CUNY York College Top Questions

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

shanee

Don't rush take the college credits first before choosing a major you have 2 years, dont tak out ay loans, and try to not overwhelm yourself with too many classes focus on grades and not the time.

Collin

First, telling myself to pick a school based on cost and affordability than name. I would advise myself to select schools which have my program of study and cost the least in tuition fees. I would not get caught up in the name of the college too much. My experience has taught me that it is what you put into your academics which can either have a positive or negative impact on your life. I would also choose a college which would minimize housing and food costs. I believe that living at home with parents or getting a small room off campus provide the best options for students who are looking to save money and have their independence. I would suggest selecting such a school becuase having money available in the form of refund checks and employent will always dominate a persons indidivudal choices. In addition, since the job market is extremely competitive, I would only fianace my education using scholarships and grants. Students loans must be repaid and if a student can't secure employment by graduation their debt load becomes a problem for them. Funding my education on free money only is the most important advice.

Adedeji

The advice I would give myself is not worry about what others think of you and their judgements because in the future, its not going to matter. As long as its something that you want to do, that's all you have to worry about.

Haylee

I did not have a senior year in high school, I graduated as a junior. Therefore going to myself junior year, I would give the advice of saying that college is not what teachers make it seem to be. College is mostly about papers and attendance. Showing up on time to class as well as participating in all class activites. College is not easy, but as long as you apply yourself and stay dedicated to your dream you can get through it. Attending class and taking notes are very important, its not like high school where professors give you study guides for every quiz and test, although some teachers do. Many do not, studying is all based off your own personal notes. As long as you stay dedicated and know your goals, you should be prepared. A community college is a good way to transition into a big university as well. It helps you get the hang of what college courses are like as well as get your GenEds completed.

Ariela

If I could speak to my high school self, I would say forget about what your english teacher taught you in terms of writing. You are writing incorrectly, what she has taught you does not help you think critically. Stop writing so robotic, Ariela, dig deeply within the topic, induldge yourself, however, do not write the same way you speak. You want to engage your reader, when you are robotic it takes away from your skills and it deters them from being engaged. Also, network with your professors and classmates, you will need one another as you continue your education. Jump into doing psychologcal research, you will love it. Do not wait till last minute to show people how good you are speaking publicly. Moreover, the commmunity service you enjoy doing, show other people why it is important to work and empower the populations that are forgotten. Do not allow their ignorance on the population to deter your desires of empowering others. There will be people that doubt your intelligence and reasoning, but that is only because they do not have the mindset to take the time to understand. Every interaction and action is a learning experience, so pay attention.

Katie

Looking back at myself as a high school senior I see a kid eager to leave home and become independent. That’s why I chose NYU – far from home and in the middle of the city. I was accepted into the dance program, but while I wasn’t ready to give up dance, I knew deep down that it wasn’t going to satisfy me intellectually as a career. However, being 17, I wasn’t sure what else to do; I had spent my life dancing. So I dove into the dance program when I got to NY and immersed myself in exploration of my emotional and physical self. While this commitment to the dance program helped me transition into college life by giving me focus, it did not help as much during my transition into the working world. Most of college revolved around dance and when I wanted to do something new after college, I felt like I had to start all over. I would advise my high school self to explore new and different opportunities during college, like volunteering in a field of interest, to prepare for the reality of our complex and competitive world.

Janiri

The advice I would give myself would be to work extremely hard, and to not take anything for granted. I would also tell myself to prepare a lot for college. When I was a senior in High School, the only thing I was focuesed on was graduating. I was going to become the second one in my entire family (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc) to become a High School graduate. I did not prepare myself for college. Going into college was a difficult transition. I was working full-time and attending school full-time. I would definitely advise myself to make college a main priority.

Lloyd

In retrospect, I would advise myself to completely know myself and what I like, instead of merely placating parents or other adults of influence. It is essential for every undergraduate student to understand why he/she is undertaking a specific major concentration before embarking into the concentration. The more motivated a person is studying a specific major, the better he/she will perform in the requisite classes. It is important for students to have a strong goal-orientation in light of studying for a specific Bachelor's or Associate's Degree, but it is even more important for students to understand and make effective transitions into the career world. The career world is a new world of competition where networking with persons of influence and interest aid greatly in the quest of finding the correct career match in corporate America. The career orientation must, in the long run, be the ULTIMATE focus if students expect to make effective use of time spent in undergraduate and postgraduate institutions. The truth of the matter is, time is money and nothing is free.

Kristine

Currently I am attending D'Youvillege College persuing a Masters in Occupational Thereapy (OT). I value CUNY-York College, where I got my BA, a lot because it inspired me to become an OT. I learned about OT through a college fair at York. My interest for OT grew as I started to research more about the field. Next, I applied to the York College program of OT and got rejected because of a missing document that my counslor did not tell me about. Not getting into the OT program at York made me want to become an OT even more. Therefore, I took the rejection as a challege and made sure that one day I attend a school of OT. If it was not for York college I would have never learned about occupational therapy. Furtheremore, had York college not denied my application , my passion for OT may not have been as strong as it is now. Another reason I value York college tremendously is because of the social network I made there. Today, most of my close friends are from York and I will always be thankful for that.

Ezekiel

Since I am only a freshman and this is only my first semister in college, I haven't really experienced what college is about. I have however joined a fraternity, made many new friends of all different backgrounds, learned how to create music beats, as well as become more responsible. I've become way more responsible due to the fact that in college, you have to do EVERYTHING yourself. College is fun, a lot of work, but still fun.

Diasia

I have gained a quuality education, engaged in some activities that will help me in the workforce and help me determine what i want my career to be. I have also meet some nice people who helped me in my journey to figure out what I want to do with my life. Going to this school has made me a more outgoing rather than shy person which will help me in the field I want to work in since I might become a teacher. The things I experienced while attending this school were things that happen once in a lifetime and have made me a stronger person. I thank this school and the people in it for molding me into the person I am today,

Tiffany

What i have gotten out of my college experience is a chance to interact with people i usually wouldn't in my college experience. My education i feel will benefit me in the long run in terms of job security and self fulfillment because i love my major and i feel like im ready to become a social worker already. to get out their and help people who really need it, because i know what it feel like.

Tatiana

From my college experienced I've learned how to not to procastinate and how to pace myself. I think it is important to attend college because it teaches one responsiblity that we must face in the real world. Its better to learn it in college first than in the real world.

Michael

First, while high school is a place of early discovering, exploring, fantacising and 'foolish' dreams, college life is completly different. It is the moment of entering into adult life and responsibilities that 'mommy and daddy' took care of. So in the midst of your early experiences, develop habits that would help you for the rest of your life. Plan well, and commit your plans to paper. Develop a study plan. Plan out how much time you will commit to your studies and to leisure. Review you plan regularly and adjust where necessary. Ask for help in those areas here you are not strong. Remember, no man is an island. Develop a financial plan. Yes I know mommy and daddy are taking care of college tuition, but there is nothing wrong with a plan B. Begin your search for scholarships now. Do your research on the entities that give scholarships and prepare yourself for meeting the criteria. Request more information if necessary so you are well equipped for the tasks ahead. Seek out professionals in you major and get their advice. Research their companies and get information which would come in andy when you need internship.

Shalinie

As a high school senior, I would advise myself not to regret mistakes that happen. From our mistakes, we then learn to prosper. However, I would advise myself to learn to trust our second parents who are present to guide us through another step . I adapted the same high school habits as a freshman in college. As a high school senior, I would tell myself to pay attention to the different ways of studying and the different methods to time management. Also, I would tell myself to improve on my participation skills. Participation has always been a problem for me, but as a business major, I would have to be conducting many presentations. Additionally, I would suggest to myself to become more involved in community service. This is not because it serves as a helping hand to the community, but you are able to become more aware of the careers and occupations you can pursue and make a better decision.

Devindra

I would have stayed more focused in high school. I also wish I would have done more research on what I would have liked to major in. I also wished I had taken AP courses in high school which would have been a better choice financially, especially because my mother is a single mother and has to provide for my family. I wish there was more I could have done to help with our financial problems. For example I wish I had worked while I was in high school, that way the pressure would not have been all on my mother. I honestly wish I knew that college and all of these books are so expensive it would have definately given me the strength and drive to attain a job back in high school. My main goal in college is to make my family proud and so that way I can earn money in the future to help my grandmother with her several illnesses.

Erik

Leading up to my graduation in may of 2009, I was having trouble deciding what the next step for my life was. Going to college seemed to be the obvious option. However, there were three colleges that I was equally interested in. Additionally, I couldnt afford the tution to attend any of the three. In search of a solution, I used google to search for scholarships. Eventually I came across gap year programs. Presently I serve with a non-profit organization called City Year in an inner city New Orleans high school. As a City Year corps member I focus on mentoring and tutoring ninth grade students. Transitioning from being a high school student just last year to filling a position as a role model in a school setting, I have gained a new perspective on education. If I could go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell Erik to apply to college early and use effective networking skills for recommdendation and scholarship purposes. I would also emphasize that studying for the standarized test, specifically the ACT is a necessity. Lastly after all the hard work is done, have fun.

Kellyann

So far, college has given me a whole new perspective on life,education and learning. I have experienced my first flight,thanks to York College,and i have participated in major events, such as cabinet meetings and York College Scholars foundation meetings with the president of our college. My future starts here. I'm not going to let anything distract me from reaching my goals.

Justin

The best advice that I could give to myself or anyone going into college is that college is no game. High school was fun and you were able to fool around a little and make friends, but that was then and college is now. You need to leave that high school mentality behind, because if you take college too lightly it will most likely hurt you in the end. As long as you keep your priorities in order and make time for yourself for leisure, you should be fine and have a great college experience.

Chenee

When I started attending college it was not very easy for me to get adjusted, but as time went on I began to get a hold of it. The high school I attended did not give us the proper preparation that was needed to start college, but with the help of my school I learned. If I could go back in time I would first tell myself to adapt a good study habit, time management, and to get advised. In talking to myself I would explain that good study habits helps to reduce the stress of studying for a test. It is not the best idea to cram last minute for a test, you will end up not remembering anything you tried to study. I would also encourage myself to keep track of time. This means you should always check back with your syllabus and make sure your assignments are given in on time, some of your professors will not remind you that you have work to hand in. The third thing I would tell myself is to get advised, there is never too much help. You have to make sure that you are on track with your studies.

Jamara

Being a High School student entering into college knowing the knowledge that I now have, I would give myself some words of wisdom in order to help me on my journey. Some words of advice that I would give myself is you are about to make a major transition from high school into college. College life and responsibilities are different from that of high school. when in college you're college professors are not on your back every minute in order for you to complete your homework or projects, when there is an assignment or a project due thats the date that the professor expect for it to be handed in. If you have not done any reading in a while, you should start readin because in college you will have to read chapters at a time not pages. so to be better equiped for the task of being a college student one must able themself in order to succedd. there are tutoring sessions to help those who are having differcultity in an certain area of study so take advantage of all the opportunities available to you.

Max

While the transition from high school into York College was certainly not a difficult one, there are some things that I would tell myself to work on, to raise the grade point average to a higher lever than I am currently at. Study habits have to be altered...procrastinating and thinking that studying effectively in my home and not in the library was definetely a failing method, and thankfully was realized as such before it was too late. Additionally, unlike high school, teachers are willing to help you out if you are willing to ask. However, the majority of the work is on the student; the professors are only there to guide not do the work for you. Overall, any school can become what you want it to be, depending on the effort put in on your end.

VeronicaTrelles

If I could go back in time and talk to myself, I would most definite advice myself to apply to many colleges as possible, colleges that I want without looking and worrying about the tuition rates. I think one the big mistakes I did as a high school senior was that I worried too much about the tuition while choosing the colleges. I only applied to colleges that had the lowest tuition; without realizing that my grades in high school could have gotten me into a private college at a very affordable price. I would strongly advice myself to forget about the price of the college, because afterall, it is an investment that I will be making for my future.

Denise

If i had the chance to go back in time i would probably work twice as hard as i had. Knowing how much your senior year meant after entering college.