DePauw University Top Questions

I was born and raised in Mozambique a third world country in the south east coast of Africa where I attended school from primary through high school. When an American family came to Africa and met me, they offered me an opportunity to come to the country in order to go to college and earn a better education. My first year of experience in college was not pleasant because I sufferd a major culture shock in how life in college and new teaching methods were. However, I was oppened to my instructors and colleague in sharing the difficulties I was going through. Therefore, I overcomed the mejor issues such as language barriers and missinterpretation of information due to the luck of strong language proficiency. After my first semester, however, a major change took place in my life as a person and as a college student. My communication skills got better as well as my grades due to the immediate help I sought from instructors and from other students. Therefore, with the progress I made from improving my interaction with students and professors my grades improved as well and I can surely see that attending college has been valuable to me.

Now that my first semester is over, I have had a lot of time to reflect on my experience so far at DePauw, and I have realized that I could not have chosen a better school to attend. DePauw has changed me, and the knowledge that I have gained has made me a stronger person. The passion that my professors have displayed for the subjects they teach has inspired me to work hard so I can find something that I am just as passionate about one day. And although the workload is immense and challenging, I feel as though I have more of an appreciation for what I have learned, and I have come to understand more about myself in the process. I have learned how to organize, balance time, and work hard, and have found the importance in reaching out and getting to know others. But most importantly, I have learned how to live on my own, how to handle stressful situations, and how to rise above despite the difficulties I may encounter. There is no doubt that DePauw has helped me become a better person, and I am excited for what next semester will bring.

This course has shed light on and assisted me to enumerate problem solving skills that I already possessed. Through the exercises presented in this course, I have practiced and sharpened my ability to use my critical thinking acumen, and that I will carry with me throughout my academic career.

I got a very liberal education. One that I was able to gain insight on topics that I would not normally have been open to. I opened my eyes to a lot of different opportunities as I traveled and studyied abroad. I learned more about people and communicating. I learned a lot from my experience as I was able to become close to a lot of people and professors in this small school.

I feel as though I lucked out with DePauw University because the transition to college life was easier than I thought. I am from Hawaii and Indiana is thousands of miles and an ocean away. I wanted to go this far out to experience as dramatic a change from home as possible. I thought I would be homesick, crying, and ultimately culture shocked. There is a culture shock but, everyone was so friendly from the beginning. I would tell myself to relax because everyone experienced being new to college and everyone in my class would be in the same boat, adjusting to a new more independent life. Another important thing, would be to pack smart because the airlines charge for checked baggage. Check when you can buy at a store closer to the college, so money is not wasted on extra baggage. Good luck and enjoy the next four years because they are going to fly by fast, my first semester sure did. You will meet so many new people from so many places, it is a great time in your life.

Try to keep in mind the distance. Though the idea of going off and being this first-generation college student might be thrilling at first, picking a school so far away from home is not the best choice when your family is so tight. The cost fo getting back home for holidays and breaks might be more than your family can bear, and holidays are lonely when you can't be around your favorite people. You should also try and put yourself out of your comfort zone in terms of socializing. I can be hard for an introvert to make friends but when you aren't next to your family, those social connections and friendships can be the difference between passing and failing. With that being said, consider the diversity of the school. Make sure the campus population reflects the kind of people you want to be around and who you can rely on for support. Lastly, try not to stretch yourself too far. Wnating to conquer the world is understandable when you get to college, but sometimes it's best to just concentrate on a few things and do them to the best of your ability. Have faith.

?Be open-minded. ?Visit professors during office hours. Professors love when students come to talk and ask questions because it makes them think you are very interested and passionate about your work in their class. ?Time management: Avoid taking on more than you can handle. Make sure you have time for the things you need do before you make time for the things you want to do. ??Freshman 15?- True or Myth? : Expect to gain an extra 15 pounds or better if you do not work out, pull all nighters every night, and eat too much unhealthy food. To avoid the infamous ?Freshman 15? make sure you go to bed at a reasonable hour, work out a little, and make better food choices. ?Do not buy books full price!!!! Avoid the school book store. I spent almost $1000 on books my freshman year. Purchase used books online for cheap. Borrow books from the library for free. ?Talk to upper class man about potential professors before you enter a course. They can tell you first hand what a specific professor is like in class. ?Got to the Academic Resource center for extra help. ?Be confident and stay true to yourself.

Hey younger Joseph! I know you're excited about not having to pay tuition in college, and even more excited to leave. However, there are some catches out there. You may have been able to stay out of debt thus far, but you haven't even touched a credit card, and not ever have to file your own taxes. There is some things out there that nobody gave you a workshop about. I just wish there was an easy place to point you to, but from my experience you have to glue bits and pieces of advice and hope that the information given is correct. Otherwise you'll be where I am. Stuck in the midwest, with a little bit of a money problem. Not to crush your hopes, but you need to be prepared to handle you're own money. We don't have old money to support us, or new money to dig us out. The only thing we got is the head on your shoulders, and hopefully that will make up for it. So keep track of your spendings and make sure you make more than that amount.

I f I could go back in time, not much but the advice I would give myself would change. At the beginning of my freshmen year here at DePauw University, I had a horrible experience. I tried everything to get along with my roommate, but we just couldn't get along. After deciding to go through with switching rooms, I went through the long process of finding a roommate who was a "right" fit for me. It is hard when people routinely say they do not want a roommate. Doors are slammed in your face left and right. After looking for a new roommate for about a month while dealing with my old roommate and her friends, I found a new roommate who is now my best friend. During not only the transition to college, but while dealing with my roommate issues, I couldn't muster the strength to get through the days in my own room. I hid out in other buildings and did not focus on my studies. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to be prepared for the worst and keep my head in the books no matter what were to come.

The best advice I would give to high school seniors is to explore any and every topic that interests you. Do not feel limited to pick one career track and rule out all others before you get to college, because new jobs and opportunities are developing all the time. The job you end up taking after college might not have existed when you started! The most important skill to develop in college is to make yourself marketable. Demonstrate that you can apply yourself to any situation and your potential jobs will be endless. So don't worry about what career path you are taking when you're deciding what classes to take. Simply spend your time on classes and activities that interest you and the opportunities will come out of your genuine enthusiasm and excitement for the subject.