“Don’t choose a major for the paycheck.”

Test scores — SAT and ACT — get used to place you into your general math, your general reading and writing; so for that they do matter. Your grades can determine scholarship-type deals. If you take AP classes, sometimes the credits will transfer. AP Lit actually did help me more than I thought it would, because it taught me how to write papers that weren’t five paragraph essays. Five paragraph essays are a lie. And no matter what major you’re in, you’re going to have to write papers someway, somehow.

How did you choose your college?

I liked Temple because it was pretty close, but it was a different feel than in Boyertown. It’s only an hour away, but it’s definitely not Boyertown.

How  did you choose a major?

I hated my business classes; it was terrible my freshman year. I had one of the worst GPAs I’ve ever had in my life. So, I switched majors from business to international business, and finally to a double major of linguistics and German. It’s more enjoyable when you like what you’re doing. Don’t choose a major for the paycheck.

How was the adjustment to college life socially?

My roommate was terrible. I came back after Easter break and she had moved half of her stuff out and was living in the house where all the ultimate frisbee guys lived. But that’s what the RA is there to help you with. Being without someone to nag at you, makes you learn the responsibility, as opposed to being forced to do it. We do the dishes pretty much as soon as we’re done. It was weird at first, but I was close enough that if I wanted to go home, I could. So that was part of the reason why I did stay in-state and relatively close.

How was the adjustment to college life academically?

Going about figuring out how to do homework [is hard], because homework is very different from high school. You have to sort of re-figure out how you live. Being without someone to nag at you makes you learn the responsibility, as opposed to being forced to do it. It’s just different.

You are currently getting your masters degree in College Student Personnel in Bowling Green, Ohio. How is grad school different?

It’s a lot harder, but it’s only two years. Like, you’re here for a specific purpose and then you leave. It’s a lot more, ‘Okay I just gotta get through this,’ as opposed to, ‘Yeah, college is fun!’

I’ve always got readings to do, always. So there’s a lot less of ‘hey, let’s go hang out’ on the weekends. There’s a lot less of that because we’re all doing our homework and our reading and our writing on the weekends, because during the week we’re lucky if we get to eat real food, as opposed to cereal, for dinner.