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} into everything you do, and have the time of your life!"

College life is as much about the experience as it is about the end result of obtaining a diploma. Get involved in campus activities where you can meet different people. Prepare yourself to be, or perhaps become, open-minded as college is a place where your ideas about life and society are tested. When you graduate, you may not have all the friends that you made in your first year, but the friendships that do last will extend over a lifetime. Try to find faculty and peer mentors and positive people; keep them in your motivational circle. And as much as you would like to make your family proud, this time is all about developing your own person - time to find out who you are.

Life is short. You have a limited time to enjoy yourself on this earth. College is an important part in the human experience. Make sure that when youre choosing a college, it is really and truly the college you want to attend. Not the college your friends are attending, or the college your parents would like you to attend, but the college that is right for you. If you enjoy your college experience you will be inspired to succeed. Sometimes you have to accept the idea that the first college you choose, may not be what you were expecting, be open to the opinions of others, and let yourself be vaunerable to new experiences and ideas. Ultimately college is truly what you make it, so make it the best you can.