Assumption College Top Questions

What should every freshman at your school know before they start?

Nicholas

Dear Nick, To make the most of your college experience; make sure your doing it for yourself and not someone else. Furthermore, make sure that it is something that you do not consider work, but think of it as something you would do as a hobby instead. Do not give in to going to parties, drinking and doing drugs just because some of your unwise friends think that is what college is all about and are using peer pressure to try and get you to make the same mistakes as them. Those people are jealous of you and really are not friends. Think of college as the beginning of the rest of your life. Do something that you love with passion. Prepare yourself for the hardest time in your life too. Such as fighting off all the peer pressure and making good decisions in return, constantly battling through financial struggles, not to mention the strenuous hours of homework, projects and studying that you will have to do. Last, balance your studies with your life and God. Do all of this and you will get a job worthwhile and be able to work like you do not need the money.

Meline

If I were to be able to go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that it really does matter where you go to college. When I was in high school, I did not really care about hwere I ended up. I just applied to four random colleges, that I never even looked at, and called it a day. I would tell myself to look at colleges and only apply if I really, truly, liked it. I would also mention all the things that I hated about Assumption and why it is a terrible choice for me. Also, I would say that I should take the proccess seriously because I do not want to feel like I wasted a year of college that I could have not wasted somewhere else.

Kimberly

The first thing I would tell myself is to keep my mind open as to different schools and not think only certain schools are the perfect choice. In my case, I did not really want to attend Assumption College as I had attended Catholic schools my whole life. I admit the first year was a big adjustment as I think it would be at any college but after that year, I really felt at home at Assumption and regretted my hesitancy to attend this college. I also would have advised myself to get more involved immediately. I found that by getting involved it is easier to make the transition from high school as you get to meet more people and really feel a part of campus life. I waited sometime before getting involved and I regret that. Most of all, however, I learned to study differently than I did in high school which made all the difference in the world to me. I became more responsible and as a result a more successful student. Finally, make all the friends you can because that just makes life on campus a pleasant experience.

Nicole

The needs of high school student has changed to electronic formats and each student must evaluate e-learning, e-sources of portal information , and e-resources of scholarship, e- resource alternatives, e-tools and e-community social networking. The student needs to be aware of the scope, authority, current information, truth or fact of the information, and new frameworks of information (e.g. search engines, blogging, wiki, and social networks). The e-research is about the technologies' application and technology competencies of technology needs. The information environment is the policies of "shared" information and how these "policies" relate to profession. As an information professional, I will build, promote, and assess the needs of e-collection and the policies of communities that serve, access of information and the valuable resources to e-community.

Allison

There's a lot of advice I would give to myself if I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a senior in high school. First and foremost, I would tell myself to not let anything influence my decisions of where to attend college. I spent my freshman year of college at a public, commuter school primarily to be close to my boyfriend at the time, which was okay at the time, but it deprived me of so many wonderful opportunities I would have been able to experience such as meeting more people, making more friends, and joining more clubs, etc. The second piece of advice I would give myself would be to research school options more thouroughly and extensively. I only chose to apply to three schools, got put on a wait list for one, didn't get accepted to the other, and got accepted to the last. This really limited my options obviously for getting into school and I wish it hadn't. Now I have transferred to Assumption College and I absolutely love it. It's where I was always meant to be and I couldn't be happier. Just follow your heart.

Emily

It's okay to get homesick. If you have issues with your roommate, talk to her. and don't worry about being too stressed. There's people to help and it's an awesome school. You're going to have a great time.

Amber

To prospective parents and students, I would say to spend as much time on the campus as possible prior to making a final decision. When it comes down to it, after the diploma, the atmosphere of the school is what is going to remain with the student after graduation. It is most important to consider what type of learning and growing environment the student wants and needs. Do they value sports? Service opportunities? Forging strong and lasting friendships and student-teacher relationships? Are the students that attend the school motivated, hard working individuals? Do they plan for the future and make moves that push them forward to that future? The overall culture of the campus is not something that is immediately obvious from looking at a brochure or talking to a guidance counselor. First-hand experience is essential. Talk to alumni, talk to students who attend the school, talk to faculty and staff. Once the decision is made, start to develop your own niche on campus by taking advantage of any safe and positive opportunities that come your way. And most importantly, don't be afraid of a challenge!

Jacqueline

Always visit the colleges before deciding to go there. Don't take a guided tour, wander around by yourself because you will be able to see the things that interest you. Talk to the students on the campus. Usually you can get a good feel for the type of people that go there by their response. If they talk to you and answer your questions freely, it is usually a good sign for the people there. College is what you make of it. The most important thing for students to do is experience everything. Go into it with an open mind and be ready to see and do new things. If you don't like the things you try, oh well, you can try something else.

Nicole

Do not be overwhelmed by the numerous college options available to you. It is importatnt to visit as many colleges as possible, so that you can narrow down your choices. Do not worry about tuition, especially if it is a private school, as many private ones offer large financial aid and merit scholarship packages. You should be more concerned about finding a college that you can see yourself spending the next few years of your life at. You really need to make sure that you will be comfortable at the school, that you will meet good people and have many opportunities. Talk with students, spend a night at the school, and sit in on classes, so that you can really get the "feel" of what life at each particular college will be like. Once you are in college, please do not feel that you need to drink to fit in. I, for one, do not drink at all, and have never had a problem finding things to do on the weekends, and have made many great friends in the process. Other than that, you should work hard, manage your time wisely, join clubs and activities, and volunteer!

Kerry

The pressure of choosing the right college makes the decision even more difficult to arrive at. There are certain questions that are asked, with wide eyes and beating hearts: Where do I want to attend college? Far away from home or close by? What exactly do I want to be when I grow up? There are so many things to consider when applying to college, but when choosing the right college, it is important to find a place that makes you smile, that agrees with your personality and lifestyle. And how to make the most of the college experience once the school is chosen, and move in day has comenced? It's really quite simple; just be yourself. Explore your surroundings, the people you meet, and yes, even yourself. You will discover things that you have never experienced before, and this is what makes college one of the greatest privalges of life.

Patricia

Make sure you are not influenced by what other people say if you are the student. YOU will be attending the school not your parents or your best friend or boyfriend. If people dress alot differently than you and that makes you uncomfortable definitely realize that don't go there because your parents did. As for parents, make sure your student goes and sees the school. It's really important in order this decision.

Jared

find a college where the kid is going to be happy. as long as he is happy in his setting the pieces will fall together as long as the school offers him what he is looking for in a career.

Jacqueline

Visit all of the schools your student is interested in. Make time for the ones far away as well. Don't go on the Campus Tours. Explore yourself because you will be able to find so much more, and see things that you will otherwise miss. If you have any questions while on this tour, ask a passer by. The regular students are a better source information than the campus guides because they are trained in what to say and show the people on the tour. Don't go for the school based on the financial aid you receive or what you think will look best on a resume. Pick the school based on your students gut feeling. If they walk around a campus they will know whether or not they feel comfortable. They will be able to tell if they feel overwhelmedby the campus or not just by walking around. If a campus is welcoming, you can feel it by the way people interact around you and the way you feel looking around.

Michael

The most important advice I would give to parents and students about finding the right college would be to *thoroughly* research every option available to them before making a decision--visit every campus possible and really pay attention to the overall atmosphere, making sure you feel comfortable. Often times, a student will make up his or her mind without really getting to know everything they can about a particular school, only to be disappointed once they arrive on campus. Make the most of every option available to you and don't rule any college out before you've physically been there and walked around the campus. This is crucial to the college selection process, as a college may sound great on paper only to be less than ideal upon visitation. In terms of making the most of the college experience, find ways to stay busy and involved in campus life. It's incredibly easy to get lazy when presented with so much freedom at once, so it's important to remain focused--don't neglect your studies, join some clubs, write for the campus newspaper, etc. There are a host of great opportunites open to those who look for them.

Geoffrey

Visit the schools! Oh, and stay overnight if possible!

Jonathan

When choosing make sure that you make a trip while classes are in session also do an over night to see how the school runs when classes are not in session. This will provide the expieriences necessary to make sure that you feel right on the campus at all times. Also when you get to campus get involved with something to get yourself out there so that you will be able to know people around campus.

Julianne

What parents need to realize is that a student needs to make his/her own decisions at a certain age, and I believe that the first time to start making their own decisions can be when they decide where they want to go to school. Make sure you are open to all options and do as much research on the school as you can. There is nothing worse then being ignorant about a school and then realizing that you made a big mistake. For example, if a student does not do well in big crowds, a university may not be the best option. Do your homework before school starts. Find out what schools are best suited for you.