Carroll University Top Questions

My advise to myself as a high school senior would be to not quit attending school. Education is something no-one can take away from you. Once you stop attending school, you get caught up in every day life. Get a "job" not a career, start acquiring bills, having babies, mortgages. When you get caught up in "Life" its very hard to just stop and pick up where you should have never left off. It's very hard to go back to school after "life" starts happening. Being out of school for many years before returning may take extra studying. You tend to forget some of the rules of math after awhile. Don't use it, you loose it. I regret not listening to my parents about staying in school. I am now, 26 yrs later beginning my college education. It's hard! There is a trade off for everything.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a highschool senior, I would encourage myself to concentrate on education instead of fun stuff. I would let myself know how hard college can be and that there are not as many people holding out their hands to help. In college you have to self relient, responsible, and organized, I would also tell myself to work hard because college is expensive and you do not get another chance to retake things without paying for it. I would say being in college and being an adult are hard but dont give up just keep going. Get the good grades, be a good student because what you learn in college will affect your life. Getting the good job, making the money is important to your future so do your best, its well worth it in the end.

Going back I would definitley encourage myself to participate in more speeches and class discussions as this builds confidence not only in your speaking skills, but also how you view your potential abilities in applying your knowledge from what you learned in school to other students or professional workers. I was able to work as a voulenteer in our school's writing center as well as being a captain for our swim team. Both roles required allowing yourself to step a little outside my comfrot zone, verbalizing my thoughts and ideas to colaborate with all members of the team and students with different ability levels of how to write. As much as this helped, I would have prefered to have had more opportunities to speak to larger groups.

If I could go back in time and do this whole thing over again, I would definitely tell myself to look at other options, both college and career. If I could go back, I'm not sure I would still come to Carroll. I took the easy way out and picked a field that was more of a hobby at the time just because I knew it would be easy and because I was good at it. Looking back, I should have done more research on other career options to get the best job. I would probably also tell myself to save money earlier than I did as college is very expensive, both the school and livng expenses. Not only that but I would tell myself to look for books on cheaper websites in order to save some money rather than going directly to the school bookstore.

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self I would tell myself a few things about college. First, being to stay on top of class work. There is a lot more work to be done in college than there was in high school. Also when they say you should be studying 2 hours for every 1 hour you have of class they mean it. They next thing I would tell myself is to not get over involved too quickly. Find a few things and slowly get into them. I am very involved on campus, I help run our radio station, I work on campus, and I'm an active member of Alpha Xi Delta, but I wish I would have gotten involved slower in order to ease into them. I would have also told myself to not worry if Carroll was the right pick because it was. That's exactly what I would tell my high school self about college.

-Eat the fish and throw the bones out: when it comes to problems don't worry because there is a definite way of resolving everything. -When it comes to procrastinating the best solution is to plan ahead. Count the amount of days you'll have and cut the assignment into the bits and pieces you can take care of to have it ready for the final day it is due. -Music kills your concentration, so have enough love for music to stop listening to it when you study. Don't waste your time trying to choose what music to listen and finally end up not studying at all. -Talk to as many people as possible when you get to college. Everyone's friends usually drift away after high school and it is really good for assignments or to have someone to talk to. Keep in touch with some teachers because they will be some help.

If I had the opportunity to go back and give my old-self adive it would be regarding study habits. Lets be honest, in high school you could get by with studying the night before or maybe not even studying at all. Everyone gave me the warning, "It won't be like this in College" looking back I regret not listening to them. My freshman year was a true wake-up call. It was in biology human anatomy and physiology sitting in lecture as our professor hands back our first exam. I thought I did fairly well on the exam and thought I had put forth the right amount of effort. I was wrong, I got the exam back and received a ''D." Low and behold I was not satisfied with this, something needed to change. From there I scheduled a meeting with my professor where we chatted about my study patterns. I had a lack of a "study schedule" and we both worked together to develop the best plan for me. It consisted of pre-reading the chapter prior to lecture, re-writing notes, and labeling diagrams. From there on I was able to develop more successful studying patterns!

I would tell myself to get more involved my freshman year and make as many friends as possible, because it becomes more difficult to do those things as you get older. Also I would say do not procrastinate, when you have free time get started on work, because it will compile when you least expect it too. Lastly go and party once and a while, it is ok to have a little fun now and then, but be smart about it!

Congrats for surviving life so far! Take this opportunity to remove yourself from what you know life to be. Realize that there is a world that offers much more than anyone has let you see. Attend a university maybe out of state or take that volleyball opportunity. Study abroad is a must, this will provide experiences that will change your life and help shape you into a beautiful, cultured woman. Study hard but enjoy the college experience. Gain relationships that will last a lifetime; that best friend most find in college, you will want later in life. Seek assistance when needed, remember everyone starts out with an empty toolbox for life, getting help and learning lessons is how you fill that toolbox to use throughout life. Don't let anyone sway what you're thinking or influence your decisons, only you have to live with those choices. The baby you have, love her like it's your last day everyday. She is special, learn about Autism, this will help too! Life brings angels some stay a short time, some forever. No matter what, listen to your heart and follow your dreams. The only person that can stop you is you.

If I could go back in time to speak to myself as a high school senior I would have told myself to prepare more fully for the hugh financial burdens that achieving a college education can create. Apply for every scholarship you can and consider putting money towards paying off the interest on your student loans. Conversely, on a less practical note, I would tell myself to embrace every social opportunity that college has to offer. Don't work so much; have more fun and try new things. Start writing that novel that you have always wanted to write. Join new clubs. Volunteer in new societies. Join those fitness classes that you always wanted to try. And finally, make sure that you do not lose touch with the important people in your life. Throughout my college career, I became overly absorbed in my academic career and did not make time for a very important person in my life, a second mom of sorts. This woman later developed an aggressive form of leukemia and she passed away three months ago. I did not spend the kind of time that I should have with her and I regret that deeply.