Duquesne University Top Questions

What I have gotten out of my college experience is a great education. There are some great professors with real marketplace experience teaching you on current topics and keeping up with today's technology and real world advancements. I felt very prepared in my first job from experiences gained from my classes.

Attending college at Duquesne University has allowed me to really discover what I want to do as a dream job. I came in with the idea of jobs that I knew I would not want to do, but through the campus experience of meeting people inside and outside of the classroom I developed a sense of purpose that ironically fits the Duquesne Motto: It is the Spirit Who Gives. I have never really had a profound urge to join a campus church group or even talk about religion in groups, but I think that by going to Duquesne I have discovered a spiritual facet of myself that could not have been discovered if I went another college. Duquesne's community emphasizes its mission statement from the minute you arrive on campus, and the more you hear it , the more you start to apply it to your own life. I think most people who invest the time, money, and effort in the past, present, and future come to the same realization of their spiritual character that I have come to acknowledge by attending Duquesne.

I would tell myself not to be with concerned about how much other percieve me and only how I percieve myself. I"m in college to get an education and to better myself, not to impress others.

The advice I would give to myself would be to trust in the decisions you make. In the time of choosing the right school and also making the transition from high school student to college student, many questions are asked. I would say to myself, "Have faith in yourself." At those moments, decisions seem life changing. They are really life learning. So much pressure and lost hours of sleep are put into making decisions. After experiencing the first semester of being in college, I wish and most other freshman would agree, that no matter what you choose to do or what school you get in to, the decisions you made were good ones. If they were not, learn from them. If I were to go back in time and talk to myself and other seniors it would be the same message, enjoy your last year in high school and do not worry so much about the decisions you make for your future years. They are all life lessons learned. Don't make decisions in haste or take them too lightly. Remember most of all, your parents really do know what they are talking about and have learned many life lessons.

Dear2008 Self, I just wanted to write to you from the future about how your life is going to change in a few months. You will soon be entering the hardest, scariest, most exciting, most fun years of your life; your going to college! Now, since I know exactly how you are, I want to give you advice so this scary, hard place isn?t really that bad at all. First of all, be yourself. On those first days of orientation when you?re scared and don?t know anybody just smile and introduce yourself. If you stay true to who you are you will make some of the best friends you?ve ever had. Also, get involved. There are so many adventures and experiences out there waiting for you that you may never get the chance to experience again. Seize the day and enjoy every moment of it. Now the hard stuff, you need to manage your time! Do not procrastinate. Take time after each class and look over your notes. Trust me, it pays off amazingly! Lastly, choose a career that makes you happy. If you are happy and positive life is so much better. Good Luck!

If I were able to go back and prep myself for college, I would definitely press one single point: do not be afraid to be quirky! My friends know, after getting to know me, that I am slightly crazy. I enjoy making situations comically awkward, love to make others laugh, have strange fascinations (with, oh I don't know, jellyfish, dinosaurs, ghosts, and anything scientific) and am fearless- I do not care if people judge me for the crazy things I do. I wish I would have known not to hold myself back in the beginning of the year. I was rather tentative with my actions, and I feel like that greatly took away from my personality. Eventually, I learned that my friends all have their own eccentric ways. If I were to come straight to college completely open and unafraid, I feel like I would not only felt more comfortable the first week, but also made more friends right off the bat. Showing your true colors from day one is something freshmen college students should fear, but embrace. I wish I could have the chance to tell myself this.

I would give myself the advise to incorporate myself into many more high level classes. My high school poorly prepared me for the atmosphere present at a University. College professors are much less interested in minor details such as hall passes, using the water fountain, what you are wearing, or whether or not you are eating in their presence. These professors are more interested in providingtheir students with important information; whether or not a student chooses to learn is their choice. Although I have always considered myself a proficient student in high school, college classes caught me off gaurd with higher intellectual expectations. Although I did expect college classes to me much tougher than high school classes, the amount of time my high school adminstration spent on formulating new dress codes, behavioral rules, and conduct rules, disracted me from more intellectually stimulating courses. Knowing how different college is from high school, I would advise myself to better prepare for a college enviorment, rather than forming familar routines with the high school enviorment.

First, I would like to bring to your attention the fact that some of your questions (specifically those with the 1 to 10 bar) came without an N/A option. Therefore, I was forced to give an opinion on some things, which are irrellavent to me and I could not answer with truth. Secondly, to myself, I would say good job.

If I were to go back into time, I would tell myself not to worry about the transition into college. As a high school senior I was worried about not being able to make friends because I hadn't made new friends in at least five years. I now know that everyone comes to school ready to make new friends. It's an easier transition than I could have ever imagined. I would also tell myself to not worry about the workload. The workload is not nearly as much as I expected when I was a high school senior. I was worried then that I would not be able to handle it because I had never really studied for any test in my life. But when you are thrown into the college situation you learn how to study. Studying is a major part of college and it is something that comes naturally, at least to me. College life definitely changes who you are as a person, but in a good way. There is no reason to worry about the transition because change is a part of life and growing and adapting comes easily.

College is about two things: learning from books, and learning from life. It is about taking as many interesting classes and meeting as many people as possible. It is about studying to gain knowledge, not studying for a grade. Shadow people. Learn what they do. Find what you love. Explore possiblities. Take a music or art class every semester, don't just focus on math and science. It is so important to have a broad education, to be well read, and to be well spoken. Do a semester abroad where other Americans do not usually go. Learn about other people and their cultures. Learn who you are. Learn what makes you happy in life. Learn to be happy with yourself, by yourself. Learn to love yourself. If you learn to accept and love yourself, you will be non-judgemental and accepting of others, no matter how different they are. If you can learn to be happy and content in your own skin, you will not only lead a life fulfilled, but can make another person smile.