Westmont College Top Questions

You don’t know what you don’t know. Be open to new experiences, and get out of your comfort zone. Learn to be self-disciplined and make decisions that will impact your future positively, don’t just do what feels good. Discipline yourself to do important things consistently each day so that you create good habits for yourself. Practice budgeting your money; learn the difference between wants and needs. Be willing to put your phone down, meet as many people as you can and learn to network. Invest time with people don’t just spend time with people. This includes getting to know your professors and administrators as well as your peers. If you are a name and a face to a professor instead of a number, tough grading decisions tend to fall in your favor and opportunities come your way. Be sure to celebrate your victories, count on making mistakes and learning from them. Instead of letting your disappointments get you down learn to let them inspire you. Never forget where you came from and call home once in a while.

Dear Alyssa, Breathe. Slow down. Do not worry about which college or major you will decide on. College is great because YOU decide it is. No one else. The details really don't matter and you are distracting yourself from the things that do matter. You will miss your mom and dad. You will miss free time. You will miss great food on a regular basis. So enjoy this while you can because you never get to be in high school again. Ever. I know right now you are thinking "Yay!!!!" But soon you will be in college, and then you will be graduated, and then you will be working, and then going to graduate school. It doesn't stop. Time never stops. But you can. You can pause right now and thank God for taking care of you. Thank your mom and dad for sacrificing. Thank your friends for forgiving. And thank yourself for never giving up. For being patient. For trusting that everything will work out. College won't fix what high school broke. That acceptance letter won't solve all your problems. Accept yourself and realize no one can take that from you. You are loved.

To my high school senior self, Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, and try to beat these fears immediately. As in the first few weeks. Most everyone is just as nervous as you are about all the upcoming adjustments - you really aren’t all that different from one another after all at the core. Even if you have very different stories, you can find common narratives if you take the time to listen to others, to be open to them. Look for connections rather than differences, give people the benefit of the doubt. You will end up learning more together than you ever could have on your own, and these life lessons last far beyond your four short years in college! And always remember, no matter how tough it seems to be in the moment, take a step back and remember how blessed you are to even be stepping foot on this campus - compared to most of the rest of the kids in the world your age. Never take that for granted, but use that gift to give back to others without such opportunities.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself, I had told to myself three important advices. First, the necessity of getting a profession. The requirement of earning a college degree has increased. This is a result of the competency among professionals at companies. Therefore, every student should to go to college and study a carreer with the purpose of being prepared for life. Second, the importance of saving money. The enthusiasm to study is not enough because money is the main requirement. One should save money for paying the tuition. Finally, do not throw books away. During the first year of college, one will take similar classes like in high school, so it is important to save books, such as math, physics, and chemestry to review notes. To sum up, I had gave myself three imporant advices: get a degree, save money, and do not throw books away.

Life is going to be moving very quickly, for you and your friends that are going off to their various colleges. You will be having many different experiences that you will not be sharing with your currently close friends and even your family. And that is okay! This new growing and learning stage of life will bring you a new set of people to spend time with and get to know and just do life with. Some of those friends of the past will remain despite the fact you will all be having these different experiences. Not everyone will stay the same, but those who are truly important to you will continue to be in your life in one way or another. You will be able to maintain that strong bond even when you do not see each other or talk for months. Those who truly care about you and visa versa will be able to catch up like no time has passed at all when you have time to connect. Do not worry; distance is not the end of friendships. It reinforces and refines the truly important relationships that will remain as time flies on.

My first piece of advice, and this is perhaps the most important thing to remember, is to be patient with and trust Mom and Dad. They have a wealth of valuable information; use it! Having been through this process before while you haven’t, trust their judgment and humble yourself to learn the lessons they already learned.When shopping for your dorm room, don't be overwhelmed. Most colleges provide a recommendation list, which has proven very accurate. Use that list as a sufficient starting place, and supplement it with your own fun ideas to personalize your new home. When it comes time for the big move-in, I will emphasize only one thing. Don't be nervous! You are about to start the best four years of your life. Although easier said than done, simply be yourself. You have been preparing for this time since you were in elementary school, so live it up! After all, you are only a college freshman once (hopefully).If you follow these simple pieces of advice, you will find the transition into your new college life easy, fun, and rewarding.

I attended three different high schools starting my freshman year, before I found the one that would be home for the final two years of my high school days. A lot of students experience only one school for all four years, not that this is a bad thing, but I experienced a unique opportunity to figure out what type of school I enjoyed. I ended up going from a public high school my freshman year, to a charter school, to a private homeschool my junior and senior year. My graduating class had gone from 500 to 12 within that four year span, and I loved it. The smaller community was something I thrived in. I was friends with everyone in my class and all of us were really close, like a family. I don't regret anything about my transitions from school to school, but I do regret not spending more time on scholarships and studying for the SAT exam. Westmont College is expensive and I know I should have had more forthought when applying to such an expensive school. Luckily, I was able to complete my freshman year and now I'm focused on applying for those scholarships!

Relax. It's not as scary as it may seem. Get your college essay out of the way, have trustworthy and knowledgeable people take a look at it, take a deep breath, and send it. Show them who you really are; that's all you can do. Afterwards, make the most of the rest of your high school career. Spend as much time as possible with your best friends. Start thinking of things you will need to bring during the summer before you leave. Make a list and add to it as you think of things. Talk to people who have been there and who know what you are going through. Visit the college and meet some people that will be there when you make the transition. Keep an open mind towards the new people you will meet and the new experiences you will have. Be prepared, but don't have too many assumptions or expectations. The transition is different for everyone. Be excited!

To my high school self, college is a time in life to learn and explore. Make the most of your last year of high school. Try not to worry so much about grades, leaving home, or making new friends. All of that will take care of itself. Keep in touch with your high school friends, they will ground you to your home and your past. Make it a point to stay in touch with your parents and your sisters. Every freshman is away from home for the first time, everyone is missing their family and is as scarred and excited as you are. Make the most of the commonalities you have with these people; you all chose the same school so you have more in common than you might think. Don't be too shy to go to the dorm planned parties, don't be to cool for that either. It's a great way to make friends. Set aside time for school work each day, but don't let all of the homework keep you from having fun. College is a great time to learn about who you are away from you family, give yourself time to be you.

Get your homework done before midnight. Don't ever be "that guy." (Yes, you know the one I'm talking about. Save yourself from embarrassment.) Oh yeah, when writing papers, don't even think about looking at someone else's paper; no good can come of this, even if you have no intent of plagiarizing.