Rutgers University-New Brunswick Top Questions

In life, planned events and unfavorable circumstances rarely run smoothly without imperfection. All humans have regrets, no matter how much they try to convince themselves otherwise. Even if those past actions were not unfortunate enough for an individual to regret, there are always possibilities for enhancement. When I advanced into college ? the bridge between childish fantasies and real maturity ? I found the experience unsettling, yet exciting. Within the first week I had realized something peculiar, my laundry was piling up. Without the sheltered life style that I had grow accustomed to, simple things such as getting my own food became an adventure. If I could go back to my former self and tell him about college, I would advise him to understand what independence really means. Many teenagers eagerly rush away from home and never realize the safe haven lifestyle that they used to have. I would warn him that independence comes at the price of duties and responsibility. However, my advice would probably be in vain because there is no amount of planning that can possibly prepare an individual for the entirely foreign chapter to the process of adulthood.

Every person wishes they could know the things they know now earlier. If I could I would want my younger self to know that every thing I do affects my future life. I would tell my former self to get a job not matter how bad of a job it seems. Also, I would tell myself to relax. Graduating high school was not the end of the world even though that is how it seemed. I still see and talk to my friends and continue to have fun even without being in high school. Finally, I would let myself know how much my teachers did for me. I never realized how hard all my teachers worked and how much they taught me. Without them I would not be able to do many of the things I do today.

There are many things I would tell myself about college life and what to be ready for. Some obvious things would of course be to study hard, concentrate on your work, and always approach things seriosuly. But that would not be all. I graduated High School from Las Vegas, Nevada, and wanted to go out of state for college. I wanted to try being away from my parents, and knowing that I had family in New Jersey, I decided to try out going to Rutgers. Getting accepted there was one of the most exciting things that happened in my short life. Although I love them very much, being away from the eyes of my parents was something I really wanted. One piece of advice I would give myself in that aspect is I should make sure I keep in contact with my parents. While it has been great being away from them for extended periods of time, there is no other set of people that can give you advice and make you feel good when things seem to be down. I don't think that I would have been able to get how far i got without them.

The main advice that I would tell my former self would be to network as much as possible. What I mean by networking is reaching out to everyone who could possibly help in the long journey towards success. First, in order to decide what college to attend, I would tell my former self to reach out to previous classmates or other individuals who currently attend or attended the universities that I was interested in and ask them to tell me about the benefits and downfalls of each. Next I would seek the advice of individuals who are currently working or have previously worked in the fields of study I was interested in pursuing in order to get a better insight on possible professions. Once my former self considered all of that input and decided on where to go and what field of study to pursue, I would then give the advice of networking out to teachers who are involved in the field of study chosen and get to know the people who could eventually help the most. Joining as many clubs related to your major as possible is also key, the more people you know, the easier the journey becomes.

Picking a college was a really stressful time for me. A part of me wanted to go to school somewhere on the other side of the country and experience something totally new, but another part of me wanted to stay close to home. If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself not to worry about college yet. I learned that where one goes to college really doesn't matter, but what does is the opportunities that one creates for him or herself by doing the best he or she can in everything. Since you're definitely not going to be the only freshman there, the transition isn't as tough as you think. Since there will always be many people who have to make the transition from high school with you, know that there are always people who are going through the same experiences and that these people are the ones who will soon become some of your best friends. As a result, I would make myself know that the senior year of high school is an amazing year and to enjoy it, but college is on its way and is even better.

I took many AP and honors classes during my high school career. I challenged myself in every way possible and I was involved in many clubs. Senior year was the most challenging and stressful of them all since college applications were the only things on our minds. I would go back in time and tell myself that despite the difficult classes I was taking, college is something that is in a completely other level. I would tell myself that I needed to challenge myself more and make sure I understood everything. Sometimes things that I would not understand I would just ignore and continue as though there was nothing wrong. I would definitely go back and tell myself that I could have prepared myself more for college by challenging myself and asking more questions to make sure I got the education I truly deserved.

Megan, High School Senior (HSS): "Who are you? Are you me!?" Megan, University Senior (US): "I am you, but from the future. Kind of 'Back to the Future'-esque." Megan (HSS) stares, wide-eyed. Megan (US): "I wanted to tell you some things about going to college. You may think you want to get a degree that practically guarantees you a decent, stable job. You're wrong. Shoot for the stars because you won't like the "safe" routes you try to take. Learn to make up your mind: pick your dream degree and stick to it. Learn to balance your life with your schooling: don't focus only on your studies, but also take more advantage of the amazing extracurricular activities offered by the school. Also have more pride in your school. People make fun of the University of Idaho, but it is a good school. Not great, but good. Study abroad earlier while you have more financial aid. It will help you with all of your studies and your life. Oops, sorry. Gotta run. I'm going to run over the word count." Megan (HSS): "What?" She blinks in shock as Megan (US) disappears with a wink.

The one thing that I know about college is that if you don't know what you want to do, figure it out fast. If I could go back in time into my senior year, I would have told myself to stop procrastinating and ignoring things so I could "deal with them later". One of my biggest mistakes was wandering around aimlessly without a care about my future, taking my time figuring things out thinking that I'm still young so it doesn't matter. I wasted 3 years of my life and that is one of the things I regret the most. The key to being 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} satisfied with your decision is to face situations and tackle them head-on. If I could do it all over again, I would make sure I pushed myself to get things done, avoid procrastination when figuring out my major and what school I want to attend, and start myself in the right direction as soon as possible instead of waiting to deal with it later.

If I was to go back in time and council myself on college advice I would stress a certain amount of information to maximize my future college experience. I would tell myself that my education has to be the absolute priority; no one there will hold your hand, so academic focus is critical. Your major, classes, and the professors you take, shape your future in more ways imaginable and each one of those has to be researched upon entry into college life. Ask deans, older students, and even ratemyprofessor.com! I would have recommended to myself to sample a range of courses of interest to me that are offered at the university. I feel as though now, that I have concentrated too much on classes devoted to my major and could have used some time in the beginning of college to experiment with different majors, minors, and interests. I would also stress that extracurricular opportunities at college are endless and need to be taken advantage of; it?s also an amazing way to meet lifelong friends. Every moment of college shouldn't be taken for granted because it is the outline for a fulfilling future.

The only thing I would advise my senior-self would be to take full advantage of all of the opportunities that college has. The best thing is to get involved, whether it be in a club, organization, volunteer group, or a sorority. It is important to meet people and have friends, especially as an on campus student who lives far away from home. Everyone needs a shoulder to lean on once in a while and it's a necessity to have friends for this very reason, no matter where you are. I would also tell myself not to forget my friends from home. Just because they're far away does not make them any less important than they once were.