George Washington University Top Questions

All throughout my academic career I have never felt the same excitement my classmates had about attending school. I just saw graduating high school as something that was expected of me and nothing else. My outlook on things did not change until I started my first year of college. As I sat in my classes and looked at everyone around me I noticed that everyone had a strong sense of purpose something which I had been lacking for so many years. I found myself surrounded with people that were so determined to make something of the many years we have spent studying and learning. To be able to use our knowledge and positively impact the world in which we live. From that point on I decided that I too wanted to make a difference no matter how big or small. The amount inspiration I received from my first year by observing my classmates is immeasurable. I can only hope that by trying to get through my studies no matter what the hardship that I might someday be able to inspire others.

Value for my life has been the experience I have gotten from my college thus far. During high school I found my dreams, but not the work ethic to make them become realistic. Proactiveness, seriousness, persistence were wasting away with each day closing in upon graduation of high school; and I still do not know what was missing for me to be more enthusiastic towards my goals. After attending my first semester at The George Washington University I realized my habits continued. I also realized I could not afford to return for second semester. My savings were not enough to cover the bill, and my parents were not able to cosign a loan. So I left campus thinking I could not return. During my winter break I called and wrote every person imaginable to plead for an extension of payment and/or more financial aid. After weeks of trying I got into contact with a Miss Hoch and Dean of Freshmen, Dean Siegel. It is with there care and patience that I am able to stay at GWU. From that frightening test of my dreams I gained value for my life as a student. I gained the will to work.

Entering college is earth-shaking. No matter how well you think you've prepared yourself, with your new comforters and school supplies and registering for classes, you'll never be completely ready. College life is so different from anything you've ever done before or anything you've ever read about or seen in the movies. Being thrust into college life will catch you off guard in more ways than one. All of a sudden you no longer have your parents down the hallway who have been there since day one, professors don't collect the assigned work and so responsibility to keep up falls on your own judgement, you're sorrounded by new people and not the high school friends who think and act like you, these are just a few among many more. Be prepared to feel unprepared.

When I was in high school I remember thinking to myself, "I cant wait to get out this place and go to college where I can do whatever I want!" And this is true. In college I dont have to do homeowork if i dont want to, I dont have to study, heck I don't even have to go to class if I dont want to. From the eyes of the eager and naive highschool student this is a blessing, when its nothing more than a disaster waiting to happen. I've come to realize that the value of my college education and overall experience comes from the effort I put forth, not by evading my education duties. So if I could go back in time and talk to myself as a highschool student I would tell myself the following, "Listen bud, I know from where you stand school is nothing more than a burden. But soon youll come to find that school is actually a key that you get to mold. If you give school its due time youll be able to shape that key so that it will open any door you want in the future."

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would give myself one word of advice: do. Do everything you can while in college. Join clubs that have interests similar to yours, and join a few that you never thought you could see yourself liking; you might be pleasantly surprised, and you may even find your true passion. Talk to your fellow classmates; they just might have some incredible stories to share. Take advantage of every guest speaker who comes to visit; that lecture just might change your whole world and set you on the path to your true calling. And if he or she ends up boring you to tears, what was really lost, besides an hour that probably would have been wasted anyway? I spent my first year of college not doing, and I missed out on a lot of incredible opportunities. I didn't join clubs, I didn't talk to people sitting next to me in class, and I didn't listen to every speaker. But once I finally started doing, it changed my whole college experience, and now I'm never going to stop doing.

There are two main things that I would advise myself to do in college if I could go back in time. The first, and most important thing would be that YOU CAN'T WING IT IN COLLEGE. I never needed to study for exams in high school, so I was under the impression that the same mindset would work in college. It does not. I would tell myself to actually learn how to study in high school so that I wouldn't have to experiement with study styles when I started college. The second thing I would tell myself would be that it is perfectly okay to take first semester of college to experiment and "find yourself." I came to college knowing that the person that I want to be has to develop during my first semester. Initially, I was reluctant to do anything out of my comfort zone; however, after some self motivation I began experiencing things and truly got to know myself, my interests, and the things that really tick me off! Therefore, I would instruct myself not to be as afraid to experiment, and just leap because the benefits are amazing!

I would say not to debate so much about what i wanted to do with the rest of my life. Although i continue to have thoughts about going to a different school, i still want my old self to konw that this school he picked is great. I would tell him to enjoy his life more and see the world for what it is and not for what he thinks it should be like. I know that everyone wants an ideal life but life throws many curve balls and therefore not everything turns out as originally planned. Regardless of anything, i would let him konw that he doesnt have to worry about everything so much and to calm down. Everything should be planned to some extent but not to the point where youre planning every single moment in your life. My ultimate advice would be take it slow and take each day for what it is and enjoy it as much as possible.

College is about discovery; discovering yourself, the academic world, another city if you so choose. The most important thing you can do when choosing a college is pick one that suits who you are, and who you think you want to be going forward. If you live in a rural area and you have always wanted to explore the city, college is the perfect time to do so. If you discovered and interest in Biology in High School, choose a college with a strong science program. The best thing you can do to determine which college is best for you is research, research, research. Go online, talk to graduate of your school that attend the school, and/or alumni of the school. Learn about application deadlines, financial aid, student life and the surrounding area. You want to know as much as you can about a school before you decide to attend. At the end of the day you won't be able to know how happy you will be at a school til you get there. That being said, if you know yourself and do your research, you will be able to attend the best possible school for you.

If I could go back in time, I would tell the high school senior version of myself to calm down and that the end of my high school career is really just the beginning of something better. At the risk of appearing conceited, I would say that my years in high school were quite successful. I got good grades, participated in many extracurricular activities, and had plenty of great friends. I had a good thing going and I was scared to go to college and let it all go. I see now, however, that going to college does not completely change one's life, but actually builds upon and improves lives. I can still get good grades, be active in all the same organizations, and talk too all my old friends from high school. The only difference is that now I have also made some new friends and discovered new kinds very fun and fascinating activities. The transition to college is nothing to be afraid of. It is not a dramatic adjustment to your life. Rather, It is a sensational continuation.

I would tell myself that I can relax, take a break, and stop worrying about the future. I spent the first half of my senior year worrying about getting into college; the second half was spent worrying about how I would do in college in the coming year. I wish that I had known how amazing GW would be and that I would meet a great group of people in DC to spend the most exciting (so far) year of my life with. Having the confidence of knowning that I would do very well during my first year of college would have made my senior year so much more enjoyable. If I could talk to myself during my senior year, I would reassure myself that the transition to college is nowhere near as terrible as it is made out to be.