University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Top Questions

I have learned to be very self sufficient and i have gained alot of confidence in my abilities as an individual. My experience in college has taught me how the world works outside of highschool and its tough, but rewarding. College has been a wonderful opportunity for me so far. I know that it will better my future in so many ways. I am proud to call myself a Sooner!

Attending college has always been a long-term goal of mine. I think college provides a person with many of his/her "firsts". This is the first time many students are living on their own. The is the first time many students have financial obligations. This is the first time many students have to prioritize and choose between extracurricular activities and academics. Not only does college provide an enriched academic environment, but universities have various clubs and organizations that allow students to express their interests. In my college experience, I have learned how to become a well rounded individual. I have had to balance all of the activities that I want to participate in and those that are require to retain my academic scholarship, as well as my academic performance. I have been able to discover where my true interests lie; have been able to explore possible career options and determine which are more plausible for my future.

I have learned that, you need to be focused 100 percent of the time. I've also learned that you need to be responsible with everything that you do. College professors don't take any excuses.

9/19/2010 I am going for network support and it is a career that I have chosen on consideration that I like to fix computers. I conflict on wether I should fix cars or computers. It is valuabe information that I plan on using now and in the future. Its a hobbie and a career that I love to do becuase I also get to help people that I know or dont in both the Automotive and technical field. No matter what your learning I would have to say that its all valuable and all can be used as a career. I chose to take the network support program to begine a career in that field and will do what I can to see it through. I will do all I can to pay every cent that I can back to the lenders, I live on my own having to take care of myself and have no relatives but have done everything I can to go to school and now I have a chance to become something and hope this scholorship will help me achieve my goal and help me pay for school. Sincerly, Austin N Simpson "Rex"

My college experience gave me a confidence I had never had before. I was raised in a sheltered environment among people who all looked and thought the same, and college introduced me to diverse groups of people, including faculty and other students, who I interacted with and learned from. I stepped outside the life I had at home and figured out what my own personal values and beliefs were, distinct from tose I was raised with, and altered or kept them according to my new knowledge and understanding. This new experience gave me confidence in my own thoughts and ideas. I think that, besides the academic and professional goals that college helps people accomplish, college also exposes students to new people and ideas they may never have encountered at home. However, to truly evaluate and put into practice any new knowledge or ideas encountered in college, students must open themselves up to the possibility of change. A major purpose of college is to challenge students to critically evaluate and possibly change previously held beliefs, and if students wish to use their college experience for all its worth, they must allow themselves to embrace the idea of change.

College was about educating and preparing myself for my future career. Once I got to college at OU I quickly discovered college was about discovering who I am, what I want and where I want to go in life. This experience came in layers, not in any order or planned schedule but slowly over time through relationships, experiences, moments in time and through a classroom with wonderful professors I discovered more about myself and the world around than ever before. I wasn't finished learning but I had the best possible foundation set underneath my feet. It was hard, there is no doubt, but standing on the stage shaking the hands of the men and women that got me there I have never felt better about life. I was confident that what was ahead was going to be a challenge but also a remarkable journey. My degree isn't just a piece a paper it is years of hardwork and the commitment to myself I made to go out and make my dreams possible. My journey has only just begun, and there is so much more left to do. Without college, I don't know if it would be possible.

College has been an extremely valuable experience for me. I dropped out of high school and struggled for 10 years to make ends meat doing various jobs. In December 2008 my daughter Stella was born. She changed my outlook on life. I decided to get my high school diploma and applied to school to become an automotive technician. Once I graduate I will be off to a whole new life. The life that I dreamed of having.

Not only have I been able to attain vast amounst of knowledge from the several classes that I have been, but the knowledge that I cannot be taught by any class is the knowledge of living life on my own. The friendships and relationships that have been created by coming to college are things that I will never be able to put a price on. Throughout the stresses I have had new friends to help me, and throughout the good times I have also had new friends to share them with. Without coming to the University of Oklahoma, I would not have been able to venture into such an interesting and educating chapter of my life. These sorts of adventures are the things that cannot be replaced nor recreated, and will stay with me for the rest of my life.

From my college experience so far, I have received knowledge and responsibility. College professors are different from high school teachers in a way that can broaden your verizon of opinions. Professors are allowed to speak their own opinion instead of what the textbooks state. This past semester I had taken US History Civil war-present and my professor had told my class stories that I would never have heard from a high school teacher. It had then expanded my knowledge. College also teaches responsibility. Most college students live on their own and have to balance school, work, sports, etc. A college student does not have their parents remind them of what they have to do; it is all relied on what the student chooses to do. A responsible college student attends class, does their work, and studies hard. Attending college is able to teach all of that.

The University of Oklahoma greatly impacted my life this last year. I just finished my freshman year of college and I learned a great deal about my studies, people, and ultimately about life. College is the place where you are on your own for the first time in your life and it really test both your moral character and mental toughness. At OU I became involved in a great greek organization of guys who soon became friends. These individuals impacted me and challenged me to think and act in ways I hadnt thought of before. Socially OU became a second home for me. Academically I was in the honors college both semesters of my freshman year and I hope to continue on that same path for the years to come. I became an ambassador to the Mass Communications College at OU, which I was very proud of. College tests everyone in different ways, but I feel it is up to the person to look within them and challenge themselves to become better and work harder at everything they do. The University of Okalhoma taught me this and so much more.