<p>Well, this is it, today is my graduation day from the University of Notre Dame du Lac. Let me tell you it came way too fast! Since I am graduating today, and am so much wiser for having gone here (well, maybe, lol) I decided I would stop by and give some unsolicited advice...you know, the kind you don't want but have to listen to anyway. So here we go.</p>
<p>Incoming students: What an opportunity you have! The opportunities at this place are nearly endless, which is nice because at most schools the opportunities are limited at least until you are a graduate student. There is just so much here though. You may be coming in with preconceived notions about what you want to do, but I encourage you to throw them out the window. Be open to this experience, give everything a fair shake with FYS, and then do what you enjoy the most. I don't care how much money you can make, it isn't worth doing something you are going to hate for the rest of your life! </p>
<p>Beyond that, just realize that grades are not everything. That is easy for me to say, I focused on grades too much and did very well, but they really aren't. College is more than about classes, college is about the experience (including classes). I know a lot of what I learned in college was outside the classroom. Be open to new experiences and never settle for just doing what is required...it may be okay in the moment but you will regret it later. You only have four years here, make them count. It seems like a long time, but trust me, it isn't.</p>
<p>Rejected students: I was rejected in 2003 and yet I will be graduating with honors from Notre Dame this afternoon (no, it isn't a major clerical error...well, maybe my acceptance was, but...). I know that ND is getting terribly hard to get into, and there are many smart students who get turned away. I would say 95% of the students who apply here would thrive at ND, there just aren't enough seats! Keep your chin up, and know that being rejected doesn't mean you are not a ND caliber student, because again I was rejected and am graduating with high honors. If you want to get to ND badly enough, and you work hard and plan ahead, I believe that you can make it. Don't give up on this place if coming to ND is your dream, don't let an admissions decision crush that because it is only a piece of paper and it only makes it that much sweeter when you graduate.</p>
<p>Okay, enough of that, I don't want to sound like a pompous prick, lol. All I am saying is take advantage of your opportunities if you are coming here, or if you were turned down don't give up! There are many people who have gone before you who have been rejected and yet end up with that ND degree on their wall. If someone like me can do it, why can't you?</p>