University of Richmond Top Questions

People told me that college would be hard. However, there was one thing that no one warned me about: orientation. Orientation at my school consisted of five straight eighteen-hour days. At the time, I felt like crying. I am not a person who does well on a lack of sleep, and my less-than-functioning brain made it incredibly difficult to make friends. Now, as a resident assistant in a first-year women’s dorm, I totally get it. Keeping freshmen busy during orientation means that they will have less time to miss their families, and more opportunities to make friends. If I could talk to myself a senior in high school, I would tell that girl not to worry. Your true best friends won’t be made until the second semester anyway, and that’s okay. You don’t have to be best friends with your freshman year roommate, or the hallmates you lived with that year either. Just be the best version of you, and the friends will come naturally.

When I was in high school, I was behind on my language credits. Most colleges want their prospective students to have taken two to four years of a language. By the time I finished high school, I only had two years of Spanish under my belt. Because of this, my university, University of Richmond, wanted to make sure that I was proficent in a language so I had to take another year of Spanish. The courses were great, but very intensive and time-consuming. I am glad that I took the courses but I would have liked to have possibly taken another language because the more languages you know the better for networking and any career. Also, I would have told myself to push myself even harder to get better grades and especially join clubs. Joining clubs like leadership or the school newspaper would have further prepared me for the future since college and life is not only about making sure you get an A on a test.

If I could go back in time and talk to the high school version of me, I would have told myself to try and be more prepared for the difficulty of college. For me, the jump between scholastics in high school and college was large and I did not realize how unprepared I was. My grades suffered freshman year of college because I wasn't putting in as much effort as I needed to and I learned how hard it is to pull up your GPA after a bad year. As a high school senior, I was mentally prepared for college with the exception of this. I would be sure to stress to myself how important hard work and effort is right from the get go in college.

Aside from simply slapping myself across the face, I would offer several pearls of wisdom to my blissfully ignorant high school self. Rather than attempting to treat the college application process as if you're seeking "the one" true love of your life, you should barrage the inboxes of every university even remotely intriguing. Don't overlook the private universities with price tags resembling half the value of your parents' house; often they can provide unbelievable financial aid packages. Come to terms now with the fact that some friends will leave your life but new ones will soon enter, and accept that you will change drastically from freshman to senior year. Welcome to quasi-adulthood! Finally, heed the advice of newspapers and magazines everywhere and choose a major with promising employment prospects. You don't need to sacrifice your passions and interests in order to accomplish this task, but you do need to search your soul in order to select the best path. Don't shy away from the science labs or fear calculus and statistics! Ultimately, college is an incredibly defining experience and one you will never forget, so enjoy the memories and jump in head first.

Dear High School Me, Expect the unexpected; you're used to rolling with the punches and it's more or less the same as high school. The more is that you're going to have more work than before, but you're also going to have more time (if you use it right). The less of college is that it is is less dramatic, though you managed to avoid that mostly in high school as well. You've done a decent job managing your time in college (no all-nighters yet woohoo!), but be ready to work hard nonetheless. Soccer practice is physically demanding, classes and papers mentally break you down, and working to pay for it is going to drive you crazy. At the end of the day though, you sleep in satisfaction with where you ended up, so do not worry about it too much. Be ready for hard work, but an amazing time. See you soon, Lisa

Holly, you are a senior and you have a lot going for you, your problem is you don't realize it. Now is the time to apply yourself and go strong at everything you do. Stop slacking, or in four years you will be watching all your friends graduate college and your biggest regret is not being on stage with them. You are eighteen, don't let boys, parties, your image, or the procrastinator inside of you stand in the way of your dreams. Every one talks about "the real world", and it is so very different than high school. The real world is not going to care what you do. If you don't succeed, it's only going to effect you. So now is the time to buckle down, and be prepared for this "real world" you are about to enter.

Despite the large numbers of people advising me to pursue my passions in college, I would not allow my preconceived interests to inhibit further personal growth. Although my intense love of reading and writing directed me to my English major, I wish I could remove the blinders I possessed as a high school senior. I now am fascinated by such diverse subjects as economics and biology, primarily as they relate to environmental issues. Although I highly value my background in English literature and critical writing, I should have allowed myself to explore the physicial and social sciences to greater detail. I will pursue a Master of Public Policy degree in Fall 2011 at The College of William & Mary, and I look forward to the varied curriculum of political science, economics, marine science, and law courses. These classes will better prepare me for a public policy career focusing on land use management issues and renewable energy policies. Ultimately though, I would not change my academic path throughout college, as I believe these experiences are necessary for personal development. So my former high school senior self should continue along the predicted trail and enjoy all of life's unexpected turns.

The past two years have been the most marvelous time of my life. The fascinating things I’ve learned in the classroom have opened up my mind to a new world of thinking. However, what I have gained outside the classroom has made me a more rounded, intrigued young woman. I was an officer in my school’s Snowriders Club, played on the women’s tennis team, and got hands on experience in our athletic training room. These experiences taught me more than I could’ve imagined. In the Snowriders club I publicized and coordinated events, learned difficulty of working with school regulations, and got everyone stoked for ski trips. Having to step out of my comfort zone to get these tasks done caused me to not only mature, but to learn how to handle new responsibilities. Playing on the tennis team taught me to have a hard work ethic, respect others, and stay healthy. Also, working with student athletes in a professional setting gave me a sense of power and curiosity that has fueled my ambition to become a physical therapist. These experiences have been invaluable to my education, and I know this is only the beginning!

The University of Richmond has offered so much to me over the last 3 short years I've spent here. Though I am constantly working hard as a division one swimming althete and may miss certain oppurtunities otherwise, this school taught me how to work hard- both efficiently, and effectively. The competitive students here are always making me strive to challenge myself and think outside the box. My demanding coaches teach me how to deal with pressure and stress everyday. My career development center makes it easy and possible to reach out to any career or internship I want, as long as I am willing to obtain it! Thought the social life may be lacking in some views, this is the ideal school for students who wish to work hard and gain results. The Robins school of business has a 98{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} job placement score at graduation. The "green bike program", LEED certified buildings, and other environmentally friendly aspects of school shows our go green movement. It may seem like a fairytale, but the University of Richmond is truly a fountain of wealth in so many ways.

The first semester of college was tough for me. The adjustment from high school to college was way more difficult than I expected, but I thank God that I was able to make it through. My college experience thus far has been challenging, but at the same time worth while. The professors at the University of Richmond are amazing. I feel that the student-teacher relationships in college truly make or break your performance in the classroom. My professors helped me so much and made my first semester awesome experience. I have learned to push myself in a way that I never thought I would be able to. The workload is a lot, but it teaches you to balance your time. I am thankful that I am able to attend such a wonderful institution, and I will continue to be the best I can be and eventually achieve my degree in accounting.