Ball State University Top Questions

I would tell myself to become more assertive. I had been timid for so long that once I got to college and had to be assertive, I struggled with it. While I have no problem speaking up now, my freshman year was difficult. I would also tell myself to get involved in activites and groups. My sophomore found that there were so many great student groups on campus that I did not know existed my freshman year, mostly because I did not know where to look.

I would tell myself to spend less time with new friends and more time with new books. I have spent a lot of time with people that I have met and have failed to pay attention to my studies. I wish I had spent more time studying. I would tell myself that you should always be reading or studying for your classes. You can't procrastinate in college. I would tell myself to break that habit immediately. I would tell myself to go see the professors if I need help. You may feel stupid, but the truth is, you are making the effort to get help, which demonstrates that you aren't. I would also make sure to tell myself to utilize the study lounges and the library. Yes, you may have to walk across campus in the cold rain, but it will all be worth your time in the long run.

If I could go back in time and advise myself on how to handle college life, I would not start off by talking about grades and how to study. Throughout high school I always knew how to study and earn good grades, but I always had a problem with change and getting used to new situations. Therefore, if I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would say "Sharisse, you need to learn to be more open-minded and accepting to new ideas, people, and situations. You'll be living with people who do not have the same values and ideas as you, and that's O.K. There's nothing wrong with change and it'll be good for you, so don't dwell on the fact that you're 4 hours away from your old life and just focus on beginning your new life. Also, when you first get to college, go out more! Don't eat lunch and dinner in your dorm, stay in the food court and meet new people because it'll help you adjust quicker. Just remember not to lose yourself in order to fit in."

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, the advice I'd give myself would be to investigate the finances that you'll need to attend the school . When you first arrive at the school, one of the first thoughts on your mind is, "Will I get lost on the first day"? But what should also be on your mind is if you and whoever else may be helping you will be able to come up with the payments needed to stay in class and on campus. Before coming to campus, go online and look up the cost of tuition along with your financial award package and the cost of your class books for that semester. Doing this will alleviate a lot of stress and it will be one less thing that you will have to worry about when it comes time for exams. If you're ever unsure about how much you owe or the payments that need to be made, ask the Bursar at your school. Remember, looking up the information before you reach campus is important so you won't fall behind in payments, and you can continue school.

I would say "Self, high school was a little difficult and though part of that difficulty was dealing with mom always breathing down your neck, you are going to miss that. Being up at college is a completely different experience and no one is there to watch over you and make sure that you are getting everything done or reminding you that you have an appointment at this time. So when you get to college make sure that you make your self aware of all that you have to do that day and GET IT DONE! Once you arrive at Ball State don't focus on "getting settled", focus on making friends. No one wants to simply go to their classes and come directly back to their dorm rooms everyday, so get out there and meet new people. Don't worry too much about parties or people doing other said typical college activites because it doesn't matter what they are doing so long as you do not allow your self to get caught up in them, besides you won't encounter that very much. Overall, have fun, keep your grades up and live your life.

I think I would tell myself to be more prepared. I didn't realize what was at stake as a high school senior because that was my final year and I was glad to be almost over. I think that really over shadowed my focusing to the point where now, college really is a lot harder and I know that know. I would be more likely to tell myself to get your head in the game and focus on the task at hand. This is a big chance in your life and you really need to take it. Getting to college is a big deal and your so close to moving on to even bigger and better things in your life. My senior self was little bit more about fun back then but being a sophomore in college now, I know that I can balance my fun and be focused all at the same time. I know college is here to help me better myself and I would just need to tell my past self that to understand what what greater ahead for me in life.

if i could go back and talk to myself as a senior I would tell myself to focus more on my goals and less on my social life. I would have tried harder to get better grades and keep my GPA up. I would also tell myself to learn better study habbits. If you dont have good study habbits in college you wont make it very far. Also being more involved with groups or clubs to show my leadership ability, and helping the community by doing community service to show my character.

As a high school senior I constantly stressed about getting into school, living on my own, and being able to make good grades in college. After completing a semester at Ball State University, I would give my high-school self some great advice: Relax. You will get into school without any problems, living on your own is a fun experience that sparks tremendous growth, and college classes are no more difficult than high school classes because you have prepared yourself by taking honors and AP courses. Challenging yourself by choosing the Honors College will prove to be a fantastic decision. You not only will have some interesting and intriguing classes, but you will make incredible friends. Ball State is definitely the right choice because not only do you get the big-school, highly popualted campus, but through the Honors College and honors housing, you will get a close-knit community and will be more than just a number while getting the chance to shine and stand out amongst your peers.

I made the choice to take a year off between high school and college to heal from an eating disorder and to discover myself. I was initially afraid of what other people would think about it since it isn't common. Now I'm so glad that I did it and I would tell my high school self to stop worrying what other's think. It's my life and it shouldn't be run by people I won't care about in a year. During this year I've learned volumes about myself by doing things I've always wanted to do which has prepared me for college beyond any class or orientation. I'm one of the kids who is completely undecided about my life and major and through travel, work, internships, and activities I'm way closer to knowing what I want. Studies show that students who take time off are way more focused upon returning to school and in fact do much better than most who go straight from high school. Next year I'll be at GWU but I'll be the girl who can handle the curveballs and the rest of life.

I think I managed fairly well as far as transitioning from high school to college goes. I am a shy person, so I would have advised myself to be more sociable during high school. That would have probably helped me more in college as far as meeting new people goes. When it comes to school work, I would have advised myself to work a bit harder to get better grades in all of my classes in high school. I did well in them, but I could have worked much harder to get better grades. I would have told myself to study harder for the SAT. If I would have done better on that, I could have been exempt from more college courses.

If I had the opportunity to go back in time and talk to my former self as a high school senior, I would probably slap him in the face. I would tell myself to get started on finding money for school and to stop slacking off and actually apply myself better for college rather than just passing through each class for a grade. I would have told myself to start thinking more about the career I wanted so that I could be fully dedicated to my career whether it was going to be music technology, microbiology or any other path that I am now stuck on deciding between. I would have told myself to call work so that I could work more hours and make more money so that I would not struggle as much as I do financially as well as to set money aside to prepare for the future car problems or anything else that might happen. The last thing I would say to myself would be to prepare myself for a whole new world where I have the freedom to make choices for myself; so don't mess this up.

The number one thing that I would tell myself would be to save my money as much as possible. After completing a semester of college, I have realized the importance of not spending money on every little thing. Also, I would tell myself to get used textbooks off of online retailers, rather than the campus bookstores because it is a lot cheaper and you can still sell it back. Another thing I would tell myself would be to get a job as soon as possible. Even though it can be a hassle on top of classes and everything else, it is really nice be getting a steady paycheck and to have money and in the end, it ends up being more beneficial. The last thing I would tell myself would be to not bring so much stuff with me to campus. There's not a ton of room in the dorms and everything that gets put in there has to be taken out at the end of the year, so its just easier to keep it simple and not take everything.

The advice I would give myself as a high school senior would be to study, attend every class, and interact with the people that you go to school with. Those three things would be the steps that you would want to take inorder to have a successful and stress free college experience. The reason I say those three things are important is because if you study and attend every class then you shouldn't have a problem when it comes to taking test, completing homework, or finals week. The reason why you should interact with the people you attend school with is because it helps you get to know different types of people and just in case you do have a problem/question in a certain class, then you can go to one of the new friends you made and ask them for their assistance.

I would first tell myself not to worry about leaving home. You make so many friends and dorm life is not bad at all. Then I would have to teach myself to study. College is not like high school, you can't make friends with the teachers and expect special attention. When they give a deadline, it's a done deal. No negotiating. Attend different events like RUSH at a fraternatiy, even if you don't make it you meet new people. Also, I would tell myself that you can hold a social life while being academically successful. Treat each day like a work day, wake up at seven and study. Go to your classes and study in the hours between each class. Once your last class is over, study for about another hour . Once your "shift" is done, hang out with your friends. Just be responsible and know that you may have to give up some of your "freetime" to research for papers or work on projects. And go to bed at a reasonable time. If you're up studying too late, chances are you won't remember half of what you were working on before bed. Have fun!

I wish I could have prepared myself for college more than I did. I wish I tried harder to raise my gpa, which would make me more applicable for colleges. Time management is another issue I wished I practiced more in high school. Managing your time in college is crucial and needs to be done in order to pass. Organization is another important key. Keeping everything in line, and knowing when projects are due will come in use during college.

(i am currently enrolled as a freshman at Ball State University in muncie,indiana. i received my GED diploma after signing out of school to help my family's income my senior year.) If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, i would incourage myself to keep up the good work and study more than I did because that is a lot of what college is about. I would tell myself that with all the fun and freedom college grants you also comes just as much responsibility. I would let myself know that i was just as smart as anyone at Ball State and encourage myself to stay focused through all the fun because it does not take much to fall behind. last but not least, the most important thing that i could have ever told myself about college would have been that college is not just education or parties. College is Higher education that is you pay for and that can make or break the future part of your life and or career and that college is very well worth working hard to get to.

Don't waste your time on AP classes. They don't help you at all. All my high school teachers told me that I should take all these AP classes because they would prepare me for high school. They also told me that I should take all the hard classes too. All a big waste of time. College is completely different than high school. You actually get to make your own decisions in college like in the real world. If a teacher ever tells you that you should take an AP class because it prepares you for college, don't believe her.

Honestly, if i had to go back and tell myself in high school all the things I know now about college, the first and most important thing I would tell myself is to pick a subject that you really love, opposed to a major that will make you lots of money in the future. It took my 2 years of wadding through majors that I had no interest in , i.e. Buisness, Secondary Education, Political Science, until I realized that life is too short to spend it working a job you don't care about. If I could go back I would tell my high school senior self that money is NOT everything, and that settling down right away and working a stale job is certainly not the only option in life. In fact I would have explained to myself that making money does not lead a person to happiness, and that I will never really be able to truly enjoy the things I spend so much time trying to buy, because in the long run they will lose their appeal to me and fade away. "18 year old Dominic, money isn't everything, and life is short."

As a High school senior, I was always worried that by going to an out-of-state school I would have a hard time making friends. Looking back, if I could give myself any advice it would be not to try so hard. Friends will come if you make small efforts to meet them. It can be as simple as leaving the door open in your dorm. In fact, people will often to come by and say "hi" to get to know their neighbors. Do not feel that you have to go such extremes as joining every club you hear about. However, joining clubs is another small way to meet new people with similar interests and help you feel involved on campus. Just because you are going to an out-of-state school does not mean that you are going to another planet--give it time, a little effort and soon you will have more friends than you can handle .

High school seniors sometimes do not realize the importance of applying for multiple scholarships; sometimes the high school does not offer the resourses to make this an easy process. I encourage all high school seniors to be proactive and get out there and search for those scholarships.