Davidson College Top Questions

My advice is maybe the simplest, but also the most difficult to follow -- don't stress! College is an incredible opportunity to figure yourself out; your interests, your passions, how you think, what kinds of people you enjoy, how you like to spend your time. Think about it, high-school-self -- from 7am classes to after-school sports to after-that music practice to late-night homework (whew!), your time was pretty mapped-out and regimented. College is a whole different world. You set your own alarm clock, you plan your own schedule, you decide what clubs to join or not join. But, like Stan Lee said: with great power, comes great responsibility. (Well, he was actually quoting Voltaire, but you won't learn about French Enlightenment philosophy until Junior year!) That responsibility, high-school-self, is to give everything a shot. Push yourself and learn new things; you'll never know if you have a knack for rhythm unless you join the African drumming circle. You might have never discovered your photographer's eye without entering a dark room. The choices can seem overwhelming, but never forget college's ultimate, and most important, purpose -- discovering your passion!

Stay on top of your work. Make a daily schedule for yourself of what you want to get done in a day and stick to it. Use weekends wisely; they are not all about free time, but also a major time to catch up and get ahead on work. Do whatever it takes to pay attention in class because the professors are your best resource. Do NOT be shy to speak up in class and go out of your way to make sure you are doing everything that needs to be done to shine in class. Be yourself, if you try to change in order to make friends, your friendships won't last. If you act naturally, you will find people who appreciate you for who you are and that is how to make lasting relationships. Don't be too concerned with pleasing others all the time, do what you need to do to be happy and successful. After all, this is YOUR education and YOUR time to learn who and what you can be.

Why haven't you applied anywhere yet?! All those scholarships you're up for, please complete the applications. You've always been a little indecisive, now is the time to figure out what you want out of life. You need time to plan your next steps and go after your goals. Life is short. Embrace who you are and run with it. You're going to have a very bright future you just need to apply yourself. Trust me if you don't buckle down and put in the effort now you'll regret it later. College is one of the best things that will happen in your lifetime. You will never learn as much and meet as many new people in your life as you will in college. Chase your dreams! Don't be afraid to set your goals high and go after them. You'll need this knowledge in the future. This is the most important decision you will make. It governs where the rest of your life will lead. It's the first step in taking control of your life and living it the way you want and deserve to. Go for it! Make me proud!

If I were to go back in time, I would tell myself that it's okay to take a break year between high school and college. I would advise not to let the stress of other peoples' academic expectations for my future control my choices. High school students seem to be pressured into automatically attending college right after high school. The truth of the matter is, not everyone is ready to jump right into college. I would tell the "high school aged" me to make sure I was pursuing a career path because I have a passion for it, not because someone else thought it was a good fit for me. Another thing the high school me needs a little help with is procrastination. If you do decide to attend college, don't wait until the last second to do assignments. College assignments are nowhere near as easy to rush through as high school papers and projects. Take your time, start working early, and make sure you truly understand the subject matter. Don't be afraid to ask questions because the things you learn in college frame and shape the future you.

I would like to encourage to all my high school junior guys , I aslo felt like as you alll when I was your time and age .Now I became know alot of things can't change and get with our nice memorial in high school life .It's so free and so lightful in life and It's aslo important time to us because we should and must know our dream at that time so we can choice and dream our life pefectly.High school life is really good in friedship and realtionship with the new environment .In college, it's alittle different and so much different .At that we can't dream and we must do our dream to be real thing.When I got my college of Nursing , I had many difficulty to stable in my place and college . I met many kinds of friends and strange things .A lot of assignmetns , praticals make me challeges to get my achievement .I became mature and learnt alot things from my college .But atually , I really happy andappreciate my course and school because it's my dream since my childhood .So I can say , I could figure out my dream .

I would tell myself to look for a school that has a strong ethnic/minority population and ask about the social climate for minorities. I would research diversity of faculty and initiatives to further diversify facultly, staff, and students. I would research new reseach initiatives in education and ethnic/racial issues too. I would tell myself that although money is important, the social and academic climate of the school is more important to your spiritual, mental, physical, and social health. Going to a college or university that doesn't have the social and academic offerings that you need isn't worth going to, no matter how much money they give you.

Be prepared to open yourself to possibilities. It is so easy to shy away from social situations and keep from expressing yourself, but in college, you make a lot of decisions about the type of person you will become. People should get to know the real you, so they can learn to love and accept you as you are. Also, sometimes the best thing to do after a long day is to turn on the radio and just dance.

If it was possible for me to go back in time and give myself advice about college, I believe that I would tell myself, "Things are going to get very rough. You are going to have to fight with everything that you have to make something out of yourself because things are about to get even worse than what they have been. I know it has never been easy, but you are about to be thrown into the adult life way before you even had the chance to be a kid. You are about to have to fight for your future because you are about to be put into a predicament where you have to make up your mind to either fight for what you believe in or have nothing at all.

Parents: if you have done a proper job raising your children to the age of 17 or 18, then they should be responsible enough to select their college. Trust them. Question them, push them, make them explore alternatives, but in the end when they come to you with a decision, trust them. Students: if you're as lucky as I was, you'll find a place that feels like home when you visit it. You will want not to go back home when you're done touring. If not, do your best to picture yourself living daily life at each school you visit. In the end, it's not whether you have five or six mind-blowing experiences, it's whether you have a good time almost every day of your four years. A lot of that depends on the people. I personally recommend seeing how many students know professors by first names and go to dinner or lunch with them regularly. You'll know, when the time comes, what the right decision is (make sure you tell your parents that, too).

Shop around. Go on lots of college tours and think about what you want to study. Parents: don't push your kids into one choice. It's their education, so let them make the choice. Students: don't pick a school were you can just party a lot. Think about what you want to do with your life after college and pick a school that will help you achieve your goals.