Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Top Questions

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

Stephen

The one thing I'd try to convince myself about is taking more AP credited humanities. Right now I'm majoring in Mechanical Engineering, however I'd like to double major with Economics. Unfortunately, with humanity requirements at Rose-Hulman I don't have space in my schedule to double major unless I want to stay in school longer than four years. So, I'll have to settle for a minor in Economics. I'd tell my old self that I wish I would've taken all of my humanity requirements in high school so I'd have room and flexibility in my schedule. It'd be a short term sacrifice for a long term gain.

Aaron

I would tell myself to fill out more scholarship applications sooner. I would also tell myself to start figuring out what I wanted to do sooner, instead of just thinking everything will just come to me. That;s not how the world works and I learned that the hard way. Finally, I would have told myself to take the money aspect of college more seriously. I would have told myself to ask questions about how to afford it and get money instead of waiting last minute like I did.

Gage

Hey, what are you doing? You know what, never mind, I remember that part now. Push yourself now, High School is waaaay easy compaired to the stuff you'll choose to do in another year. So quite dinking around. You know how Mom always says to go apply for scholarships? Do it. You'll thank me later. Yeah, I know, it's cliche, but do it. Seriously. Oh, and work extra hard in that calculus class so I... I'm you don't have to retake it next year. Its harder in college, but the same stuff. Hello, I'm still talking here, quit spacing out on me. I know, you've heard this all before. Old hat right? Well you're telling me. By the way, don't work for Joe over the summer, that gets.... well interesting. You want to know my name? Just call me hindsight. See ya man. One last thing, don't worry about loosing your hair, the world doesn't end. you'll be fine. Now now, I'm out of time, no more questions. Ta ta for now.

Ellissa

If I could go back in time I would tell myself to take class more seriously. As a senior I did take hard classes but I didn't put 110{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} into every test and assignment. I also would have told myself to be more organized and to take time to study! I never studied in high school except for Spanish or classes that required to memorize vocabulary. Having this skills before reaching college would have made it easier to adjust to the grading scale of mostly test and receiving little credit for homework. Finally, I would want to reassure myself that I will make it through and that college isn't as big of a monster as I thought.

Jonathan

You shouldn't be afraid to talk to your teachers. They are all there to help! You can always get help from friends, but sometimes they are going to be faster than you and won't be able to explain it well. You may not have the best grades, but you CAN get by and you CAN succeed if you admit that you need help and you get the help you need! Teachers love to help and it truly reflects on your understanding as well as your outcome in the class. Plus, don't get too focused on the wrong things. You don't want to try and do drama/acting, sports, clubs, and school, it won't work! Focus on school, it is much easier to understand the concepts as you go, then to wait until right before a test and try and understand it all. You should learn the material as you go and truly ask yourself, "Do I really understand this?" It will make a huge difference in the end.

Manuel

Ther are many diffrences from being a highschool senior and becoming a college student. If I could go back in time and give myself some valuable advice, I would first start by becomming less worried about what I wanted to study for the rest of my life. College is a great place to gather thoughts, ideas, and personal intrest that will guide students into the career individuals would like to persue in thier future goals and become succsessful in life . In addition, I would tell myself to become a rolemodle to my three sisters, mother, and my father who passed away. For example, Being the first to graduate highschool from my family was a phenomenon experiance and if I could graduate highschool I could defenitly graduate from college. Becoming a rolemodle to students who lost a parent , is what I want to tell and show other students that going into collge will benefit them in thier futures and thier loss will be greatly proud of what they accomplished. Furthermore, Independence plays a huge role when comming to college. College is filled with amazing instructors and students that will help you when your lost and guide you in the right path.

Sarina

My advice would be simple and that would be to learn how to prioritize and develop time management skills. During my high school career time management wasn't a huge deal and therefore I was able to complete all my homework and extracurricular activities whenever I felt necessary. However during my first year in college, I soon realize how important the skill of prioritizing my tasks and making a schedule to follow was. At college, because of the environment of living in a dorm, not only do I have the regular tasks of taking classes, but I now also work and have to balance the rest of my life, such as doing laundry or cooking meals. If I had mastered these skills as a senior in high school, my first semester in college would have definitely gone a lot smoother.

Bryce

I have learned to be more independent. Though my grandparents (who raised me) made me self sufficient, my first year-and-a-half of college life has made me even more able to juggle the schoool work, fraternity responsibilies, and personal tasks that one has to complete. I LOVE my school and my ability to function there.

Sheena

I have gained a lot of useful knowledge by attending college. One of the greatest things I have learned is how to multitask. This comes in handy both at school and at home. At school you have to multitask by listening to the teacher and taking notes. At home I have to multitask by doing homework, keeping an eye on the kids, and cleaning house. There is no way I would be able to get anything done if I just focused solely on one task at a time. College has also been a very valuable experience. Although it has not fully paid off yet, I know that it will. When I have completed school and earn my degree I will be able to enter the medical workforce and find a very reasonable paying job. This is very valuable to me. The time and hard work that I am investing now will pay off greatly in the end. That is what I use as my motivation to get me through the long school days, and the endless hours of multitasking.

Dong

College is definately the most dreadful thing that ever happened to me, but at the same time, the college experience has and will continue to impact me in the most sensitive ways. Now, what do I mean by that! Here, I'll tell you. When I came here, I didn't know to expect, what to do. I was afraid. After a few weeks of absolute zombie-like behavior, I was no longer scared! College was exciting! Sure, I have to go through the absolutely horrific workload that comes with an engineering education, but I tell ya' it's awesome! I talked with my "scary" professors, and I found out that they really care about me; I joined "terrifying" study groups with random people, and I quickly realized how much students look out for eachother; I made some "incompatible" friends, and they have always been there for me. I found out when I arrived on campus that I wasn't alone in this stressful journey. Now, I care more about my family than ever as they spend thousands of their hard-earned money making sandwiches to pay for my future, my life. Attending college has been the most valuable ever!

Michael

I haven't attended yet, but I'm already getting a lot of positive feedback just for being accepted into such a prestigious school. I know they have one of the best programs in the country and, having met one of the professors, I'm really excited about the robotics classes they offer. I know they offer a lot of tutoring help and encourage people to work together rather than competing against each other. I like the open, relaxed atmosphere of the campus and I'm looking forward to going to a school where the students are serious about learning the latest technology and developing new innovations, but still enjoy simple things like playing video games together. I can't wait.

Alex

I feel that since I have arrived at this college I have changed a lot. I wasnt the most social person in High school and upon arriving here I really felt like I fit in and wanted to be more invovled. My freshman year I was the Student Government Representative for my freshman dorm and I am currently the respresentative for my Fraternity. I am also the Community Service Charimen for my Fraternity and since i recieved the possition in November I have organized over 1,500 hours of Community Service. I have also attended four leadership seminars and have managed to remain on the deans list all but one quarter during my time so far at Rose. I feel that all of the opportunities given to me have helped me become very confident in who I am and what I want in life. I am very excited for what the world has in store for me and I believe that this college has played a large role in this. I continue to excel in my classes and remain involved on campus and I hope to see even greater rewards from this college in the next two years.

Ryan

I think I would tell myself to work harded in school. A few of the courses I'm pay for now I could have done in high school for free. Also I woulds tell myself to have fun because I miss high school right now. Not high school just my friends, so I would also say have more fun with all of my friends. You never know if your going to see them again.

Matthew

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, the first thing that I would tell myself is to do a lot of research before choosing the college that I want to attend. Apply to multiple colleges that you like and visit all of them during the school year before making a final decision. Also, I would tell myself to think about everything that I would want from my college experience; this means everything from academics to my social life. After arriving at college, do everything that you can in the first month or so. Go to all of the events and different organizations and find out what you like. Doing this will make the transition easier and help you meet a lot of people. Don't be afraid to be yourself and show everyone who you really are. Introduce yourself to as many people as you can.; don't be shy. This will make the transition a lot easier. Finally, the classes are going to be more difficult than high school. They will require more of your time and energy. Education is the reason that you are in college.

cindy

Focus on your studies. Because friends and having fun wont get you through life. Never second guess yourself and always give it your all.

Anthony

If I could go back in time, and talk to my past self, I would prepare myself for the transition from high school to college. I would mention to him that college is a challenge. Everyday you are challenged to do your best in college, and you have to meet that challenge with full, undivided attention. I would tell me that I can do anything I want to, but never forget to work hard and be the best that I can be. If I could do this, I could succeed in doing anything that i set my mind to.

Jake

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself a lot of things. I would start with telling myself that it would be a lot more difficult then I imagined to get past the home sickness. I would urge my younger self to take more time in researching different colleges. It's not that I don't like it here at Rose, but there is a good chance that another college would be a much better fit. I would advise myself to also take time in researching different career choices. I have already changed my major once and I am still not sure if I know what I'm going to do in the future. The sooner my younger self is able to figure out the best college and career that fits him the easier eveything will become. I would tell myself that with the seperation from home comes an abundance of additional responsibilities. Another thing that I would tell myself is that there are a lot of things to do besides go to classes at college. I should try to improve my time management skills before attending college.

Josh

Looking back at my highschool career, I have realized just how unprepared I actually was for college. In highschool I took all the advanced classes I could in order to try to prepare myself, but despite graduating with 27 college credits I was not close to being prepared. Perhaps I only feel this way because of the institution that I chose to attend, but studying for tests is definately someting I would tell myself to get used to. I would also make sure to tell myself to get used to minimal hours of sleep, extremely difficult exams, and attempting to better understand the poor english that some professors speak. Also, being an only child I never had to share my room, so college has taught me to not be the slob that I usually am, so I would make sure to tell myself to start picking up after myself more. The most important advice I could give myself is save money. With tuition costing me over $45,000 a year I wish I would have saved some of the money I earned in highschool because it is the worst feeling being broke, and every penny would definately help.

Alexandria

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, most of the advice I would give myself would involve the social and extracurricular aspects of college, rather than the academic. I would tell myself to go to every meeting of every society I could, and contribute to them. Not only can you make an impact on the school in this manner, you can meet amazing new people as well. I would tell myself not to be shy of the other girls on my floor of my dorm-they don't know anyone and are trying to meet people and make new friends, too. I would tell myself not to judge on first impressions and to love everyone. I would tell myself to walk in on conversations, walk into other people's rooms for a chat out of the blue, and I would tell myself that when any opportunity to do anything presents itself, to never, ever turn it down if I don't have to. I think this advice would have made my first quarter of college even better, and my current quarter even better than it currently is.

Jacob

Takes tours and visit the campus and familiarize myself with the campus, the staff, and the material.

Luke

I would tell myself to find clubs and groups that were interesting and, rather than simply collect information and talk to a few people about them, attend and meet new people. Friends are very important, especially in a new environment, and can help you feel more at home and accepted in whatever college you choose. Also, games and television come after studying, so don't spend all your money on a new computer with the newest fancy components.

Matthew

As a high school senior, I applied only to Rose-Hulman because I had planned on attending this school since beginning high school (because of the school's reputation as "the best") and, as a sort of bonus, the free application gave early notification just in case I did not get accepted. I had visited other, bigger schools during high school for extracurricular activities, but I did not make any other campus visits as a prospective undergraduate student. Instead of reviewing my options and choosing a college that best fit my needs, I made a quick decision based on the school's reputation. So, the advice I would give myself is this: Think about your lifestyle - what you like to do in your free time, the kinds of friends you like to surround yourself with, the type of environment you like to live in - and think about what you really enjoy doing, and choose both your major AND your school on these things so that you can enjoy your college experience as much as you hope to enjoy the life you'll have afterwards. Constantly thinking "Only ______ years left of hell..." only makes studying and getting through it harder.

Anna

My advice would to tell parents and students to start the college process early because it is a difficult process that should not be rushed. Everyone gets in to college somewhere and there is nothing to stress about, but you want to end up at a school where you will be happy. Starting early allows you to prepare the scores, grades, and finances to a certain point where you can be decently flexible for when applying schools. Make lots of lists of your top schools and edit them frequently and keep track of important application dates. If you have no idea what schools to put on your list, start with listing things that you like/ dislike about your present school and what you would want in your next school. Use the SAT/ACT search engines that give you suggestions of schools to look at. It doesn't hurt to look at schools online, but definately visit schools at the top of your list it can make or break your decisions, try to do overnight programs especially if you are going to be apart of a college team or small program. Ask yourself if you can see yourself at that school.

Virginie

Research a lot, and go visit the college you think are right for you

Kim

Choose a college that offers the major you want and also a variety of extra curricular activities. Hardwork will be required anywhere so be willing to put in the effort and time in order to succeed. Don't give up, make new friends, and try new things. There is only one life to live so make the experiences last.

Kendra

The best advice I can offer about finding the right college is to stay overnight. When I toured my school I stayed with the soccer girls so I knew exactly what my life would be like. That night they let the recruits play video games or watch movies but they had to study and finish their homework. From this experience I learned that my school was going to be academically rigorous. Another school that I toured, was more fun. My host girls played games with us and made sure we enjoyed the night. From this experience I learned that even though I would enjoy myself, I would not be pushed to the limit. I am glad that I picked the more challenging school, because it will have a greater reward in the end.

Caleb

College is a very important part of developing as a positive contributor to today's economy, on a local, regional, national, and global scale. Students need to find a degree program that will best serve their needs in that development. Students and parents should take plenty of time, at least a full year in high school, looking at various options for secondary education to determine which program, region, and ultimately, which college will be the best fit. Parents ought not be selfish! Don't try to push your children into careers they don't care to pursue, but rather help guide them towards a degree program that best aligns with the children's interests and skills. "Do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life." Is this truly not the ultimate goal? Money won't buy happiness, so find out what career will is likely to bring you pleasure and go after it wholeheartedly. I switched majors two years into my degree to a completely incompatible one, but I am so glad I did it. I'm at a good school, a reasonable student, but I'm set to have a great future. Good luck!

Andrew

They should look for the place that they fit in the best.

Isaac

Go to Rose-Hulman

Hannah

Visiting colleges is by far the most important part of picking the college that is right for you. At first, it's good to weed out colleges that are out of the question (such as way too large or of a religious affiliation you're uncomfortable with), but after that, visiting the college is important. Visit many too! Even if you're fairly certain a college won't work for you, once you set foot on campus and meet the people you'll be around for four years and get a good feel for the atmosphere, you might be surprised. Once you've found the right college, you have to put all of your heart into it. Once enrolled and as you begin your college experience, it's important to talk to people and make new friends. These are the only people that will be with you for four years and you will find some people that will be important to you for the rest of your life. They are your family. College is a wonderful experience, and once you've found the right family, you'll have the most amazing four years of your life.

Parker

There are some curcial things you must look into before selecting a school, many parents will say; I say differently. There is but one thing you must consider before choosing a school: does it fit? The school of your choice, the one you will love forever, the school that will get you a great job, keep you happy, and inspire life-long friendships is the one that gives you the best gut reaction. Visit your choices and then, based on an informed gut instince (let me explain), go where you feel safest, happiest, and like you fit in the best. About this "informed" gut instinct, it's all about spending time on campus, at least 4-6 hours to feel out a sparing few nuances of campus life etc. This advice, albeit simple, can be daunting to consider, but please, try it.

Matt

The best advice I can give is visit all the schools that are being considered. There will be some schools that just don't feel right, and others that do. The schools that do feel right should be visited multiple times, and, if possible, spend the night on campus to get an idea what the students go after classes are over for the day. As far as getting the most out of the college experience: get involved. It will be a long, boring 4 years (or however long a specific degree takes to complete) if other activities besides school and homework aren't persued. Try and explore new things that haven't been experienced before. This will enhance the experience felt, and it provides an outlet from school when school work becomes overbearing.

Douglas

Go where you want, don't worry about the cost.

Lewis

Picking the right college is definately one of the most impotant, life changing decisions a student can make. Before I decided to come to Rose-Hulman, I had been cosidering going to a state school for theatre with a second major in computer science. But one day, my uncle who now works for Apple, and had been to Rose-Hulman many years ago, told me to not worry about the cost of college, and to go to the best college I could get into. -- and that is exactly what I did. Even though I would still like to be majoring in theatre, I wouldn't trade my experiences here for anything.

Stefan

Rose Hulman is second to none

Lucas

Pick a school that you will fit in with and have fun at. College can be really stressful if you're not having a good time.

Ryan

A schools culture is one aspect that cannot be overlooked by students and parents. There's nothing worse than finding a great looking campus and a seemingly perfect degree program only to find out that your student doesn't connect with the people attending the school. I would suggest, to avoid this problem, planning at least two official visits to your priority schools. A lot can be determined by differences between visit number one and visit number two, depending on who the host is or what activities take place on each seperate visit.

Robert

Be sure to visit the school to get a good feel of the campus. It is hard to tell what a school is like from a brochure and website. Also, find a school where you know you will feel at home both academically and socially. When you get to school: keep your dorm room door open if you are in there to get to know other people, talk to your floormates, join clubs, find something that you are interested in (college is more than just studying). Be sure to hang out with your friends. Help other people with homework and projects and then they can help you when you need the help. Don't be afraid to ask for help; it makes learning concepts and material easier and quicker.

Christine

Go to the school where, as soon as you walk on campus, it feels like home.

Cody

The most important thing in a school is how it fits with your personality. I would highly recommend visiting each school (within reason) you are planning on attenending. Four years at a school that does not fit with your personality or goals will be miserable and you will not get as much out of your experience. Some key factors to consider are the size of the school, the diversity of the students and faculty, research oriented or not, and student life. Once you have chosen the school of your choice, I would recommend to get involved with acivities and clubs. This will help relieve some of the frustration of the college work load as well as make the years memorable.

Emma

Make sure the school you decide on is perfect in every way. Take lots of visits at different times of the year so you can get a true feeling about what campus really is like. As for making the most of college: get involved, study/work hard, make lots of friends, and have fun!

Brant

Think about what you want and challenge yourself. Don't let parents or counselors tell you what to do. Make that decision yourself. Use them as resources, not decision makers.

Adam

Anything that inspires passion is worth working for, is worth failing for, is worth risking everything for. It's worth your time, your money, and maybe even a place in your soul. Because in the end, the road we travel defines us, and our journey starts with our education. If you never failed, you never really tried.

Landry

Visit all the colleges you are looking at attending. I would try to do an overnight visit, either through the school or a friend, before paying the deposit . Make sure it is not a "suitcase school".

CEM

Talk to people who are affiliated with the college. Ask teachers questions that pertain to your learning styles if you visit the campus. Meet current students and young alumni. See if they are the kind of people you'd want to hang around with.