Pearl River College Upperclassmen Offer Advice

Going to college for the first time can be exciting. It can be intimidating. It can also be a little bit of both.

One common theme in advice for incoming college freshmen is to be open to new opportunities.

"As you get ready to begin the next great chapter in your life, embrace the new challenges that will come, enjoy the new friendships you will make, and most importantly, work hard to make the most out of every day," said Pearl River High School graduate Mark Svensson, now a senior at Georgetown University.

Another Pearl River resident, Connor Coyle, is about to begin his senior year at Albany. His younger brother, Craig Coyle, was Pearl River High School's valedictorian in 2011 and he has already been at West Point for weeks.

"My advice would be just to get involved in anything you can," Connor Coyle said. "By getting involved, you will create new friends. You will have more opportunities to do new things."

Both pointed to college as a highlight in anybody's life, something to be cherished.

"It's probably the best four years of your life," Coyle said. "Why not take advantage of that and do everything you can?"

"Looking back in the future, college will turn out to be one of the most memorable periods of your life," Svensson said. "Enjoy it. Have fun. But most importantly, work hard adn continue to challenge yourself both inside and outside the classroom."

The classwork in college provides a different type of challenge. Students who go away to school have to self-motivate. In many cases, they are working without their parents looking over their shoulders for the first time.

"You're on your own," Coyle said. "You don't have your parents any more to watch you and tell you what to do. You have to pay attention to your own things."

Coyle said he took that as a challenge when he first went off to college.

"You want to prove it to yourself and you want to prove to your parents that you can do things without their help," Coyle said.