Bethel University-Saint Paul Top Questions

As you make your college decision, think carefully about who you want to be in the future. Contemplate ideas beyond employment in a particular type of job or career path. Think about the kind of friendships you would like to maintain. Think about the reputation of your college within its community and beyond. Think about what character qualities you wish to grow within yourself. While your college does not control who you become in the future, it may be a key catalyst in the values you form, the relationships that carry into your adulthood, and the quality of preparation you have for engaging a global marketplace.

I think one thing I would tell myself is to work harder and build stronger study habits. This is the one thing that was hard in my transition from high school to college. I would also have told myself to take a few more pseo credits. This would have saved me alot of time and money.

Since coming to college I have learned an abundance of lessons I wish I would have learned back in high school. Bethel University is an expensive college to be attending and sometimes I feel I have wasted time because I have not done as well in some courses as I would have hoped and have made less than appealing social choices in my first year. The best advice I would give myself if I could go back in time to when I was a high school senior would be to never take for granted the opportunity to attend college. College offers a large variety of opportunities and experiences. Academic excellence is one opportunity every college student gets. Acquiring this takes discipline, but achieving it is rewarding. Extracurricular activities is another opportunity. Not taking part in such an experience is wasteful, but choosing to get involved is never a waste of time. I am so blessed to be a part of such a community as Bethel and if I had known more about the transition and the overall importance of higher education, I would never have wasted so much time in the beginning and would have developed better time management skills.

If I could go back and tell myself what college was like I would tell myself that it is a time where you learn not just about your major, but about yourself. Everything you thought you knew about yourself will get shaken up. Your religion, moral, ethics, knowledge, and personality. It is an emotional time, but it's an exciting time. You learn not just career skills, but social and life skills. College seems to be a time where you can decide who you are going to be and how you are going to do that. College is a beautiful trying time in your life. It is what you do in those years at college that you will never forget. Something that I will be able to tell my children about. College is something that you can't just read about in a book. It is an experience that cannot be described but rather must be lived out.

It is very important to make the right choice in selecting a school. I selected the wrong school and my social life and academic aspirations were both hindered because of a wring choice. Luckily for me, transferring was an option.

The advice that i would give myself is to continue to work hard in school and develop good study habits as well as take as many college courses that you can in high school. Coming into college i could get by without studying much and could still do good on tests. But ow in college i have to buckle down and disicipline myself so i can study and so i can do a good job on my exams. Also i would tell myself to take some college courses in high school. I could be ahead of my class and even graduate a semester early if i would have taken some courses in high school and i really wish i would have because i could have cut down the price on my total tuition. And when you have to pay for all of it once you get out of school, anything to cut down the price is a big advantage. I also would have told myself to really enjoy the time you have with your friends that you have grown up with and to really cherish the moments that you have with them because I personally miss them all.

College has been so different than I expected it to be and I wish I could go back to high school and tell myself to change my expectations. First of all, lifelong friends are not met right away. It takes time to get to know people on a deeper level. When you feel alone, understand that other people feel the same way at times. It is normal. Talk to people, whether family members or old friends or upperclassmen, to talk through your feelings with. They will help put things in perspective. Second, do not compare yourself to other people because each person comes from a different background and each person will experience college in a different way. Focus on the good things you have rather than on what you do not have, because focusing on the bad sucks a lot of energy out of you. Third, the workload can be overwhelming. College classes require a lot of work but just try to manage your time well to get everything done. These are important ideas that I have learned in college and being aware of them before college would have made the transition a lot easier.

Throughout college, we often surround ourselves with loving friends and positive support groups. Both can be created through similar interests, classes or living situations. If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would put more of an emphasis on the benefits of having a positive support group and strong friendships. When I entered college, I came in with the attitude that college was all about preparing for my future career and job. Because of this, I placed a large emphasis and amount of time on good grades, along with scholarly success. Looking back on the situation, however, I now understand the importance of balancing school work along with friends. Frienship is something that you can take with you wherever you go, including family situations, difficult times, and specifically the work field. School and grades are importnant, but so is friendship, which is why I would take the time to inform myself of the benefits.

I would tell myself to treasure every moment - the hours of studying, the late night conversations, the changing of the seasons. College is an incredible time that will be unlike any other time in life. Never will you have such easy access to amazing people and the opportunity to form meaningful relationships. Also, keep an open mind and be ready to get challenged. College is a place of diversity and your beliefs will be shaken. This is not a bad thing! Seek truth, explore possibilities, and form your own identity. And don't forget to work hard. Give your best effort and be content with the results. Pursue the joy of learning rather than just the satisfaction of good grades. And finally, don't forget your family. You finally have some space, but show love to the most important people in your life. You won't regret it!

Some advice I would givento myself would have to be choose where you want to go becasue in the end thats the best place for you. You may want to be with your friends and feel secure but really meeting new people is one of the best experiences you could have in college. I also think that I would say have fun and dont worry your parents will be fine. They are more excited than they show. Dont just choose on cost of the school either cause the experience is what makes it better. Where ever you go you will be happy just make sure you choose it make the final choice on your own because in the end when your at school your going to have to choose on your own anyways, so why not start now. Be very open to ideas and new things dont judge and just move forward also be preparred becasue they do move quick. Just enjoy your senior year and look forward to a new and exciting start you are not going to loose your old friends you will gain more and broden your horizon. =)

If I could go back in time and give myself advice it would have been to be more social. It's super easy here to stick to your floor or department, so definitely get out and meet more people.

I would not change a thing. I lost sleep, and I know it was completely unhealthy, but it was during those crazy hours of the night when I had the most amazing conversations and made lasting memories. Take advantage of every opportunity to meet people. Put yourself out there, and don't be afraid to be different than you were in high school. Above all, put First things first. The rest will take care of itself.

Realize what you are looking for in a college, dont settle for something that you don't want. Make sure you go somewhere where you have a variety of majors to choose from, even if you don't thing you will change your mind, because you will. Although it will be scary to start something new without your high school friends, don't feel like you need to follow them to their school of choice. You will be fine on your own, you will be able to start fresh. Consider campus life, and the rules the college has, even if everyone else is living on campus, maybe it isn't the thing for you. Take a look at your personality and do what you think is right. When college starts dont worry about making friends right away, everyone is searching for friends just like you are, they will come with time. There are plenty of activites planned for welcome week that you wont have time to feel lonely. Get in your groove, be yourself, people want to know the real you. Don't compromise your values for friends, those aren't the kind of friends you want anyway.

When you are choosing a college look for one that has great acedemics and a great community feel. Be smart with the classes you take now; do those AP courses. Don't worry about college, you will fit in, don't be afraid to be yourself.

Hi Emily, it's me, ehr, I mean you. I just wanted to tell you that you shouldn't be afraid. You will be affirmed that you made the right choice, especially when you go for a walk by yourself around the lake for the first time and see the colors of the leaves and how bright the sky is. Your roommate is fantastic, so don't stress about that either. I don't think there could've been a better match for you. So, good job with praying on that one. A word of advice: don't bother searching for a boy. A good amount of time was wasted searching faces, trying to find one that I could imagine myself marrying. Please don't be that ridiculous. Be patient and celebrate the time you have to be single. You're going to have a small but great cirlcle of friends; appreciate the time you have with them and savor their flaws and quirks. Don't waste time getting comfortable . . . just be your weird self and you will automatically feel at home. Be ready to cry, be ready to speak, be ready to be challenged.

College is fun and being given freedom is alot of responsibility. Equipping yourself with an open heart and peaceable mind will help you get know people in their walk with Christ. Also there are 24 hours in one day how will you use them to glorify your maker (i.e. getting you work done, being a wise steward of the time within the day, prayer and devotional time). Be anxious in nothing as the word says and dont worry about tomorrow.

I would tell myself not to be so concerned about the future. The future is nothing new. College is just like any other learning environment, it's just a lot more expensive. It is another step to working toward getting a good career, so don't worry because it's nothing too different. Also, don't care so much about what other people think. You are the one making these decisions you ultimately know yourself the best. If you think a school will be good for you, give it a shot. Your opininon is the only one that truely matters in the choice you make. Make your decisions for yourself, don't let anyone else dictate what you choose. Apply for as much financial aid as possible. Looking for schlarships early didn't work out for me so I'd say don't stress too much about that. I wouldn't say it's a waste of time, but time might be better spent on school work, to make the grades that'll get you financial aid from your school.

First, I would tell myself to take more AP credits to prepare me for college. They really help a lot with finances and helping a person graduate from college faster. I also would have tried harder in those classes to get higher marks on the AP tests because the difference between a 5 and a 3 is outstanding in terms of how many credits they count for. Secondly, I would tell myself to research what I wanted my future career to be. Coming into college, I just assumed I would like chemistry and would figure out the career part later. I ended up wasting time and credits on a major I would later switch. Thirdly, I would have told myself to focus in on scholarships and financial aid. I received some financial aid but I know I could have put more effort into finding more scholarship resources. I never realized how important every dollar was until I experienced the cost of education. Lastly, I would tell myself to let go of inhibitions and not be afraid to meet people. Freshman year builds most of the friendships that will last a long time so I should be open from the start.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself ultimately to relax and trust in the Lord. I was so worried about classes and finances and although these things are important while attending college, the most important thing at Bethel is to prepare the students for the future. And that goes far above academics. I would tell myself to be assured that my decision to choose Bethel was the right one and by doing so I will not only be getting a education but tools to live my life to the fullest and in a way that is glorifying to the Lord.

I would tell myself that you don't need to be worried about finding the "perfect" group of friends right off the bat. This isn't the T.V. show "Friends," it's going to take awhile to learn about other people and truly connect with them. Just focus on being yourself and being friendly and open to everyone you meet. You may be surprised to find out who you are drawn to for friendships in college. If you are honest in your likes and dislikes, and become involved in activities that interest you, you will find people who have similar interests and personalities.