"Professors are a friend, not a foe." | A Wharton School Student's Advice on College Life
We had the opportunity of interviewing SN, a student at the University of Pennsylvania about: College Life
Here are some of his qualifications:
A sophomore at UPenn, Wharton School of Business
Maintained a 4.4 GPA in high school
Previously involved in Model United Nations, Varsity Soccer, Varsity Tennis, Wind Orchestra, Marching Band, Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society
Here are some important words SN shares:
"Sometimes people get this fear that the professors are out to get you, but I assure you that most of them want to see you succeed."
"I try to keep myself pretty free compared to how I was in high school because in college you never know what opportunities will just pop up."
"College work can be stressful so it is really essential to take good care of your body and mind."
Q: What kind of “vibe” does UPenn give you?
A: It has a very competitive atmosphere, but the academic culture is fairly relaxed. I have had classes with pretty good curves on them and the professors really try to make sure that no one fails. Sometimes people get this fear that the professors are out to get you, but I assure you that most of them want to see you succeed.
Q: What clubs/activities are you involved in? (fraternities, tutoring, fellows, etc.)
A: I have a job on campus and I am in two clubs. I try to keep myself pretty free compared to how I was in high school because in college you never know what opportunities will just pop up. I plan on joining one more club soon, but I still want to keep myself pretty free.
Q: What’s a major difference besides the obvious ones, between high school and college?
A: Professors are not going to chase you down or be on your head about something all the time. They will give you the resources you need to succeed in the class and then the rest is on you.
Q: How do you keep a balanced, healthy lifestyle/ are you able to?
A: When we were still on campus, I ate pretty healthy, went to the gym around 4 times a week, and made sure I had time at the end of the day to unwind. College work can be stressful so it is really essential to take good care of your body and mind.
Q: What are some soft-skills that you think are necessary in college and beyond?
A: Personal/social skills, willingness/eagerness to learn, and ability to take criticism. These three things will serve you very well in college and beyond.
Q: In college or in high school or at any time in your life, did you ever have a mentor or role model that you looked up to and help you adjust to everything, all the changes?
A: I didn't really have anyone like that. If you do that is great, my history teacher that I mentioned before was certainly helpful, but when it came to confronting the changes I was more or less on my own.
Q: Do you have anything else you would like to add? Any final words of wisdom?
A: Don’t stress yourself out too much about college. At the end of the day, if you did your best, you will end up somewhere that you are happy and that is really all that matters.
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