Off-to-college checklist: 25 important questions

A wave of incoming new students attended Orientation at AIB College of Business Aug. 19. In a scene duplicated on college campuses around the state – and country – freshmen were briefed on such matters as financial aid, student IDs, residence life and best lunch options at the campus diner.

AIB’s Vice President for Academics Dr. M. Susan Cigelman relayed another important tip to the newcomers: Integrity is big deal at AIB.

“I’ve coined a phrase,” Cigelman said. “INWIT, or It’s Not Worth It.” 

She warned that at AIB, if a student copies off another student’s work, they both will be failed. Athletes may lose scholarships or be suspended from their teams.

So at a time when students are tuned in to checklists of what to pack for college and what books are needed for which classes, perhaps another type of checklist is in order. This one helps students inventory their integrity and character at a significant transition point in their lives.

I recently found the list tucked away among personal keepsakes. Copied onto a ragged sheet of notebook paper at a time when my penmanship was still fairly legible, its author is unknown – at least by me. But it’s as pertinent now for students – and others – as it was when I saved it decades ago.

• Am I unduly concerned with my own interests, problems and opinions?
• Am I free from petty snobbishness and social prejudices that make me feel I am better than others?
• Do I feel that other people like me and regard me as a friendly person, neither too shy nor too aggressive?
• Do I have class in emotional self-control?
• Am I able to avoid childish outbursts of temper and name-calling?
• Do I pout and sulk when things don’t go my way?
• Do I go overboard in my likes and dislikes, loving too hard and hating too much?
• Am I so sensitive, so thin-skinned that I am in a constant state of being hurt?
• Do I make a special effort to include strangers in my group and to make them feel comfortable?
• Do I go out of my way to help the underdog, the unloved, the unpopular, the troubled?
• Am I the kind of person who takes the time and the trouble to praise others for their accomplishments?
• Do I make others feel at ease because I smile, shake hands or make other gestures of good will?
• Do I nurture a grudge because I enjoy the conflict?
• Do I sincerely want to terminate conflicts?
• Do I ever take the trouble to find out the facts and feelings that underlie the other person’s position in a conflict?
• Do I try to end a grudge by taking a positive step, by a definite, friendly act?
• Do I take steps to uncover other people’s personalities, to learn their problems and interests?
• Have I made efforts to know my classmates?
• Do I mingle with people, spending only a reasonable amount of time with my friends?
• Do I ask friendly questions and listen to the answers?
• Do I stand up for what I think is right, no matter who may be displeased?
• Am I a gossip?
• Do I admit my errors and turn to support those who have opposed me?
• Do I refuse to join in “witch hunts”?
• Am I willing to go along with the gang just to be “in”?