CA Alums Offer Their Own 'College Confidential'

Several Colorado Academy alumni who are current college students returned to campus to share their wisdom and experiences with all current juniors and seniors.
 
The annual event, hosted by CA’s College Office, was held in the week after the December break. As always, CA grads had a lot of good advice to share with their younger peers. Thank you to alumni Maddie Webster, freshman, CU-Boulder; Alec Hopping, freshman at Cornell University in NY after gap year; Nick Bain, freshman at MIT in Boston; Abel Ramirez, freshman at Bates College in Maine; Tess Hankin, freshman at Washington U. of St. Louis; Chloe Nosan, freshman at Wellesley College just outside of Boston; and Rebecca Popara, freshman at Gonzaga University in Spokane,WA.
 
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST SURPRISE AND/ OR CHALLENGE WITH THE TRANSITION TO COLLEGE?
  • The academic adjustment. At CA we are lucky to have really great academic discussions all of the time. In core classes in colleges, there are sometimes students who aren’t as motivated to work hard and engage.
  • What an impact never being alone means — there are people around all of the time; you’re living with a roommate; it’s hard to find time/ space to think and reflect.
  • Going from a school where I knew everyone to being somewhere where no one knew me… having to establish myself again, join clubs and be social.
  • College was pretty much what I expected, but the biggest adjustment was the sheer number of NY/Northeast personalities present.
  • Having your whole grade based on one or two grades, assignments or exams, and there’s no opportunity for retakes.
 
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY AS YOU LOOK BACK?
  • Should not have chosen a schedule where classes didn’t get started until 2 p.m. two days per week; I learned I didn’t get anything done those days.
  • I wish I’d been more open-minded about colleges at the beginning… I thought I wanted a huge college in a huge city and ended up at a small college in Maine.
  • I didn’t recognize at the time that deciding on a college doesn’t change who you are. You’ll still be the same person, who likes the same things, no matter where you go.
  • I wish I’d done more talking/emailing with people (CA alums, current students) when I was researching schools, because it was really helpful in making that final decision.
  • Recognize that once you apply, it’s not in your hands anymore. So just chill and open emails once a day, don’t anticipate release dates. Work on time management skills. Senior year is about developing yourself before you go off to college, so take classes that genuinely interest you — make the most out of your CA experience. Before you know it, it’ll be over. Talk to each other and vent. Parents don’t always get it. Once you realize that you can’t change the college outcomes, it’s kind of freeing.
 
A FEW COMMENTS ON THE CHOICE OF TAKING A GAP YEAR:
I wanted broader experiences and wanted to be more motivated. Senior year I felt burned out. The gap year really helped me to adjust. I was more mature when I arrived at college and am now doing better academically than I did at CA. I learned how to be out of my comfort zone. I traveled by myself and through that, earned my parents’ trust. By the time I went to college, they were much more relaxed, and that was better for our relationship. Parents are sweet; they actually know stuff and can talk to you about things.
 
DO YOU HAVE ADVICE ON HOW TO DEAL WITH REJECTION BY A COLLEGE?
  • Talk to one or more people about it, maybe not only your parents, and then let it go. In a year, it won’t matter, and you’ll probably barely remember where you didn’t get in.
  • Don’t be too hard on yourself. You will get into a school where you belong — if you don’t get in, it probably wasn’t the right fit.
  • There’s nothing you can do to change what happened. It’s going to be ok, it’s not your fault, you didn’t do anything wrong.
 
DO YOU HAVE ADVICE ON MANAGING PARENTS?
  • Spend time with your parents over the summer before you go. Orientation week doesn’t really allow time with parents, so say your goodbyes before you leave for campus together.
  • Make sure you’re very open with parents about what you need from them and what you want from them; schedule catch-up times. I set a regular time to call my parents each week. Having that set time really helps.
  • Being away from people makes you appreciate them more. Parents are well-reasoned; you should listen to them.
  • Break the ice on independence with them before you go — do things maybe they don’t want you to do but are safe. That helps them build confidence in you that you are 17 or 18 and you can manage it.
  • When going through the college process, I limited the time that my parents and I talked about my college choice to one hour a week.
 
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES WITH ROOMMATES?
  • Having a single within a suite has been perfect. Don’t be afraid to ask if singles are a possibility.
  • Roommates can become fast friends. But definitely set rules and expectations right at the start.
  • You can find roommates through Facebook and then request each other rather than relying on a school’s process of randomly assigning roommates.
  • That said, a random assignment is fine. You’ll likely be matched with someone who has very similar living styles, but maybe comes from a different background, and that makes it interesting. Even if you have differences, you can talk things out and learn to cohabitate.
 
WHAT’S MOST HELPFUL WHEN RESEARCHING SCHOOLS AND BUILDING LISTS?
  • The internet is great, but what’s most helpful is simply talking to people — CA alums and the binders in the College Office of surveys from CA students about their colleges can give insight into what that school is really like.
  • Take those online reviews with a grain of salt — anyone who’s writing a review either loves that school or hates it.
  • Look at all of the schools your counselor puts on your list, because you might discover something you didn’t think of.
  • After a formal campus tour, talk to students on campus. Don’t only rely on trained tour guides.
  • If you have a specific passion, then that can guide your search.
  • Visit schools that are different from one another so that you have a basis for comparison.
 
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE ABOUTCAMPUS VISITS?
  • Don’t just visit a school to check it off your list. Think about whether you could picture yourself there. The most helpful visits were after I was accepted — at that point it gets real, and you can think about what’s available.
  • Spend an overnight once admitted and ask, “Could this be my home?” Overnights give real context, what living in the dorms is like. Make sure you feel comfortable and safe. Immerse yourself in the experience.
  • If you can, try to visit when regular classes are in session. Visiting in summer is tough, because, while you get a sense of the campus, it’s hard to get to know the school without the students there.
  • Visit dining halls because you WILL be eating there a lot.
  • Wander around and get sense of the atmosphere. A really small school is still really big compared to what CA is — try to stay objective.
  • It’s OK to get a bad taste: but don’t let one person shape your entire impression of a community.
  • Don’t rule out options because of random stuff, like it was raining.
  • Check out the health center. You’ll probably get sick, and you will be far from home.
  • Everybody wants to talk about their college — talk to as many people as you can outside of people who are programmed by the admissions office. Take pictures/take notes, because they all start to look the same.
 
OTHER THAN TAKING A GAP YEAR OR GETTING A JOB, WHAT DID YOU DO TO PREPARE YOURSELF FOR COLLEGE?
  • Spent the summer doing a lot of reading, writing/reflecting, and spending time alone because you’re constantly surrounded by people at college. Take advantage of traveling before you leave. Spend time in Colorado, with your family, or in the mountains. Enjoy home while you can.
  • Get a job and make some money.
  • Spend time focusing on your physical cycles — sleep, eating, learn how to do a powernap. Be aware of what your body needs because it’s easy to hit brick walls.
  • Know how to operate a washing machine.
  • Learn what you do for self-care and know when you can fit it into your schedule.
 
HOW DO YOU SCHEDULE CLASSES?
  • There are student and faculty advisors who guide, but it’s more self-propelled at college. Sheila Chennell (CA’s registrar) will be even more appreciated in retrospect — she is a goddess. Colleges use online systems.
 
WHAT ABOUT GREEK LIFE?
  • At some schools it doesn’t exist and is replaced by sports teams that have their own houses and host parties. It is more of a networking opportunity than expected. Greek life is up to you: if you want to be active you can, but your involvement can be mellow too. Greeks can make a big school feel smaller, so it can be helpful at a big state school.
 
LAST WORDS?
  • Make conscious decisions about what you’re doing. It’s OK to say I’m done working and go have fun.
  • Get a therapeutic coloring book.
  • Recognize that college is just one step along your life’s journey.
  • It’ll be all OK even if it seems difficult at the moment.
  • Don’t be afraid to take a break.
  • Even if something doesn’t work out quite the way you want, there’s always something you can do about it.
  • Enjoy high school; there are great people at CA, and the time flies by fast.
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