Biola University Top Questions

If I could go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior about college and making the transition I would tell myself that taking those few college classes during high school was a great advantage that made the transition a lot easier. The high school that I went to didn?t offer all the classes that were required to graduate. To solve this problem they partnered with the local junior college so that the students could meet their high school requirements while getting early exposure to college life. This set up allowed students that might not have been considering college to see what it was like and what opportunities were open to them. For me, going to college while still being in high school allowed me to learn about other subjects like psychology and ceramics. These subjects were new and a way for me to branch out from the typical high school curriculum. Being around college students showed me to see that higher education was the best route for me to be able to meet all the goals and dreams I have.

Do not wait too long to go to college. Jump right on it and do not stop. Do not allow your decisions to be determined by anyone else but yourself. Be honest and true to what you want and have faith that no matter what comes in your way you will be able to overcome it. You are stronger than you think. You can do great things and greater things have yet to come. Brace yourself because the ride is going to be bumpy; but, it will be well worth it when you get off.

The advice that I would give myself would be to be responsible. Most importantly, you are the adult now, and everything is your responsibility. Getting up in the morning and making it to class on time, making the grades, and keeping up with your classes is up to you. Also, it is important to get involved and meet people. I know you're shy, but you need to make good, wholesome friends to make your college experience the most it can be. Another important piece of advice is to not dorm with a friend you went to high school with. I know it's easy to dorm with a friend, but don't go down that path. It will most likely lead to conflict that won't end well. Lastly, don't forget how to have fun. In between all of your studying, remember to go out and have fun with your friends. Don't let college pass you by, studying in your dorm room. Go out and have a little fun, too.

Don't be anxious about being thrown into an entirely new community because it is really easy to find good friends with similar interests as yourself in college. Get either a mac or a webcam so you could actually skype friends without having to borrow your roomate's computer. Don't expect your first roomate to be your best friend, many people will graduate without being able to even recall their first roomate's name. Don't freak out about the future college workload, it's pretty similar to high school with a ton more reading. Trust yourself, most freshman are more prepared than they think they are. Don't feel the need to bring everything you own to your dorm if you live within a couple hours distance, it will not fit. Be open minded and expect to meet extremely diverse people. Seeing your roomate naked is not the most pleasant thing in the world but will not cause your eyes to bleed either. Be prepared to change in unexpected ways.

Relax! Everything happens for a reason, whether it be good or bad. This is what I would tell myself knowing what I now know about college life. I often got caught up in needing everything to be in order, and for each part of my life to follow a plan. Little did I know God has a sense of humor sometimes and he likes to mess with "the plan." Whether I was worrying about being in the top ten out of my graduating class (which was my goal all four years and I missed it by ONE spot...see what I told you about God having a sense of humor), or stressing about finances and money, I was quickly losing sight of life. A senior in high school should be cherishing that last year before college, holding on to every memory made, and I now know that worrying about a specific plan is not important because whether I like it or not, that plan WILL change. And guess what, it changes for a reason!

I would emphasize the importance of people to myself as a high school senior. Along with college comes crazy loads of homework and inevitable all night homework sessions. These things are part of the college experience. I would strongly encourage myself as a high school senior to not become so busy that I forsake people and the friendships that have been placed in my life. Although school and education are very important, people and relationships outweigh the first two. I would encourage myself to invest more into people?s lives and work on making impacts on those close circles of friends instead of focusing completely on education. I would than advise myself to not become too busy in programs and extracurricular activities where I am helping people that I stretch myself to thin and become ineffective. As a pastor once told me it I better to devote myself to a few activities where I can be fully effective than joining several and wearing myself out. Lastly I would encourage myself to enjoy college and take every class as a precious sea shell because college can pass in the blink of an eye.

I would advise myself is to meet more people. Making friendships and connections is a critical life skill that is best learned by doing it. However, I would not want to give myself any sort of edge over the transition. Going to a new place and a new life is bound to lead to all sorts of mistakes. Although those mistakes can be frustrating and embarrassing I would not want to deprive myself of the lessons learned by getting through those mistakes. If I spoke to myself as a senior I would congratulate myself for daring to take another step in growing up. I would also tell myself that people I am leaving to go to school care about me as much as or much more as I do for them and be grateful for the time you had with them and all the time that is to come.

The advice that I would give myself would be that, everything will be ok and your new friends will be even better, and college isn't as hard as people make it out to be. College is just the next step from high school and you can do it, it's not impossible, you will succeed and figure things out and the teachers are helpful and understanding, not mean and distant. Also, even though the decision about which college you will go to seems impossible, you will eventually decide and make the right decision. Also, even though college will start a new life with new people, don't waste the time you have in the life you live as a senior. Be bold, outgoing, spend more time with friends and family, and don't worry as much but enjoy every precious minute of life you have. Go to your brothers basketball games, take risks, have adventures. Don't think what if, think why not. Don't be afraid, take risks, and live life to the fullest.

Work harder on your relationships with your friends in school now because once you enter college it's like you have two seperate lives. Your friends still love you and care about you but you left and have a different life so work hard at school and your job but not to the extent that you forget about your relationships. Also, save your money. The world is a very different place than you thought and even though God will provide, you still have to help and save. Don't spend all your money on stupid things but really think about what you are giving your money to. In college you find there is a lot more that you are responsible to pay for than what you expected, and the money disappears quickly. Don't rush this experience either, take everything in one day at a time and appreciate life for what it's worth because you don't know how long you actually have here and remember to keep on loving. Even if it's really hard and you are fed up with life, love the world with all of your being.

If I could go back to the beginning of my senior year, I would give myself this exact advice: don't worry about having a girlfriend, actually put effort into school, do as many AP classes as you can, concentrate on building up your friends and friendships, and football isn't going to be your future! College life is going to blow apart your ideas of the world you've grown up in, and it's going to change who you are. You're no longer going to be the son of your parents, but an individual who will have to face tough choices. There will be a lot of new friends and fun times ahead, but also times of feeling alone and exhaustion. Enjoy the next few months, because it will never happen again, but also don't forget that your future is bright. Don't add new things - work on the things you have going on for you right now. Above all else, as you prepare for the future (money, college classes, etc), don't forget to slow down and watch the sunset in the beautiful Northwest. It represents the current chapter of your life.