Brigham Young University-Idaho Top Questions

The advice that I would give myself is to find groups and clubs in high school that I would be interested in joining in college. It would have been really nice to know what kind of interests that I already had so that when I got to college I would be able to find a group to belong to in order to make friends faster. I think that would have also made me much more willing to be involved in my school early on.

Learn good study skills while in high school-annotating, reading and summarizing, note taking-because you want to hit the ground running when you get to school. Learn to balance your time so you can have fun and study hard. Be willing to try new things-especially those things you have never seen before! There are so many opportunities in a college setting to learn so much about yourself and what you want to do in life. Don't be afraid to save money-sometimes the cheapest things are the most fun. Learn to budget so that you are not starving at the end of the month. Listen to the advice of adults and faculty. They have life experiences that you can surely draw from.

My journey from high school to college has been very rewarding, and especially in my case, safe. After graduation, I earned my associates degree in liberal arts at a local community college and then was accepted to Brigham Young University - Idaho. I feel I have played my cards well in choosing where to attend school and what courses to take, but there are a few things I would change. First and foremost, I would tell myself to start researching in great detail every single career that could possibly hold my interest. I spent too much time simply thinking about careers without finding out much more about them. I now am confident in my career choice and could have saved a semester of courses at BYUI had I made that decision sooner. I would also have applied for more scholarships than I have. I have tapped into one scholarship, and I was amazed at how much money I saved. It helps so much to have that extra cash to get through school. My last bit of advice would be to simply work harder to get A's. Those grades convert nicely to dollars and help get you the college you want.

Apply yourself better.

If there was one piece of advice I could give myself knowing what I know now, it would be to save and learn how to manage my money. Every single person that lives on their own knows how hard it is to save when you are you so used to having your parents pay for everything. As a college student you learn to live on almost nothing, your as poor dirt. You cannot have the mouth watering meals that your mom makes every night, you learn to live on noodles and anything you can find at the bottom of the fridge. It is a hard transition, but also a great life changing experience. You appreciate the little things that your parents did for you and you learn to adapt those same traditions that your parents did for you, such as having dessert after every meal. Living on your own will be tough, but also an amazing growing and learning milestone.

I will tell myself to take school serious. Also, take everything you learn, and to hold on to it.

If I could go back in time to tell my senior self something it would be: "Don't be afraid. Don't avoid." It is going to be alright if you just do it. You don't have to be affraid of socail, financial, academic situations. You don't have to be afraid of looking stupid, not wearing brand names or being pritty enough. You will be enough for any situation if you just be yourself. Don't be afraid and most importantly don't avoid these situations because of your fears. The more you avoid situations the more your fear of them will increase. Have faith because there are so many people that are there to help you along the way. Don't be afraid and don't avoid.

I would have told myself to stay in my AP courses. In fact, I would have taken more. I would also have told myself to do better in my BCIS class, which would have counted for college credit if I had gotten an "A." But I slacked off and received a "B." I would also have told myself to sign up for some courses through out the semester at the community college across the street from my high school. My brothers did these and they saved money and time towards graduating from college. I was my varsity soccer team's captain. The second semester I was more interested in my soccer team than college. I know now that it should have been the other way around. I was also focused more on my boyfriend and just wanted to go play. My friends were also very important to me, but they didn't want to go to college. I realize now that I wasted my time with people like that and knew that college was very important to me. My boyfriend knows this too and he has stuck with me the whole way.

Assuming I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would give myself the following advise: The choices you make today will determine your destiny tomorrow. Take advantage of every blessing and opportunity which comes to you to give you an education, it will enable you to lift others in the future. Read good literature, listen to inspiring music, and become well acquainted with life and its many opportunities. Develop your talents in using the English language. Do not waste your time as many do. When you work, do so with great power and delivery. Take time to ponder and contemplate about your many blessings and count them one-by-one. Be personable. Express gratitude and thanksgiving on a frequent basis. If there is anything praiseworthy, seek after it, now. And last of all, knowledge without application is meaningless. Apply what you learn, and live what you teach.

High School teachers make learning easy, and will simply hold your hand through the process. However, once you enter the world of college, the learning is left all up to you. You gain all your knowledge dependent on your level of focus and commitment. High School is a prime time to develope healthy study habits, learn to manage your time wisely, and mature. College requires an adult mind seeking for a better future. No longer are you just trying to get your diploma because it's expected of you. Everything you do from this point on affects your future, and the futures of those you come in contact with. During classes, don't just take notes but ask questions and seek for further knowledge. Now is the time to learn as much as we can before jumping in the world with a professional job with no time. College is exciting, and cherish every moment, but do not lose sight of why you are there.

If I could go back, I would tell myself: "Ryann, don't be afraid to be yourself. Once you get to college, everyone around you isn't going to care about who was 'popular' in high school, or who had the most dates. You will find friends who treat you better once you get to college. You will get to know the real you. Remember to work as hard as you can in all of your classes. Strive to be the best learner possible. You will soon have teachers who really care about you and will get to know you on a personal basis. The teachers at college are great and really know what they are talking about. Don't be embarrassed of your religion. You will learn that high school is pretty much a joke on several levels once you get to college. You will love it here and you will meet the best people who will become your inseperable friends. Treat everyone with respect and love. Go after your dreams and what it is you want out of life. Don't freak out about the small stuff. Enjoy every moment of life. "

I would tell myself that I need to fill out more scholarship applications. Take more honors and AP classes. Also I would tell me to volunteer more in church, community, and children related places. Also I would suggest I go shadow as many people as I can in fields I am interested in. Like a teacher, child care worker, and a social worker. I would tell them that BYU-I is the best school I could go to and not to go to ISU. I would warn myself about the traps of student loans and to be careful. I would tell myself to save up as much money I can. I would not tell myself to wait and start a family. Even though its hard having two kids and going to school full time, its very rewarding being a mother and their my best motivator to be in school. Family is the most important thing in my life and future and this is why school is so important.

After spending one full year at Duquesne, I can honestly say that my ideas about college and how it would affect my life were all wrong my senior year. I am a person who typically doesn't mix well with change; on my first day of high school I can remember crying at my kitchen table because I didn't want to go. Nothing could prepare me for the fear I had of leaving everything behind to enter the unknown, no matter much I had grown up through those four years. My senior year I went through a lot of changes, mostly rebelling against my family and my friends. I was worried that I would be missing out on everything I had come to love when I went to college, when in reality once I got there; I realized that college was what was truly missing from my life. At times, I did not always succeed in my independent choices in college, but I never failed. If I could go back and tell myself not be afraid and to just have faith, then maybe I would have entered college with a better outlook and had been more open to change.

When I was a senior in high school, I felt hopeless and sad for my financial situation. I couldn't see any rays of light and hope, past all the gloomy darkness, that I would be able to attend BYU-Idaho and be financially okay. It took a toll on me mentally and stressed me out a lot. The number one advice I would say to myself would be, have hope and keep on praying. I remember hitting some really low points, which took several good moments away from enjoying my senior year, because I felt like I wasn't smart enough to be acknowledged for any worthy scholarships or even afford to go to a community college. My parents have never been in a position to aid me in my educational endeavors. But if I could talk to my high school senior self, I'd say don't let financial inadequacy bring you down and be persistant in accomplishing goals, because it will lead to results. I feel that's what I've learned looking back.

I don't have a whole lot of regrets when I look back on my high school experience but there are a few words of advice that I would give myself if I could go back knowing now what I didnt know then. In high school, I remember the teachers constantly telling us how incredibly hard college was, and yes it is hard but it is all a process and its not hard as long as you learn what you need to learn in high school and pay attention. I just wish I would of taken the time to learn better study and test skills in high school. I feel like my teachers, in an attempt to try and prepare us for college, scared me into going to college. I am so thankful I ended up going anyways but I was unnecesarriy scared about coming to college when it is really very do-able as long as you make sure youre prepared. I would also tell myself to follow my dreams and to not be afraid to take risks. I moved far away from home to come here and I am so glad I did, I learn so much.

If I could go back into time and tell myself how the transition to college would be, I would teach myself better ways to study information. I would also explain that college is much different than high school in the sense that college is you do the work and you do ok, in high school you don't have to know nearly as much. It is just the basics and college is the details. You know your stuff or you don't and that is how it goes. Attendce is much more strict and worse if you do miss. Making up what you missed is harder than high school, it is like a week gone with each day. I would tell myself that I can do it and that it will all be worth it for the future and my family. College is much harder but will make you much more educated and a better person for believing in myself. I would just give as many tips and advice that was possible to make sure I will not give up and try my hardest to achieve my lifetime dreams and have a good life! Thank you.

There are two piecces of advice I would give myself if I could go back to high school and talk to myself. The first of which would be to get more involved in extracurricular activities. The experiences that one can gain from being involved in an ecclectic mix of clubs and sports in high school prove invaluable in the transition to college life. From observing many people around campus, those who were able to adjust seamlessly were those that had a wide variety of experiences in meshing into many different and sometimes foreign environments previously. The second thing that I would tell myself would be to take classes more seriously. College is a step up from high school, especially academically. If I would have been able to take more classes that challenged me to raise my personal bar, the transition to college classes would have gone smoother. The jump that I had to make to be able to excel in my college classes would have not been so drastic if I had prepared myself better through challenging classes.

I would tell myself that you need to be prepared for the classes and take the classes in order of diffictuly because if you don't you won't do as well as you could have. Also, look into the schools of your choice really well so you can make a wise decision on where to attend college. Make the pros and cons list of each school and when you choose a school stay at that school because if you transfer you will lose about a semester of credits. Remember to balance your school life with your social life so you can get good grades and make cool friends. Don't forget about your school work!

If I could go back in time I would of taken all the AP courses I could and continued pushing my education further knowing that college is truly the only way to succeed economically. I would of tried harder focused more on school rather then so much socializing but then again I would say I don?t have any regrets and am happy with where my life is now.

Jump in! Explore a little, but pick a major as soon as you can and go for it. Be friendly and open. Everyone is in the same situation as you are and is ready to make friends so make it possible. Be willing to sacrifice a little. To do well academically, your social life will suffer and to do well socially, your academics will suffer.