Rhode Island College Top Questions

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to go with my instinct and follow my heart. One of the main reasons I wanted to apply to Rhode Island College was because of their strong elementary education program. I did my senior project on effective teaching methods, and all my life I've worked with children; when I was accepted into Rhode Island College I questioned myself, and did not enroll in elementary education preparation classes. I decided to take the general education courses only, then decided my major my second year. I lost motivation and drive when I took classes that weren't related to education, I did poorly in those classes which greatly effected my grade point average. Once I enrolled in education classes my love for school came back and all of my grades improved! To avoid all of the struggles I faced during my first two years of college I would advise myself to focus on my goal, and enroll in education classes as well as completing my general education classes.

If you're going to commute, make sure to leave enough time to find a parking spot. Freshman should also know that there are plenty of places to be besides your car. During the summer before I started my first semester, I walked around the campus to apply for work study jobs and to learn the area. I think that's a a good idea to do to become familiar and comfortable with the campus while there's not too many people around and before the first weeks of school start and the campus is packed.

Because I have adapted well to the college life and transitions, I would not recommend any changes.

Dear Self, Go to class! Stop missing days and being tardy. You are capable of straight A's but you need to apply yourself. Stay at home with dad for a few more years because being on your own is difficult. Pay attention in AP bio you're going to need it later. Study anatomy and physiology alot more. Participate in sports and clubs. And most important; YOU DO NOT KNOW EVERYTHING so stop acting like it, its obnoixious Love, Me.

I would tell myself to make sure and focus on filling out all the scholarship applications I could. I also would make sure and tell my past self to make smart decisions and to think about what you want in life and not just about what you want right now. Focus on the future, it is coming fast and you need to be ready for it. Another thing is that I would make sure I told myself to take more time outside of class to do work. College is way more about doing work on your own. I would also say to become more independent, it is important to not rely on others for things and to be self-reliant. Overall I think I did a good job, but there are many things I would tell myself to do differently.

I would tell myself to take more classes in the social sciences and art history as I discovered over the years that these are the subjects most important to me. I would tell myself to only remain at community college for 1 year and not 2 1/2 like I did. I would tell myself to skip Johnson and Wales because I learned that I do not enjoy business or corporate America. If I can go back I'd also advise myself to volunteer more and get involved in after school activities. I would of started at a 4 year institution than a 2 year because I know now what I want in as opposed to when I was a senior in highschool. I would tell myself that its okay that'll it'll take myself 3 years to finally decide what it is that I want, but if I knew then what I know now I would definitely tell myself that my passion is in the social and political sciences, to help people and make a change.

My college experience has helped me to start navigating my way along the rocky path of adulthood. When I first came to college, I suddenly realized that I now had to be entirely self-motivated. My parents were no longer around to wake me up in the morning, tell me to do my homework, or remind me to eat breakfast. For the most part, the decisions I made were entirely up to me - a thought that was both frightening and empowering. Now in my second year at college, I am learning even more life skills, such as establishing credit, balancing a checkbook, and searching for my first car. I am even looking for an apartment for next semester and am in the process of figuring out what my monthly budget will be in order to be able to make rent. My college experience has without a doubt been a positive one thus far, and I fully believe that once I graduate, I will be a successful adult able to negotiate the ups and downs of life.

I haven't been in college for long. I'm just finishing up my first semester, but as I do so, I am quite proud of myself. In college I thought I would be a mediocre, if not terrible student. I always was in school. It's not that I am stupid. Because I am pretty smart, but I just didn't have the energy or the motivation to do the work in school. But college has changed that. I have become dedicated to my work, and I realized that I acutally like learning. I like going to class and writing papers. I even liked my teachers this semester. After mid-terms, this semester, I got an email saying that I might be on the Dean's List this semester because of my GPA. This encouraged me to continue working hard, and to do my best. College has been a more than satisfying experience, better than I could ever imagine. All because I am doing well. I now know that I have it in me to a great student.

So far, I feel as though I have gained important life skills like: how to drill a hole in my ID card so I don't lose it, that sleeping with a pillow over your head might keep you from hearing your alarm, and that you can make it to class even if you wake up fifteen minutes before it starts. In all seriousness, though, I think attending college is helping me become more independent. I now need to rely on myself to wake up, eat properly, excercise, ask friends for rides, look in a syllabus to find homework, and get a job. I feel like I am learning much more independently, which is perhaps the most important thing.

For me college has been useful in a many different facets, but I would say it has been most useful in helping me realize my passion. My passion is to work to create a better and brighter future for all of the people of the world regardless of their differentiating characteristics. The passion I have experienced from my teachers and the information they have presented has opened my eyes and ignited in me a fire that can only be satiated when I see my actions have a postive impact on someone else's life. Attending college has been very valuable to me, not only in the proposed monetary gain I may see in the future, but just in the simple fact that I have gained so much knowledge and been introduced to a multitude of people and ways of thinking.