Central Michigan University Top Questions

College is so expensive! Growing up with a mother who was diagnosed with a mentally ill parent made preparing for college really tough! I would have wished that I found a way to get better access to a computer because the one my mom had was very out of date. I would have gottten a ride to the library or a friends house to use their computer. I would have gotten a job in high school and tried to save as much money as a I could so I would not have had to make out so many loans. I would have tried to attend a college closer to home so that I could have saved money and probably finished my degree. I am now choosing to go back to school and have been in school for awhile after I graduated from Sonoma State University. I think I would have done a little bit more research on Northern California colleges before trying to come up here. Being now 27 and trying to become a medical assistant has not been easy and I wish that I would have considered going to a community college soon after graduating from high school.

Study Hard. High school is easy compared to college. You really have to work for your grades don't take that for garanted. Also, it is super easy to get involved in college but don't get too involved join one or two things and focus on what you came here to do learn!

The greatest advice I could give myself is study, study, study. I did very poorly my first semester as a freshman because I assumed studying was unecessary because I hardly studied in high school but I learned the hard way how wrong I was.

In less than a year's time, the amount of knowledge and experience potentially gained is unfathomable. With the last thought I would have as a high school senior being whether or not there will be a party the first weekend, or maybe it was wondering if people in my hall would like me enough to hangout; perhaps it was an unresolved nerve that class would be brutal and force me to quit school all together and join the laborers of the world in a dark, hot, humid factory at 3 in the morning alongside a man named Vlad and a guy who turns out to be a girl and doesn't speak because of some assembly line accident that I wouldn't care to know the details of. Quite honestly there had been an untold amount of college fears running through my senior head; I couldn't pinpoint the last of them. It is this fact that I would advice myself to remember. Every qualm, no matter how detrimental the potential outcome, had been forgotten like the cursive I still haven't used in college. Surprisingly, we humans tend to worry much more than we should. Don't Worry.

I would tell myself to actually apply for scholarships. I didn't apply for many scholarships in high school because I didn't feel the effort was worth the money. I wasn't looking too far ahead in my future at the time. I now realise how important that money would have been to me. Instead of taking loans out and being in debt I would be able to save money in the long run and not have to worry as much about it.

I would tell myself to make friends in the first few weeks because they're the ones you clique with. You also need to get a job and work really hard at it to support yourself, and don't blow all your money on food. Take advantage of office hours and try your very hardest. It's a long road ahead of you, but you can do it if you really push yourself. Don't stress about it, it's just school.

Samantha, apply for more scholarships and grants. We both know that you have a lot on your plate, but scholarships are the most important thing at this point in time. You know you're smart enough to get some money to give your parents a break on paying for your college. You're the first person to go to college in your family and you can make that step up to getting a full ride if you really tried and put in an effort.

If I were able to go back to my high school self and give advice regarding college life and transitioning from living at home to being in college I would have to say that easing into it would be best. There will be a lot of new areas to have to get used to as well as some that will get easier from high school. One of these areas would be the class times; they are much more varied and are not as rigid as high school. However, there will still be some early classes but studying will be easier to manage because the class days are not as long as high school. In regards to personal matters of transitioning from high school to college I would have to say that having personal items is very important. Talking to family and friends that would not be able to be seen (and doing so frequently) can also help with any anxiety or home sickness that may happen. Even having a routine can help with the transition. Making new friends and going out and having fun is a very good way to keep a social life and help transition!

Yo entiendo que estaba bien informada de lo que era la vida universitaria, ya que en la escuela en la que estudié nos traían orientadores para saber más sobre la vida universitaria. Siempre tuve presente que la vida universitaria era diferente. Había que dedicarle más tiempo, toda la responsabilidad iba a ser mía, ya que iba a ser una jóven adulta preparandome para ser una profesional. Lo único que tal vez me hubiese gustado saber es que debía dedicarle más tiempo a mis estudios, no como antes que no tenía que estudiar tanto. Creo que más bien hubiera avisado a mis compañeros de clase y amigos que la vida universitaria era distinta y no como ellos creían, ya que pensaban que iba a ser tan fácil como la escuela. Entiendo que lo más importante es la responsabilidad.

To just work harder and don't worry so much about what other people think of you. The only person you need to make proud is yourself and with that confidence you can get through school and get a good job.