Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus Top Questions

I have gotten so much self awareness. I have learned who I am and who I want to be. Everyday I go to class and I learn something I did not know before. I have gotten a sense of accomplishment and self worth that no one will ever be able to take away from me again. I look forward to waking up in the morning and going to class. I have gained so much motivation that I have never had before. And I have gained so much support from my loved ones and they are all so proud of me for making the decision to finally go to college and do something with my life.

The most excited and new experience in college that I have learned so far was to live independently in a dorm and take care of everything by myself. I now came to realize that when I am living closed to my family, I feel so warm and comfortable and whatever food I like, my mother usually make it for me, whatever I need, she tries to get it for me, but right now everything need to be on my own. I need to prepare everything for myself. However, I did enjoy and learn so much from this experience because it helped me became more organized, manageable and responsible with my own situation. It also helped me realized that my parents are not going to support or stay with me for the rest of my life, so I have to start preparing myself for my goals as well as my future. Lastly, I hope that I will learn more about my own interest of study and explore new experience and skills that I will desire for my future dream.

In the few months that I've been at my college I've gained many experiences. I was forced to become so much more independent and learn everything on my own. I no longer have my parents to guide me and make my decisions for me so it has been very tough learning to make the right choices all by yourself. I am very glad that I have gained these qualities though because it has made me mature as a young women and learn to follow and abide by my own morals and values and not allow other to negatively influence me. It has been so valuable to attend Penn State because I have learned what it takes to survive in the real world and it has made me become an adult that my parents can be proud of. I have learned to corporate with others and think of others before myself. I believe the value of a college experience is very important and should be experienced by anyone who can. If you take the college experience as one to learn and grow from and not one to take advantage of your freedom, you will truly become a better person.

A college education is the best resource you can have when entering a specialized career. College teaches students how to learn within a more specified area. In grade school you are taught how to learn generally and you use a very similar style no matter what the subject is, whether it be math, history, or science. College is about learning how to learn something in a specific field, and how to utilize this knowledge to accomplish your task. As a computer science student, I have taken a course called Programming Language Concepts. Many of the assignments for the course were assigned in different programming languages. But the point of the class was not to make sure that you new exactly how to write a program in Scheme, but to make sure that you understood functional programming as opposed to imperitive programming. Having this exposure will be valuable later if you ever need to learn how to use a functional programming language for a job.

Although the obvious answer is a college degree that opens more career options, there is so much more to attending college. You learn socialization skills with having to move into a dorm with roommates or even an apartment. Most students are not used to sharing space or even bathrooms. You learn budgeting skills. I had to rent an apartment on my own my senior year and worked two jobs while still attending full time. That year, I had also learned time management! You learn who you are and not just what you want to be when you are able to explore your options without judgement and a parent always over your shoulder. You learn by your mistakes and grow from an overwhelmed adolescent to a confident young adult. College leads you down paths that you may never would have discovered without attending. Besides the vaulable education that can not be matched, you also recieve valuable life lessons while still under that protective umbrella of adults. It truely is the opportunity to learn and make mistakes that, for the majority, can be fixed while under the guidance of experienced adults. College is an opportunity everyone should experience.

i will love o do something for my self because i want this more then any one i want it i need it!!

I have found my calling in life thanks to my college experience. I have met people from all walks of life and have grown to be a better person because of it. I have learned compassion, drive, focus, self-discipline and perseverance. I've had some of the most stressful times and some of the most fun times of life at college. I have received an excellent education and have developed a desire to be a life-long learner due to my college experience. I have met some of my best friends and confidantes here, at a campus of over 43,000 undergraduate students. With a school so large, I also developed better social and communicative skills. I have learned to be independent and strong. College has been the perfect transition for me to prepare me to step into "the real world", and although I would stay in college forever if I had my way, I know that it has given be the tools I need to be successful (in all senses of the world) in my "real world" life.

I am in my 2nd year at Penn State. What I have gotten out of my college experience to this point is learning about diversity and independence. Until arriving at Penn State, I was not exposed to the diversity of people that exist and have enjoyed meeting new people, learning about their cultures and lifestyles and developing friendships. I have also learned to become a responsible, independent person. I have leaned to budget and manage money and also about making responsible choices. Aside from the educational knowledge I am gaining, it has been valuable attending Penn State in that Penn State is helping me grow and mature and gain life experiences I would not have been exposed to had I remained in my small rural town.

I have experienced different situations that taught me time management. I've learned better studying skills as well as became more resposible. College life has taught me to focus more on me and my goals in life. With the past two years being able to finish high school and community college at the same time has showed me to aprreciated God and the things that He has blessed me with. So many people have said that they have never heard of an 18 year old with an AA degree but I achieved my goal and I am still doing such and striving for the best and I think its because my experiencing in college these past two years that brought me to this conclusion.

It's often said that you enter college as one person, and exit a completely different one. And though most of my morals and values have remained in tact, I would have to agree with this statement. When I entered Penn State in the fall of 2008, I was convinced that I had to do something huge to change the world. I wanted to impact peoples' lives by doing something that I deemed significant, like being a doctor or a lawyer. But after two years, I've realized that I don't need to have a so-called "important" degree to change lives. Now, I'm a writing major. I write things: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, anything, and I've realized that I can still change lives. I can still have a major impact on the world by affecting people with my words. This lesson came to me from a string of outstandingly helpful professors, to whom I owe my intelligence, and whom I thank for their excellent guidance. Penn State opened my eyes to ideas that I never had previously considered. I now greatly value the person I've become and look forward to really developing as a responsible adult.