Chatham University Top Questions

Dear Meaghan, You are about to go to college for the first time, and I have some advice to leave you, being a college sophmore now. One, school will be MUCH harder than you think. You will be challenged more than you ever were in high school. Guess what? That's okay. You are going to need these challenges that will test your strength and determination in the coming years. Two, don't be bitter about the fact that you are an out-of-state student. Your friends who remained in Wisconsin will annoy you with how much they want to go home, despite being two hours away. Use perspective, they are just as homesick as you. Finally, you are stronger than you think. You will accomplish so much during your first two years, and it would not have happened had you not challenged yourself. Don't stop wanting to be a better person. Ever. Signed, Meaghan

I would tell myself to go with the flow and not get so stressed about choosing a career right now! Being in college really allowed me to expand on my interests and goals and realize what I want to get out of life and my career. I initially started studying forensic science, and completely changed to wanting to be a physician assistant. I even transferred schools! I would tell myself to get excited for college, because there is really no other experience in life like it. Really enjoy the time there and the friends you meet. Make sure that you take all the information in that you can because you will need to know it! Mainly, just relax and allow things to happen as they happen.

The biggest piece of advice I would give to myself is to make sure you get involved on campus. Just going to your classes is not enough. It is important to be involved with clubs or other organization. This is because you will have the opportunity to network with these organizations when you are out in the work force. Also, make sure you do some sort of internship. The point of going to college is not just getting the experience, it is making sure you have all the tolls you need to get the job and career you want. In order for that to happen, one must really be proactive on using all the resources that are available at the university.

If I could go back in time I would have taken more advanced placement classes to help myself better prepare for my college experience.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to work as hard in college as I did throughout my high school years. Since I saw the rewards I received by being a dedicated student, I would realize that the same could be true during my college years. By continuing to be a conscientious student, the transition to college life would be much smoother. Another thing I would tell myself would be to become more involved in extra curricular activities. By doing this, it would make it easier to meet new people and make the transition smoother for everyone. Finally, I would recommend to myself to take a college class during the summer of my senior year to get a better insight into what colllege life would be like.

It gets easier. Starting a new chapter in your life in foreign territory surrounded by foreign people can be exciting if you let it. You'll grow as a person and even surprise yourself a little. If you keep your focus, you'll go above and beyond your expectations. Even if you get a little distracted or diverted, which will happen in life, you'll even eventually find your way back. No path is perfect nor is it linear. Don't be afraid to not go linear.

I would tell myself to find as many scholarships as possible and not to slack off because it only gets harder in college. Also I would of tell myself to be better prepared for what's to come. College isn't just parties and friends. I would look back and ask myself "Is soccer really that important to you?" because playing a sport and doing school work is difficult.

Work hard. Take your work seriously and do your best on every project, test, and paper. Having good grades and a good work ethic will help you in the future. As well as in the jobs you work at. Your boss can give good recommendations and help prepare you for future careers. Play sports. Play as many sports as you want and can. Not only will this help you with having a "family" at school, but will keep you active and fit. Be a leader. Join clubs and become executive members of them. Keep yourself involved and try new clubs out, you never know what you will like and who you will meet along the way. Be yourself. Although you may want to impress everyone around you, ultimately it will not matter if your the most popular person. People really respect you when you are real and are true to yourself. Finally, Have Fun! After doing everything you need to get done, find time to spend with friends having fun. These people will help you get through all the tough times and new experiences that you will have in your new "adult life." Love Life! It goes way too fast.

I would tell myself the truth. I would let myself know that the transition isn't easy, but it's definitely worth it. All of the problems and hardships I experienced during my freshman year led me to the friends I have today. Without the difficulty I wouldn't have what I do today. I would tell myself that things get better once you know the ropes. I would let myself know how happy I am today with my academic career, friends, and plans for the future so I could see how pushing through the hardship leads to success.

I would ultimalty tell myself to apply to differnt schools, I love chatham but wish I went to PSU.

To take time in life to,get something out of high school and injoy it. Life is what you make of it ,is all upto you to do something with your life. The choice is yours its up to you to make something of yourself,were do you see yourself in ten years. What do you want for yourself and your kids can you make a diffirences,what can you change. How can I have made things better for them by staying in school and going to college finsh what I started sooner.

go in with an open mind, study hard and push yourself

If I could go back there are a few things that I would tell myself. The first is that the boyfriend is not everything, and though it may be hard to leave home and be away from him and the family, you will get used to it, and achieve the goals I have placed forward. Secondly, be open and friendly to your teamates and your roomates, for they will become the best friends that I can ever have. Thirdly would be to not stop looking for scholarships, schooling is expensive by itself, but adding in books, food, and the things I need for laundry, clothing, bathing, and food besides that of the dining hall is expensive, and mom and dad are not going to pay for it. Fourth would be not to go home in the first few months, because you lose some of what we call the Chatham Experience. Plus you also take more time in order to make those valuable friendships, and study groups. Lastly would to be study hard and study often, the tests are harder than what the professors say they are, and if you miss even one class, you will be extremely lost.

The advice I would give myself as a high school senior would be to challenge myself and take harder classes. My senior year I decided to take easier classes and co-op so that I would be able to work more. I was transitioning more into the work world then to the college life. I would tell myself to take more college prep classes and also to retake the ACT. My ACT score was not my best and instead of proving that I decided to accept it. I went to college two weeks after I graduated and because I took it easy my senior year it was hard to get back into doing homework all the time. My advice would be to stay focused on school and not to take it easy my senior year.

If I were to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to look in a mirror and ask myself what I really want. I knew my major already, but I did not know the cost of fulfilling my dreams. I would have told myself to push myself harder through classes, take more difficult classes, and to be the best I can be. Although I always try to live up to this expectation, it's completely different in college. I care a lot about my grades and should have cared even more in high school. I would've told myself to work harder to bring that GPA up even more. I also would have told myself to get a job and to save my money. I would have made less mall trips and would have had alternate plans with friends that could save money. My school costs roughly $40,000 a year, so I am going to have a lot of loans to pay off. I wish I would have known the value of a dollar in high school, because now it means my future and how far I can go.

Look, I wouldn't have told myself to slack off or not apply to all the colleges I applied to, but as someone who massively stressed out over the applications process and ended up applying to twenty schools, I would have told myself to chill. Right now, I'm attending, of those 20, the very last one I applied to, the one I thought was going to be an extreme safety school. It's not that I was rejected from the other 19, in fact, I was only rejected from three, including what I thought was my "dream school." But now? I'm at what is my new dream school. I'm happier than I've ever been in my life. I'm not attending a name brand high quality institution, and the new college me couldn't care less about that fact. I just wish I could have told my senior self that the name of the school doesn't matter. It's the people who make the college, not the name it's been given.

I would make sure that I had a fantastic planner so that I could make sure to keep track of all the new and exciting things happening in my life, even homework. Take advantage of all free time, sleep and eat well, make new friends even if they don't seem like your friends from highschool, and experince new things and make new memories!

Make sure that you pick a school where you feel you will be comfortable living for the next four years and maybe longer. Make sure you make the choice not because someone else wants you to but because its where you feel like you fit in.

I would tell myself not to expect that things would go as I planned. And I would warn myself to not be so hard on myself for failures in areas, I hadn't expected but instead treat them as learning experiences and accept them for what they are so I could become stronger for them. I would tell myself to try to ridthe bad procrastination habits I let grow over my waning days during high school, because they were harder habits to kick then I expected.

The best advice that I could give students about finding that perfect college is to think hard about which one best fits for you. Don't go to a college based on certain activites that wouldn't be helpful to you. Don't choose a college because your friends are goin or beacuse your parens are forcing you to go to a certian college. Ultimately, the college you decide to choose is goin to effect you. Make sure it will effect you in the best way possible.