Valoparaiso University Goals

Starting college as a Freshman is exciting; it is also unnerving. The comfort of everything I know is going to disappear and it will be time to grow up and face reality. However, reality isn’t doomed to be negative if I prepare for my future and

Seniors have a tendency of taking their last year of high school for granted. They do not realize that the relaxed classes and fun filled weekends with their best friends will all soon come to a devastating end. They have applied for college, bought miniature refrigerators, and sent in their housing applications, but none of them have really thought about college in the way that they should. When asked about college most high school seniors image the huge parties, attractive people, and freedom; however, college is much more than that and, in a way, much less. College and high school are completely different when it comes to a student’s actual lifestyle, but they have many of the same traits that most high school seniors do not see coming.

In Frank Bruni’s article “The Real Campus Scourge,” the main argument that many college freshmen are extremely lonely at the start of their college careers is supported by numerous testimonials and statistics, which add to the credibility of the argument and ultimately make the argument very believable.

The students not involved with athletics made most of their friends freshmen year by living in freshman dorms. Jen Pascarelli, a middler physical therapy major, and not an athlete, said “I made most of my friends freshman year, I lived in White Hall, and everyone just left their doors open.” She also made many of her friends because of her major. “My major is so small, all of my classes have the same people in them, so we all get to know each other,” said Pascarelli. Most non-athletes spend the majority of their time in their dorm rooms freshman year, because they haven’t gotten to know the area very well yet, and are not able to go to many clubs and bars. The problem with this mode of making friends for athletes is the fact that very little time is spent ‘hanging out’ within

As a freshman at UNCW, I was starting out in a new place for the very first time, away from my friends and family. So many different thoughts were running through my mind like “How do I make friends.” Maybe I could join different clubs and organizations around campus. I found myself wanting sign up for sorority recruitment, to see what Greek life was about here at UNCW.

Going to college will be a massive step in my life, even graduating from high school. First off, I plan to major in Accounting and become a Public Certified Accountant. I have been told that it will be hard, just going to class will not cut it. You have to be on top of schoolwork making sure you have it turned in on time and more. I chose K-State University because I could see my future there on campus getting through it all. I thought K-State had the best Business program and so much more. Looking at other colleges wasn’t a bad choice but I couldn’t see myself on their campus as much as I did with K-State. Second, I want to get involved in groups that would be good for me. I do not know all the kinds of groups are on campus but I’m sure I will find out. I hope to start off with

The institution I have attended for the last two years is a very focused yet disconnected box. This is understandable as lot of the students are older, more experienced, and already involved their field of choice moving towards a known objective with little time to focus elsewhere. However, as a younger student, this institution is a dead end. I have almost completed my associates degree and can not continue my education at Wayne County; at least not in an academic path that is desirable to me. I have participated in both social and academic programs such as the college's bowling team and SSS (Student Support Services). As well as becoming a member of my community college's chapter of Phi Theta Kapp.

I have a passion for learning, which has been inspired by my undergraduate studies at UCSB. I came into college thinking that I would feel the same about my classes as I did in high school. Most were interesting, but nothing really made me feel inspired about learning until my first quarter Sociology class. I am currently a Sociology major and plan to double major in History, as well as minor in Applied Psychology. These three subjects have grabbed my attention and have made me truly passionate about learning new things. I am working to achieve a high GPA during my undergrad at UCSB so that I can get into a good Graduate School to obtain a Ph.D to further the passion I have for education.

While staying at the Honors Living Learning Community, I hope to make close connections with both my peers and honors staff. I believe it would be beneficial to stay in these dorms as a freshman as opposed to others because, I will easily be able to meet and find members in similar classes as me. This would allow for a tightly knit network with a familial presence to grace my first year of college. In the end, I hope to gain a better understanding of my peers that share similar goals as me. To aid in others’ learning experience and have friends who want to aid in mine would be advantageous to my college experience because I would be able to grow in the best learning and living environment possible.

I feel like it is my responsibility to be here for them as no one was here for me. In the new environment that I will be in, it will also be very easy to fall for the same temptations that plagued me in high school. Things like laziness and procrastination are ever so present in college as they are in high school. I will try to build on what has been an inconsistent will power. There are days when I can just get things done and then there are days when I do nothing. Finding the right people to surround myself with when I go to college is going to be very crucial. What I have come to find out about myself is that the people I hang around the most with influence every decision that I make in my life. There have been phases in my life when I would study all day, play guitar all day, play basketball all day, work all day, do nothing all day, play video games all day. All of these phases directly influenced from the group of people that I was hanging out with. Optimally I would like to be around people who have a school-first mentality, and then hang around people who live a very healthy lifestyle consisting of working out and eating right. I would like to volunteer often in college. I could give back to the community in a mutually rewarding way. When I did JJP, I felt like I was really giving back to the community at St. Vincent de

For most of my first year in college I felt lost and alone; I was not really involved with clubs or organizations until my second year at Miami Dade Honors College and I don’t want to have that same experience while attending FIU. I know that being part of the Honors College at FIU will benefit me because of the tight knit community, but it is always good to have friends and communicate with people from all backgrounds. After breaking through my shell, I have learned that I enjoy other people’s company.

When one goes to college you are expected to socialize and make friends. The media portrays college as a new experience where students should engage in opportunities outside of their comfort zone. Being at UCLA is such an accomplishment because individuals like myself who are from low socio-economic backgrounds are often not expected to get this far. However for many Caucasian folks, going to college is what is expected.

I have never been able to experience the traditional “college experience” that everyone thinks about when they think of going to a SEC university. One of the biggest perks of being able to take advantage of that is making life-long friends and meeting other students that you are able to study with in order to meet new people and have a great 4 years. While living off campus increasingly hinders this opportunity, organizations such as the National Society of Collegiate Scholars makes this possible for everyone. After joining organizations and attending meetings I have been able to meet people that otherwise I would never have met that have been in my shoes and know by first hand experiences how difficult it will be to juggle a 5 hour chemistry lab along with an 18 hour course load and a part time job.

While attending college there is an obvious reality that the diversity you'll face won't go remiss. Whether you attend an HBCU or a PWI diversity is a prominent factor around the campus. No one background is the same, which makes it more of a process to get to know your new classmates. That’s why the first-year experience courses such as SLS, The Bridge program, and Summer terms were implemented to help incoming students learn all the key components that they’ll need to get through college. Additionally having involvement within the University will help create a connection with you and your new peers. I advise everybody to join some type of organization while at school. The networking that will come out of joining something will help you

As well as focusing on academics, I also believe that in the future I will expand my social experiences. Familiarizing myself with diversity and broadening my horizons is in my opinion important to act upon. For example, as I embark on the Study Abroad program here at Bryant during my “Sophomore Year Experience” or as I travel after college, I see myself meeting new and exciting people (whether from Spain, Europe, Australia, etc) who can educate me in how their government is run, school systems are set up and overall what it’s like to live in a place that is so much different from my home. In turn, I will be able to do the same for them.