What do Aragon teachers think about college?

As April comes to an end, the deadline for seniors to submit their Statement of Intent to the college of their choosing looms nearer and nearer. Although graduating seniors may not be fully aware of what to expect, Aragon teachers have plenty of advice for the seniors having had first-hand experience with college life.

“The new stuff is the best part,” says history teacher Ron Berggren. “Hopefully students are going someplace new with new people, environments and opportunities. Students should use every chance they get to meet new people. I first went to a small liberal arts school where I got a chance to interact with some amazing people, including some very good history professors who opened my mind to many different things.”

Math teacher Don Bush has another piece of advice for seniors. “Take care of your studies first. The parties will always be there. If you miss a party on Thursday night, don’t worry, there’s a party on Friday night. Miss a party Friday night, guess what? There’s a party on Saturday night. Don’t pay attention to those polls that rate which school is a ‘party school’. Any school with 10,000 or more 18-24 year olds is a party school.”

Finding time to study while still exploring and experiencing every part of college life is important. Bush says, “Plan on studying ‘as long as it takes’. One thing that might be a good idea is to find or start a study group. Go to professor’s office hours for help, but more importantly, so they know who you are. That might make a difference if your grade is borderline in a class of 100 students.”

“While studying is important, you should always make time for yourself. You should always find the proper balance even if you are busy,” says English teacher and yearbook adviser Vince Bravo. “One semester, I was taking 21 units and working full time. I had to leave my lunch hour just so that I could attend my Shakespeare classes. I definitely didn’t get a lot of sleep at all.” Although this was manageable at the age of 18, Bravo claims that he would never be able to pull such a busy schedule today.

Being a college student also means that students will have to spend a lot of time studying, even pulling some all-nighters. Science teacher Aaron Apperson explains, “The best thing to do is to have a group of friends who are studying for the same thing as you because you can keep each other going.”

But even amidst the studying, the social aspect is a huge part of college. “Fraternity life is fun, and a great way to make friends and be a part of the social scene,” says Bush. “However, as I look back 25 years after my graduation, the college friends I keep in contact with now are those friends that I had before I joined a Frat or met outside of the Frat.”

“The most important thing to do when meeting new people is to smile,” says Apperson. “If you make the first move by smiling and letting them know you are friendly, you have already accomplished the number one step in making new friends.”
“The most important thing to remember is to enjoy college,” says Berggren. “It is your last time to play before life gets a bit more serious.”