Georgetown University Top Questions

My advice would be twofold: 1) treat school like a job and 2) pursue a topic you are passionate about. Following the second bit of advice makes following the first much easier.

If I could give my high school self advice for college, this is what I would say: Study what you are passionate about. Join clubs. Meet as many people as possible. Take classes that challenge you, not only ones that give easy As. Meet with your professors regularly. Get internships, it’s your way to a job after you graduate. Learn how to cite properly now. If you are going to gain the freshman 15, do so from eating the free ice cream in the cafeteria. Bring a memory foam to put on your dorm room bed. Speak up in discussion section, its good practice for the “real world.” Be a clean roommate. Date the nice boys, not the hot boys. Take more credits than necessary. Don’t post your entire life on Facebook. Join and create study groups. Learn what you have to read, and what you can skim. Start drinking coffee. Call your parents and grandparents regularly, they will appreciate it. Keep perspective and balance. Save money by sharing clothes with your girlfriends. Work hard. Sleep after you graduate.

I would tell myself that college will be the best time of your life and Georgetown is exactly everything you are looking for in a college, so don't stress about choosing a college! Then, I would tell myself that although college will be incredibly fun, exciting, and educational it will be very hard. It will be so hard leaving all your friends and family behind, moving to the otherside of the country, and adjusting not only to a new living environment, but to a new educational environment. Yet, don't worry because there will be so many people around to help and support you. You are not alone! Finally, I would tell myself to seize every moment afforded to you and to not have any regrets at the end of four years.

At first college life is really terrible. The orientation will seem like a cult-like brainwashing event, the arranged social gatherings become competitions to see how "cool" you are according to high school standards, and everyone will immediately form what will seem like unbreakable bonds with people they find any kind of common ground with. The upperclassmen will say how much they love college but you won't see it. This initial phase doesn't last. Eventually people stop panicking about having friends or creating that "college experience" and start acting like themselves. Get your feet on solid ground and resist the impulse to cling to certain people because you feel alone. Be a social butterfly, talk to everyone and don't write anyone off initially. Obviously you won't become best friends with everyone but you'll never meet your future best friends by only hanging out with people just because you come from the same state. Don't worry - in due time college will become amazing and you'll be the Senior, scaring the Freshman with your enthusiasm and being sad because you have to leave.

The truth is, nothing can truly prepare us for the harsh and often cruel future. I could happily and carelessly hop into a time machine, accidentally teleport myself to when I was a senior in High School instead of my desired location in the Victorian Era; and take an evening to speak to my immature, needlessly troubled and carefree self. I would tell myself to learn to enjoy the little things during my last High School year, to cherish and treasure my beloved friends, to keep in touch with them no matter what, to spend more time with my family, for I would not be able to continue living in my cozy, tiny and warm house with them. I would remind myself that good things come to those who wait, to not stress so much over insignificant things, to remember that practice makes perfect and that the biggest mistake I could make was simply not allow myself to make mistakes! I would tell myself how strong I am, advice myself to smile more often, be more confident, take each class in college with a better attitude and always remain hardworking, determined and positive.

Focus and don't worry so much about fitting in and experiencing the social life. In the grand scheme of things, true friends will hang around regardless of whether you go partying every weekend.

Well, in High School I feel like I did the best that I can possibly do. I have always enjoyed attending school so I have always pushed myself to my full potential. If I were to go back in time to talk to myself, I would not change a thing. In High School I would always change my schedule and tell my counselor to put me in AP an Honor classes. Since I took AP courses, college seems fairly easy. The work I get in college is about the same amount of work that I use to get in High School. I felt like the transition was a piece of cake. The only main difference is that my friends are not with me every second of the day. I feel more focused in college and I appreciate the fact that I did not slack off in High School. My senior year was fun and I do not regret anyting about it. College life now is different but it's not someting that will push me back from my ultimate career goals. I actually feel more prepaired for any obstacle that comes my way.

My whole life has been filled with working towards getting into a good college so that I could find a good job and support my family. This is common to most people and is often considered part of the American dream. However, now that I am at a different stage of my life, enrolled in an amazing university, and I am reflecting on my life so far, I realize that besides all the hard work I put in, I was so focused on the future, that I was not able to enjoy the present as much as I could have when I was younger. This makes me sound old and it also makes me sound as though I wish I had goofed off more, but this is not the case. I mean to say that I wish I had stopped to smell the roses more often and enjoy the simple pleasures of being a child because they quickly slip away and sooner than expected the only focus in life is when the next student loan payment is due. I definitely would have told myself to focus more on my studies, read more, etc, but more importantly to enjoy life.

If I could go back, and speak to myself as a high school senior, I would stress to myself that life has more meaning to it that studying and exams. In high school, I neglected many socializing opportunities because of the competitive race to enter college. I would tell myself to take a step back from it all, and to really take in my experience as a high school senior. I have friends who really enjoyed themselves during senior year, and I wish I could say the same thing. I think that although "senioritis" is becoming a serious problem nationwide, academics should not be the only focus of high school. I found this in myself after beginning my freshman year at a Jesuit University. At Georgetown, I learned about "Cura Personalis" or "care of the whole person". There is more that makes a teenager than good grades. There are friends, family, and self. All of these aspects of life have to be balanced in order to live a fulfilling life, and I regret that it took me this long to begin understanding this. If I had understood this as a senior, I think I would have enjoyed high school more.

Find your comfort zone, and then leave it. In college you will encounter artists, mathematicians, philosophers, future presidents, and other scholars. You will meet and befriend students and professors representing different countries throughout the world community. You will collaborate with Republicans and Democrats, LGBT students, shy and outgoing individuals. As you will come across a broad range of fields, interests, and individuals for the next four years of your life, you should always remember to be open-minded. Every individual has a story and lessons to share, and you should be willing to listen, observe, and absorb. You will feel uncomfortable at times, but discomfort is part of the learning process and molds you into a critical thinker. Through exploring myriad perspectives and through even challenging your own ideas, you will learn how to juxtapose and integrate ideas from different fields into one cohesive understanding. For example, your future self has written essays on the upward social mobility of rappers Nicki Minaj and Tupac Shakur for a Sociology class. She has contacted and interviewed students from Asia for a presentation. Through escaping the threshold of your comfort zone, you will excel in school and, simultaneously, find enjoyment in your work.