On a nice day professor Bowling can often be found sitting at the top of the quad. Next time you see him there, stop by and introduce yourself. He has been here at Mville for a long time and is a good person to be acquainted with. He knows what he is talking about, and you would do well to listen to his advice.
No matter how good your high school experience was (or was not), college represents not only a new start, but also taking it to the next level-”it” referring to your life, in all its aspects. More than ever, you really are entering into adulthood. You will be calling more of the shots as to how you live day-to-day as you go about shaping your future life.
Be sure, first of all, to take care of business. You have chosen to attend college-good move. College isn’t cheap; be sure to obtain the proper return on your investment. Your business in college, of course, is learning. Manhattanville is a great place to take care of the all-important business of improving yourself intellectually, reducing your ignorance, enhancing your literacy. That’s why you’re here.
Having fun is something everybody should always do, and so that certainly goes for the time spent in college. We are located very close to one of the world’s great cities. Get to know it, or know it better, while here, and how to get around it most effectively. Besides the many well-known institutions and places, N.Y.C. is full of surprises and opportunities of all sorts, meaning you’ll never, ever even come close to experiencing them all (but give it a try). And closer to Purchase, Westchester, Fairfield, and the Hudson Valley are full of places to see and things to do. Get out there and do them.
You have made the excellent decision to attend a small college, a distinctive kind of institution. Here talk about a community feeling has a better shot of turning into reality. As one who has been here for some time, I can attest that rock-solid friendships made here can and do last a lifetime, and I hasten to add that these are the very best kind of friends one can enjoy having. Participate in campus life, make things happen, play and define your part in the collective Manhattanville story. You get what you give.
Above all, interact with people. Your teachers, coaches, administrators-we’re all here not only to help you out, put pressure on you to become what, in your heart, you really want to be, point you in the right direction–but also to become people you know and trust. And of course there are your peers, your fellow students-all sorts of people, from all over, all of them individuals with their own stories. Enjoy getting to know them, and letting them get to know you.
College-the best four years of your life? Why not?
