Questions · College students
Questions for college students about figuring it out on your own
Questions for college friends, roommates, RAs and advisors: the first weeks on campus, learning to run your own life, who you’re turning into, and the pull between home and school.
- 17 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
Share the first time you did something on your own and felt more capable afterward.
Ikuwento ang unang beses mong gumawa ng isang bagay mag-isa at naisip mong, "Kaya ko pala."
Finish if you like: "That was when I realized I could..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Doon ko naisip na kaya ko palang..."
The questions
17 questions for college students
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
The first weeks on campus
5 questions
Practical, friendly, and good for the dining hall.
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Plan a hangout that a friend could bring a new friend to.
Kung magsasama ng bagong friend ang kaibigan mo, anong bonding ang ipa-plano mo?
Back of the card
Imagine the newcomer knows none of your old jokes. Your activity can still work.
Isipin na hindi alam ng bagong kasama ang dating mga biro ninyo. Puwede pa ring maging masaya ang activity.
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When you get home, what’s the first thing you usually do?
Pag-uwi mo, ano yung unang bagay na usually mong ginagawa?
Back of the card
That first move can be funny, tired, quiet, or automatic. It can say something about how you settle in.
Yung first move na iyon pwedeng nakakatawa, pagod, tahimik, o automatic. May sinasabi rin siya kung paano ka nagse-settle.
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Name one item you always seem to lose, like keys, earphones, a pen, a charger, or your wallet.
Magbanggit ng isang item na parang lagi mong nawawala, like susi, earphones, pen, charger, o wallet.
Back of the card
Some items have a talent for vanishing at the worst time. At some point, it starts to feel like a relationship issue.
May items na ang galing mawala sa worst time. Dumadating sa point na parang relationship issue na siya.
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Name the household item that becomes an issue when it goes missing.
Sabihin yung gamit sa bahay na nagiging issue kapag nawawala.
Back of the card
Some objects are only appreciated when they disappear. Their absence somehow turns the whole house into a search party.
May gamit na napapansin lang kapag nawawala. Bigla na lang buong bahay, search party na.
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Which ordinary errand would you rather do with a friend?
Anong simpleng lakad ang mas gusto mong gawin kasama ang friend?
Back of the card
The errand is done. Would you head home or extend the time together?
Tapos na ang lakad. Uuwi na ba kayo o magtatagal pa nang magkasama?
Running your own life
5 questions
Laundry, deadlines and nobody checking.
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Which small adulting skill are you proud you can do now?
Anong small adulting skill ang proud kang kaya mo na ngayon?
Back of the card
Adulting skills can be funny and real at the same time. Paying, fixing, calling, cooking, asking: they all count.
Nakakatawa pero real ang adulting skills. Magbayad, mag-ayos, tumawag, magluto, magtanong: counted lahat yan.
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Share the first time you did something on your own and felt more capable afterward.
Ikuwento ang unang beses mong gumawa ng isang bagay mag-isa at naisip mong, "Kaya ko pala."
Back of the card
Finish if you like: "That was when I realized I could..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Doon ko naisip na kaya ko palang..."
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Tell us about something you used to avoid that feels less scary now.
Kuwento mo yung dati mong iniiwasan pero hindi na ganun ka-scary ngayon.
Back of the card
Less scary is still movement. You do not have to be fearless to know something has changed.
Movement pa rin ang less scary. Hindi mo kailangang maging fearless para malaman na may nagbago.
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What have you been putting off that might bring relief once you start?
Ano yung matagal mo nang pinapabukas na baka gumaan kapag nasimulan mo na?
Back of the card
Starting can be the hardest part because it makes the thing real. Relief may come before everything is finished.
Minsan pinakamahirap magsimula kasi nagiging real na yung bagay. Pero minsan nauunang dumating ang relief bago matapos lahat.
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Pick one distraction you understand, but want to handle better.
Pumili ng isang distraction na gets mo, pero gusto mong i-handle better.
Back of the card
A distraction can make sense and still need care. Understanding it helps you change it without turning cruel toward yourself.
Puwedeng gets mo ang distraction at kailangan pa rin siyang alagaan. Mas madali siyang baguhin kapag hindi ka harsh sa sarili mo.
Who you’re becoming
4 questions
For late nights and long walks across campus.
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Describe the kind of person your recent choices point toward.
I-describe kung anong klaseng tao ang tinuturo ng recent choices mo.
Back of the card
Your choices are not the whole story, but they do point somewhere. Notice the direction without rushing to judge it.
Hindi buong story ang choices mo, pero may direction silang tinuturo. Pansinin muna bago husgahan.
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Name something you are outgrowing, even if you still care about it.
Magsabi ng isang bagay na parang ino-outgrow mo na, kahit may care ka pa rin doon.
Back of the card
Outgrowing something does not always mean rejecting it. Sometimes it means honoring what was real while making room to change.
Hindi laging rejection ang pag-outgrow. Minsan pag-honor siya sa naging totoo, habang gumagawa ng space para magbago.
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Point to one direction you feel drawn toward, even if it is not fully clear yet.
Magbanggit ng isang direction na feeling mo tinutulak ka, kahit hindi pa fully clear.
Back of the card
Clarity sometimes arrives after movement. You can honor the direction without pretending you know the whole path.
Minsan dumarating ang clarity habang gumagalaw ka na. Puwede mong i-honor ang direction nang hindi nagpapanggap na alam mo ang buong path.
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Name one small wish you have for yourself this year.
Ano yung isang maliit na wish mo para sa sarili mo this year?
Back of the card
Small wishes can still be honest. They may be easier to say out loud because they do not demand a perfect life.
Maliit man yung wish, honest pa rin. Minsan mas madaling sabihin kasi hindi niya hinihingi na perfect ang buhay.
Home and away
3 questions
Some miss home a lot, some not at all. Both are fine.
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When you think of home, what small detail comes up first?
Kapag naiisip mo ang home, anong maliit na detail ang unang pumapasok?
Back of the card
Home can be a smell, a sound, a person, a room, or one ordinary detail that stayed.
Pwedeng amoy, tunog, tao, kwarto, o isang ordinaryong detail ang home. Minsan yun ang unang bumabalik.
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Tell us about a food that reminds you of someone taking care of you.
Ikuwento yung pagkain na nagpapaalala sa'yo ng alaga ng isang tao.
Back of the card
Food can carry care without needing big words. Sometimes the simple act of feeding someone well becomes a memory by itself.
Kayang magdala ng care ang pagkain kahit walang malaking salita. Minsan yung simpleng pag-alaga sa pagkain, nagiging memory na.
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Who do you wish you could spend more normal, no-special-plan time with?
Sino yung gusto mong makasama nang mas madalas, kahit walang special na lakad?
Back of the card
Ordinary time can build closeness slowly. Not every good moment needs an occasion.
Nakakabuo rin ng closeness ang ordinaryong time. Hindi lahat ng magandang moment kailangan may special na lakad.
How to use them
Before you ask
College questions that go past “what’s your major?” are about independence. For most students it’s the first time running their own life: laundry, deadlines, money, sleep, and nobody checking. The good questions ask how that is actually going.
In the first weeks, keep it practical and friendly: a hangout someone could bring a new friend to, the errand they’d rather do with company, what goes missing first in a dorm room. Then ask about figuring it out: an adulting skill they’re proud of, something they used to avoid that feels less scary now, what they keep putting off. That last one gets very honest answers during midterms.
The deeper questions about who they’re becoming suit late nights and long walks. Students are outgrowing things and leaning toward directions that aren’t clear yet. A friend or mentor who asks without pushing for an answer is rare, and remembered.
Good for
Tips
- Ask about the first time they did something on their own; it’s a good story every time.
- Skip grades and GPA unless they bring them up.
- Use the home questions with care; not everyone misses home, and some miss it a lot.
- Advisors: ask one “who you’re becoming” question per meeting, not a career survey.
Decks for this
College students
Frequently asked questions
What questions should you ask college students?
Questions about independence and growth: an adulting skill they’re proud of, something that’s less scary now than it used to be, what they’re putting off, and which direction they feel drawn toward.
What do college students talk about?
Classes and deadlines, but also friendships, home, money, sleep and who they’re becoming. Questions that touch those without judging start real conversations.
What are good questions for an RA to ask residents?
Easy ones at first, like what goes missing first in a dorm room or a hangout to bring a new friend to, then check-ins about what they’re putting off and what they miss about home.
Bring a better question to the table.
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