Claflin University Top Questions

I would suggest applying early for scholarships and grant would decrease debt, and working hard to maintain atleast a 3.0 GPA.

When I look back and think, I sometimes ask myself why was my mindset not as focused while classified as a high school senior. If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior; and advise myself about college life and the transition it would go something like this. Alan, your commitment towards your class work will determine your undergraduate experience. If you give your all and focus , maybe a college will be willing to grant you a full ride to attend their institution. Do you understand that it is really easy to get a student loan but really hard to pay it back? Why not aim towards going to school for free. Also Alan, when you get in college you may be glad to experience that level of freedom, but you still need to understand that the reason you came to college was to learn and not play. Additionally, in college you have two options. Either you can work hard while in school and then play later, or you can play while you're in school and have should've could've would've moments later down the line. I recommend choice number one.

If I could go back and be a senior in high school I would really have been more prepared for the college life. i would have did more scholarships, joined more programs. Also, I would have strived alot harder for a higher GPA, awards and internships.

Knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition, the advice I would give myself is to go to summer school the preceding summer before college to gain a jump start on my curriculum requirements. I would get a career advisor to assist me in choosing my career goal and to not allow myself to become distracted.

I would tell myself to go to college earlier and get the degree early! If I would have done that, i would already be working as a RN for a period of time. Instead I am almost 33 years old and just starting my degree. I am proud of myself for doing it now, but I wish I would have gone sooner!

I would tell myself to work harder, take my work serioulys, watch my mouth and practice better. In high school I didn't take college as serious as I should. The guidance counselors never really focused their attention on ALL of the students, they focused on the students who they thought would succeed. Although it is alos my part to learn about and research colleges that I may of been interested in I feel as if the guidance counselor at my school wasnt of much assistance to me. I originally wanted to go to USC, but couldnt get acceted because I was missing a class that they required. If my guidance counselor would've informed me about what all I needed, I might of been recieving a better education. I would also give myself teh advice of not chasing after boys, letting school come first and all other things after. Instead of doing homeowrk I was often on the phone or computer making plans for the weekend or break ahead.

If I could go back in time and speak to myself as an high school student, I would have to tell myself to raise the bar! What I mean by this is that I was the type of student to only do what was necessary to pass. Although it lead me to my destination, I was left feeling unfulfilled. I would tell myself "There is always just a little bit more"! I could always do more to surpass my own expectations instead of limiting myself by living up to the ones others have set for me. I was not a follower, but I lack passion because in the end the only one that could make me feel like what I achieved was good was myself. I would tell myself to sign up for other activities besides sports, to join the debate team, or math club even. Even though high school was free I would have told myself to take advantage of a free education.

I would definitely tell myself to increase my study habits and reading habits because in my first year I had to do a lot more studying and reading than I did in high school. I also would tell my high school self, to increase social skills because when I entered college I was exposed to all kinds of new social interactions and was forced to adapt to a whole new social atmosphere. But the most important thing I would tell my high school self is to stay focused and learn to manage my time better. In college it is ten times more important to stay organized and systematic as possible because there were so many projects, papers, and documents I had to keep up with. Without proper management, I would have probably had a rougher year than I did.

If I were to go back in time and talk to my high school senior self, I would encourage him to not be afraid to ask for help when he needs it. During my first year of college, I started to fall behind, but I was too afraid to go in and ask for help. As a result, my grades suffered. It started a downward spiral that resulted in me getting bad grades. A second tip of advice I would give him would be to not register all his classes in the afternoon. I made that mistake during my second semester. I wanted to sleep in, so I didn't schedule any early morning classes. As a result, I kept on getting to bed very late. It also contributed to my getting horrendous grades.

I would tell my high school self to have managed time more efficently and to be about business and stop goofing off as much because college is serious business and can't afford no screw-ups