Want to learn how to get the most out of your college experience? Who better to turn to for advice than the first team USA-Today Academic All Americans, including one from right here at Tech. Click on "Read More" to see how they suggest you get the most out of your time at Tech.
Elizabeth Longino, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill:"Throw away your ideas of what a successful college career is supposed to look like. There is no template or set of rules to follow! Find things you are passionate about, seize on topics that are important and compelling to you, and then engage deeply."Reynaldo Fuentes, University of Wyoming:"Get involved, get involved, get involved. The most important learning and growth that happens in college almost never takes place in the classroom. College is about expanding horizons, connecting with hundreds of new people and having fun. But keep your grades up; they are helpful later on."
Neha Deshpande, Johns Hopkins University: "Don't be afraid to try something different. Invest your time and energy in the activities that matter the most to you. It's always better to devote yourself fully to a few passions and really excel in them rather than spreading yourself too thin."
Caroline Huang, MIT:"The most difficult lesson I had to learn was how to say 'no.' It's important to take advantage of opportunities; it's more important to graduate with your sanity. Once I began to strike a balance between working hard and taking time to relax, I enjoyed my college experience much more."
William Boyd, Georgia Institute of Technology:"Don't worry so much about what college you end up attending. Instead, focus on the difference that you can make during your short time in college. The movers and shakers in college are focused on where they want to go and how they plan to take the world along with them."
Serena Stein, University of Pennsylvania:"Live with students from countries you know little about, who speak languages you've never listened closely to, and whose intellectual interests are nothing like yours. You may end up studying one of those new languages or find that the best feedback on your anthropology papers comes from the international relations major and engineer who live across the hall."
Vinayak Muralidhar, MIT:"Be brave about talking to professors. Professors really like when students come to their office hours or set up meetings. I feel like I've learned more at MIT, gotten great mentorship, and had a lot of doors opened because I knew my professors."
Nora Tobin, Iowa State University:"Study abroad! In many places, financial aid will still apply and you can apply for additional scholarships. There probably won't be another time in your life when it's so easy to pick up and move overseas."
Jennifer Lamb, Virginia Tech:"When you find something that excites you, talk about it to the people you perceive to be most knowledgeable, even at the risk of sounding stupid."
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