Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Top Questions

Actualmente, soy un estudiante universitario. Me interesa continuar mis estudios post-secundarios en otra institucion que ofrece el programa que me interesa. En el tiempo en que me encontraba en la escuela superior, estaba en medio de un periodo de toma de decisiones y falta de orientacion. Por consejos de amigos y familiares, comence estudios en ingenieria, ya que era lo mas parecido a mis intereses, pero en el transcurso del tiempo y a traves del avance de mis cursos de concentracion, me di cuenta que esa no era mi verdadera meta academica, que mis intereses giraban en torno a la arquitectura y no en la ingenieria. Si tuviera la oportunidad de regresar en el tiempo y encontrarme conmigo mismo, me presentaria ambas alternativas y me presentaria sus ventajas y desventajas en cuanto a mis intereses y habilidades academicas. A su vez tambien, me orientaria a mi mismo acerca de las ayudas economicas que se pueden solicitar, para no perder dinero ni tiempo, los cuales hoy dia son muy valiosos a la hora de hablar de una carrera universitaria, ya que las ayudas federales estudiantiles tienen tiempo limite.

Rappelling into crevasses, skiing the Tetons, sailing across the Pacific...welcome to my college career. When I was in high school, I never would have imagined that my transcript would read more like an adventure novel than a 4-year schedule. When I applied to college I was looking for traditional, 4-year private establishments. This irresistable draw is foreign to me now, but at the time I spent nights becoming infatuated with the IVs, "student attractiveness," and promise of success post graduation. After spending $100s on application fees, I gave up. That fall I attended Prescott College. Upon completing my freshman year, I was unimpressed with my performance and lack of passion. I knew that I didn't want to dropout, but instead needed a different academic environment. I enrolled in SEA and sailed across the Pacific; then, I took a semester off to pursue my recreational passions and become financially independent. In high school, had I known that I could cater my education to me, I would have been more proactive! Education is more than a diploma, its a process. Don't follow the book, follow your bliss and you will always be driven in the right direction.

In high school, I yearned for the freedom of the college life. I dreamed of socializing with friend, partying during the weekend, and making the grades during the weekdays. Although I still occasionally yearn for that life, I would tell my high school self to have a balanced life. There are so many opportunities and activities that you will want to do it all. At the same time, financial obligations will require you to work, and school work will take up a huge chunk of time. For the first two years in college, I tried to do everything I wanted while trying to keep up with work and school. I struggled heavily. While focusing on grades, I would rarely sleep and have no fun, but trying to have too fun caused me to struggle at work and school. Finally, I learned to prioritize activities, school, and work based on specific, measurable, time sensitive, and most of all achievable goals. You might not to be able to do everything, but having a balanced life centered around a goal will help you to have a much more productive and healthy college life. It is a marathon. Try to keep up!

As a high school senior i relied on the skills learned in vocational classes to get me by in the work force outside of school. Being much older and wiser, I would have told myself to stick it out. College is an opportunity to grow and the transition is an experience where there are many of people that want to see you succeed and are willing to help through all the many programs available. Campus life is booming with excitement and an array of cultural interest. Stick it out and be successful in life. if you can't afford it, there are ways to get through it. For every door closed, another opens. Enjoy it.

After going through my first year in college, there are numerous things I would do differently during my senior year. For instance, I would tell myself to study much harder for my AP exams and not slack off. Doing well on those exams is crucial, not only to get college classes out of the way but the more hours one comes into college with the more priority they are given in being able to sign up for classes and being assigned on campus housing. Another thing I would tell myself is do more research on majors offered at the college you plan on attending. It would be difficult to just pick a major out of the blue, so being well informed on majors and the career paths they help endure is a must. The last piece of advice that I would give to myself when I was a senior is to bring alot of food for your dorm room. When you have a social gathering in your room, your friends take it upon themselves to dig into your food, so I would tell myself to make sure you have enough food for your friends as well as yourself.

Take the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment. With this knowledge you will be able to align yourself on your career path earlier. There are job opportunities and industries out there that you have not even thought about. Research the professional service and business strategy consulting industry. Do not let anyone affect your confidence.

So you didn't make it to your dream college. Try not to dwell on the what ifs of the past and focus on what is and what can and will be. I guarantee that college is what you make of it and it's going to be one of the most exciting times of your life. Enjoy all the little steps like buying furniture for your dormitory to participating in freshmen activities to even the late night study sessions in the library. For some reason, time begins to fly by incredibly fast once you hit college so you'll have to remind yourself not to take any moment for granted (fair warning: you will during those late nights!). You'll feel young and alive and every moment will be worth cherishing. But I do plea that you remember that your studies are more important than ever. Don't be afraid to ask for help from your professors, peers, or even "scary" upperclassmen (they actually LOVE giving advice). The resources are there for you--all you have to do is use them. And, above all, college is about learning, so even if at first you don't succeed, try again.

Overall, there are many things that I wish I could tell my high school senior self. First, I would tell myself lessen the pressure to decide what I want to do with my life right away. I spent so much time stressing about the uncertainty when, in reality, not many people know what they want to do careerwise on day one of freshman year. Even if they do, many people change their minds multiple times. Second, I would tell myself that just because you are best friends does not mean you will be compatible roommates. Although I narrowly escaped this situation, I watched many people ruin good friendships during their first year simply because the stress of living together was too much. Third, and most importantly, I would tell myself to be unafraid of change. There are so many new experiences both good and bad in college. I've experienced so many things that my high school self would have tried to shy away from. In fact, my high school self did shy away from many of these changes initially. I would advise myself to embrace the change boldly instead and grow into a stronger person for it.

If I could go back in time to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself SO many things! First and foremost everyone knows college isn't easy. Now coming from one of the most difficult and competitive majors in the world (Fashion Design), doesn't help. I would tell myself, to study, review, try to get a part-time job that pays way better than Retail (Retail Sucks!) because college expenses and studies are ridiculous! and can get out of hand. I can get lazy sometimes and do not like to read or study and that's a big downfall, but I've picken myself up because obviously that will reflect on your grades. I am more of a hands on person coming from a Design background but that doesn't mean you should be lazy! College is NOT highschool, its a complete 360 change/transition or at least for me it was definitely was. Everything is so much more strict and different from highschool, I mean come on this is what we're going to college for! To study what we want to pursue as careers! Sometimes I wish I could really tell myself these things.

I would tell myself that I need to learn how to study. In high school I skated by without ever having to study, but when I got to college it was exponentially harder. I had to learn how to study my whole first semester, and because of this my grades suffered that first semester. Also I would tell myself to relax more around my peers and enjoy the time I had left with my high school friends, because while I have made a lot of friends in college I rarely get to see my old high school buddies except during breaks.