City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College Top Questions

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

Christina

College is exciting! This is your way out! Life was never easy at home for you. You're afraid of dreams and bad at making goals because you never knew what looking forward to tomorrow was like. Hear this: tomorrow is brighter than it seems to you right now, and you are way over qualified for under achieving. College is your home. This is where you'll make your family. This is where you'll make your goals and see them come to life. This is where you come to life. You won't always know what path is the right one for you, but I promise you'll have a great time either way. The pressure you feel to make a choice and decide your entire lifes' direction is immobilizing to you. Keep moving, you don't have to decide right now! College is for discovery; self-discovery and dicovery of everything outside of you. Here's what will happen: you'll enroll in some classes and learn about things like acids and bases and complex numbers and Nietzsche and you'll be the happiest, smartest version of yourself. My advice: just do it. Oh, and apply for scholarships!

Cody

If given the opportunity to address my former "high school" self, I would encourage him to look for his true passion in life and pursue it in its entirety. So many of us are forced to live out mundane lives that essentially lead to nowhere because we didn't listen to what our heart wanted us to do. Others don't want to take the risk of putting themselves out there in fear of the "unknown". Instead of not knowing whether or not they will succeed or fail, they want to play it safe and work themselves into a life void of true happiness. I would insist that he talk to someone that would invest in him and his endeavors, like a guidance counselor or a mentor, and express what it is that his heart desires. When you are younger, you don't know of all of the wondrous and exciting careers that are available to you. That's why he should seek out someone that can share their wisdom with him and help him grow not only in a career that he loves and enjoys, but also as a man.

Kyle

I would tell myself that one of the key factors to success in college is time management. I would also tell myself to set reasonable goals to achieve over the next four years as a college student.

Erin

In high school, I was full of ambition to pursue a "marketing" career. Although I was involved with DECA, I should have learned early on that my true passion was helping people. Now that I have been out of high school for years I know what my true calling is. In high school, my younger self should have become more involved with humanitarian type clubs and pursued nursing school right away. Although I will never regret the decisions I made while pursuing a career in marketing, I wish I would have found my calling earlier. It would have saved me a LOT of money!

Carmesha

I am a 31 year old single mother, finally making the decision to go back to school and purue my education in which I have been longing for. If I could go back in time, I would definitely tell my younger self to please stay in school, stop ditching and finish my senior. Go to as many college tours that I could muster. Choose a prominent culturally diverse university, to get the best education and experiences. Join social networks and study groups, most of all study smart not hard. Reward myself after completion of a project, but not before. Take the present more seriously, because it will most definitely affect my future.

Marisol

Don't be shy. It is important to speak up and look for oportunities. Apply for scholarships all the time. Money is always an issue and is important to keep up. college life can be a little stressful but there is help everywhere like tutoring, financial aid and councelours. Never guess what you have to do.

Kenzie

If I could go back to high school and talk to myself I would tell me, that i really should spend the time with my friends and family before I leave. Also to keep in touch once we left. ANother thing I would point out would to become involved on campus, you meet so many more people and actually can have a life that way.

Emmanuel

Going back to talk to myself as a high school senior, one of the most important things I'd share is being more open to the experiences that only college can bring: meeting people from all walks of life, new activities I wouldn't normally do at home, and taking the reins on my life, and the direction that it heads. Also, an increase in independence will more than likely create some sort of conflict with your parents, but mostly because part of them hates to see you grow up. This is the time to find out (for the most part, at least) what drives you in this world, and discover different ways to follow that drive. The best piece of advice I could possibly offer, however, is something that applies to all worlds, not just college: whatever you choose to do, do it for yourself, and not because you feel like it will make someone else happy or proud of you. Your soul will thank you later.

Dominicque

Stop spending most of my days cuting class, and hanging with the wrong crowd. I have plenty of good influential friends. I know the things I do are wrong and just because I'm young doesnt mean I should waste time. I need to take care of the more important aspects of life and enjoy the finer things later. There are so many possibilities in life if I would take the time to get my education first. I don't want to be another statistic. All the things momma, the teachers, pastors, and counselors have been saying are true. If I cut classs and hang out with the wrong crowd I'm guranteed to have a hard life. I need to realize life is already hard and I don't want to make things harder for myself. They are right, I am very smart, and I could do anything I put my mind to. I don't need drugs because I have a wonderful body and brain and I don't want to ruin them. I don't have to have unprotect sex, because I matter too much. All I need to do is make the BEST DECISIONS FOR ME.