Northeastern University Top Questions

Before coming to college, I was a very sheltered girl. I had never been away from my family for more than three days at a time and had never had to take care of myself...alone. College has forced me to grow up. I can now take the train around the city by myself and do my own laundry and grocery shopping. If I had not left home a few months ago and came to college on my own, when I finally did try to leave the comfort zone that is my house in Peabody, Ma, it would be that much harder. I can now tell people that I am an adult; that I finally feel like an adult. College has made me more responsible, reasonable, intelligent, and self-sufficient.

If I was able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, the main advice I would give myself is to be outgoing and involved. In my first semester of college I have learned that the only way to feel like you are a part of your university is by being involved. It is crucial to get involved from the start and show enthusiasm because it helps you make friends and it helps you to have a good time at college. If you are involved, you meet more people that have similar interests to you. Also, joining organizations helps you take your mind off classes for the time being and really do something you enjoy and believe in. If you are the shy, reserved type of person, it may be harder to transition to college life, but by being outgoing and getting involved you enable yourself to become part of the college community, let your personality out, and develop a whole new family of friends and faculty.

If I was to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that I shouldn't slack off that much second semester. I know you are starting to develop "senioritis", but college education is even more important and difficult than high school. Don't get me wrong, college is just as everyone says, lots of fun, but people usually leave out the part about continuing with your studies. Instead of slacking off your last year in high school, why don't you join some activities or organizations. These would look good on your resume for later jobs or even college applications. Anything that can boost up your resume is great for the future and for your own personal experiences.

Take chances. Don't be afraid to go far away and/ or study abroad. Choise a college that you want to go to and not you parent want you to go to. Get as involved as possible. Don't be afraid to be yourself. Never live in a single, it's way too boring. Have fun, don't be in the library 24/7. Dream big, don't be afraid of wanting too much. Take advantage of all of the free oppoutunities, including the gym, counseling and tutoring centers, sports events.

I would tell myself to work harder in school and to look more into different colleges. I would tell myself to get better studying habits because a day missed without studying is like a whole week in college years. I would also tell myself to go to college knowing what you want to do. That way you won't find out later that you were meant for something else and waste four years.

After 25 years of life experiences teaching me what I know now there are a few things I would have told myself as a senior in high school. First would have been to say ?do not believe you know everything about life, you need to be mature enough now to accept ideas and knowledge from those older and wiser than yourself?. You might be tired of school, think earning money ?to play with? is fantastic and you don?t need any more schooling, but the opposite is true. You need to focus on the future rather than your immediate desires. Life and its responsibilities are difficult, but made easier with advanced education. As a teenager life is fun with new and exciting things to explore, ?the world is yours?, until reality sets in when the bills and responsibility grab hold of you. A college degree and taking the time to mature while going to a post secondary school is a major plus for your future. It gives time to learn who you are, what you want and what you believe in. The wild teenage hormones will try hard, but do not let the control you, keep your handle on them.

If I were able to go back into time and talk to myself as a high school senior, knowing what I know about college life and making the transition, I would advise myself to make sure the institute that I choose tries their best to packages me with a good financial aid before attending any classes. I am a Youth Leader for my local church which entails dealing with troubled youth in high risk areas. I have been working very hard trying to meet the needs of these youth, putting on programs that will instill real ethics, analytical thinking tools, and a passion for success, sometimes these programs cost, and many times I have to take care of the bill, but I care about their education and their overall future. I find it hard to believe that little ole me can strive for so much for others while College Institutes that have access to one thousand times the resources, i.e. money, lack in the effort to help those that have the aptitude and the goal to succeed.

Dear 17-year-old Maple, It's hard making friends in college. You'll be thrilled to make friends that you won't realize they don't make you happy. You'll make sacrifices to hang out with them because they'll always study together at the library after dinner. But you won't have anything to study for - you'll be an art student with projects, ones you can't do at the library. But you'll want to hang out with them. So you'll wait until everyone heads back to their dorms at midnight to start on your projects. The result? You won't spend enough time on your projects. You'll be tired. You won't get good grades. Slowly, you'll realize they don't make you happy. They never made you happy. But you'll make new friends. Ones who care about you and make you smile. So don't rush into things. Search for people who truly make you happy. Don't worry if you don't make friends right from the start. Maybe you just haven't found the people you're meant to find just yet. Love, 18-year-old Maple

When I was in high school I was convinced that if I was given only one chance to change my life, I would choose to escape the town I lived in; it's a place most people have never heard of, a place most people try to forget when they leave, like I did almost two years ago. The education I was given cast me away to college without the knowledge I needed when I got there, and so the transition was monumentally difficult. Dorm life was hectic and awkward; wild parties aren't my idea of a good time; classes with hundreds in attendance are surprisingly lonely. After learning these truths and the countless mistakes made along the way, if I could go back to tell myself one thing as a high school senior, it would be, "Seek not the dreams of the world around you, but the dreams within your soul, for these are with you wherever you go. They are with you in this place you'll come to recognize as a piece of the world that was broken off long ago by the fingers of heaven, destined to dwell within a realm of silence and light."

Lauren, "Will- attempt to effect.? ?Strength- inherent capacity to manifest energy.? ?Ability- a quality that facilitates achievement.? Your college experience will last 4 years. Within that time rests potential for you to achieve the best education and discover who you are. To do this you will need a will to attempt, strength to endure, and the ability to achieve goals. You possess these qualities! You've already been accepted to Northeastern, the #1 College in America for ?Job Placement Upon Graduation?. Your smart, a Dean?s List student your whole life. I know you're worried about studying Behavioral Neuroscience in a state far from home, but you can do it! Your going to need to buy food and books, as well as take out multiple loans to pay for your education. Start applying for multiple jobs now! At first you will be overwhelmed with your workload and not know how to time manage, but you will learn quickly and find friends who encourage your growth. When the leadership oppurtunity arrives up for you to be Chaplin, accept it. You have high moral character and have always possessed the ability to lead. Remember to be fearless, you can do anything!