Drexel University Top Questions

I would tell my senior self that I should focus on school when I get to college but to make time for friends. You have to have a healthy balance of social life and school work.

I would tell myself to do a lot more research because the college you choose can turn out to have a massive impact on your future. There are many things to take into consideration but it must be taken seriously. Also, don't be afraid to look around at a lot of different colleges before settling on one. Finally, look at rankings in the major that you plan on studying so that you are getting the best education that you can possibly get.

Study harder

Going back in time, I would advise myself to first thoroughly explore the different career paths and corresponding majors needed to pursue them. According to Boderzine, 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of college students change their majors 3 times which can be a waste of time and money. I believe students are not well informed before entering college as to what career/major they should choose. Deciphering this early on benefits students, for they have more direction towards what college will best suit their intended goal. In addition, I would encourage myself to go on as many college visits/tours and take time to speak with students already in the college, for they provide the most honest details and tips that are often neglected by the tour guide. Lastly, I would strongly suggest fully becoming aware of all the resources the college provides, and take an initiative towards utilizing them. These resources include advisors, career development centers, co-op programs, extracurricular activities, workshops, and more, which ultimately help students mold themselves for the real world and become excellent candidates for jobs/graduate programs. Therefore, college provides students with numerous opportunities; however it is up to the students to make the most of it.

Get in the habit to study almost every day, at least during weekdays. It's super helpful to not be forced to do all of the studying and writing Sunday night and into Monday morning. Keep yourself busy with clubs and a job so that you aren't so used to waste time every day. This way you also get used to having an actual schedule balancing your social and acedemic lives, which will become super important in college.

In high school I was very aloof and followed the direction of others rather than going on my own path educationally. I feel like I wasted 4 years of education since I didn’t leave college with a career path. I graduated with a degree in biology but with no clear idea of what I wanted to do with my degree. After working for a bit, I realized that I was meant for a career in nursing. With all that I learned in both college and after college my biggest piece of advice to my high school self would be to shadow different careers in college and to not pick a specific major until you know what you want to do. I think I would have found my career path and goals during my undergraduate education if I hadn’t narrowed in on a major right away. In addition to advising myself to shadow different careers, I would also tell myself to be open minded to everything. You never know what will interest you and you don’t want to not try it because you’re close minded.

You should apply early to all your colleges, and visit each college before applying to get a feel and taste of the academic and social environment. You know, you will be living there for the next four years of your life, so it's very important that you are satisfied with the college you are enrolling in. Make sure that the college specializes in your intended major and that they have an ideal program that will help you land a job once you graduate, since that's the ultimate goal. There's a lot of things that goes into transitioning from high school to college, from leaving your home and family to what new laptop you need to buy. Making a list and following it is your best bet for moving in and adjusting successfully. Join clubs, make new friends, go to fun events hosted by the college or even outside. College work may seem like a lot especially for an engineer, but if you study hard you will be very successful. Balancing your studies and social life is key to having a great college career.

The most important thing I would tell myself if I could talk to myself as a high school senior is to study. In high school I never studied for any tests whatsoever and was 3rd in my class. I took many AP Exams which I never studied for. If I had studied I could have been a higher ranking and scored the required score for Drexel to count it as college credit. That would have made my Freshman and Sophomore Years much easier at Drexel if I had just studied back in high school.

Overall I am happy with the way I made the college transition for the most part but a few things could have been done different. Fisrt, I would save even more money for college then I did becuase books and just living are expensive. Also, I would tell myself as a high school senior to join more student groups and intramural sports, to meet more people.

The advice that I would give myself as a high school senior would be to not slack off freshman year. I was under the mentality that college was going to be like high school and that it would be easy for the most part. I quickly learned that I needed to step my game up. I would have told myself to work harder freshman year, because how you do freshman year is what really sets the pace for the rest of the time until graduation. Also, I would emphasize to myself that organization is key and that writing everything down actually does help. I have learned that doing the little things count just as much as the big things in college and life.