Delaware Valley University Top Questions

I would tell myself that it is alright to allow yourself to have free time and not drive yourself crazy over every little thing. Do your best in your classes, but remember to take a breather every now and then.

The first thing I am going to tell you is probably the most important thing you'll ever discover. Listen closely: No one else knows what they're doing either! They just wing it. You can too. It's a lot easier than it looks! The second is this: Confidence is not walking into a room and tellling yourself everyone loves you. It's being able to tell yourself that you'll be fine if they don't. Oh and by the way, I did not come up with either of those sayings, but they've gotten me through everything.

As a college junior, I have definitely seen many things that I could have done differently as a high school student, not just a high school senior. However, if I could turn back the clock to the time of my senior year of high school, I would have selected differently. Firstly, with my course selection, I would have eliminated my choice of Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics and AP German. To fill in those gaps, I would have selected AP Calculus or the honors version of that course, and either AP Biology or AP Chemistry. At a very early age, I realized what I wanted to pursue as a career. Taking these sciences would have bettered my GPA and gotten my feet wet on what to expect for my college Biological Sciences, and General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Biochemistry courses throughout my past 2.5 years of college. My last year of high school would have been heavily science-oriented, but it would have been worth it. Secondly, I would encourage myself to get more involved in high school, as well as my community. Though high school is about impressing colleges, it is also about creating friendships that will forever last.

Advice is a tricky concept to understand. I feel that over the past two years after graduating from high school, I have been empowered with this knowledge I’ve never had before. I would have to tell my past self that college is way different than the teachers ever taught you. It’s all on you, if you mess up, your future and your livelihood could go down the toilet. Every single day is a struggle to see if you’re going to get up that extra hour early to study before an exam or even to study day in and day out for weeks for tests that can make or break you. But in the end of all the struggling and heartache and thousands of gallons of energy drinks later; you graduate from your college or university and have a degree that means something and people look up to you and are inspired by you in your career. College is a ride though, and it’s supposed to be enjoyed with everything you do. So get ready for it, but don’t be afraid because you’ll learn who you truly are and what you were meant to be.

The door whistles as I step out of the time machine and head into my old school building. I quickly find her and walk over to sit across from myself. The younger high school version of me looks up in astonishment. “There’s no time to explain,” I say quickly, “There’s something I need to tell you.” I see the dark circles under my eyes and look at myself in pity, “I know you’re stressed about choosing a college, but I want to let you know it doesn’t matter what school you choose – it’s what you make of it that counts. All you should be doing right now is cherishing these moments, because believe it or not, you will miss this place and these people.” I check my watch, “I have to go, just…don’t stress. You’ll make tons of friends and your roommate’s awesome. Oh! Stay away from the cafeteria's french fries!" I turn away. "Wait!" she calls, "That's it?" I turn slowly and look into my eyes, “No...next time you see Grandpa…just…make sure you tell him you love him.” And with that I leave my past.

My advice to my past self would be to try new things. Don't be timid about expressing who you are and what you want to do. Being in High School is all about peer pressure, but once you hit college you realize how much that never mattered. Joining as many activities and groups at your school could be the best thing. Getting involved and being exposed to all sorts of experiences will make the transistion to college much easier. Make as many friends as possible. In college, you make new friends and the people from High School slowly fade away. Theres always breaks and summer to catch up with your old friends. Make as many memories as possible with them now, because later that time will be slim. Your old friends may not seem so important in college, but they tend to always be there for you when you need someone to lean on. Work your butt off! College isn't easy. It takes a lot of money and time to dedicate yourself to succeed. Work hard now through as many part time jobs as you can find and save up! It will pay off in the long run.

If I could go back and time and tell myself one thing, it would probably be to sign up for more scholarships. I didn't realize how helpful they can be in the long-run!

It is important to remember to be yourself. Everyone comes into a new school worried about finding friends. Be yourself and trust your instincts, but always be willing to give people a second chance, because they are learning about themselves the same way you are discovering new things about yourself. Once you make friends at school, don't forget about your friends from home, they are just as important. The most important thing to always remember, as Dad always says "Don't forget who you are", be strong and confident, because you can do anything you put your mind to.

Be sure to ask yourself "Need or Want?" before making a purchase or packing for college. When you are packing, don't include the items that you havn't used in a while because you won't use it there. When making a purchase, ask yourself if buying the product now is worth not having something else later on. Also, be sure to contribute a percentage of each paycheck to savings. At least a quarter needs to be added to your saving from every paycheck you receive.

The advice I would give myself is to try and find a job/voulenteer/intership, in or close to the career I want. Reason is, it will make the class/course a lot less stressul, you will be more confident in taking/passing the class. Don't be afraid to strike up a conversation to the person seating next to you in orientaton / class. Sit in the front row so you can hear the teacher better also your eye sight will not be as good as it use to. Ask a lot of questions regardless as how it sounds: Never procastinate on homework it only add stress to your already busy school/work life. Get sleep, you need to let your brain rest and recharge. Have fun you only have to do this once, might as well go out with a bang! Socialize with a lot of people as they are your soucre for more information and events around campus and Honolulu. It can be your door to success in life if you choose a career in marketing or business. I know you want to do buisness management but test the waters first than make the best decision for you.

I would say not to worry. I would say that the academic portion is not much different then high school was. I would say that living in a dorm isn't that bad as long as you have a nice roommate. I would say make friends with your professors, they are there to help. Most of all I would say you're going to be in the National Honor Society, just relax and try to enjoy college.

Just one more thing, before I go: you'll be fine next year. I don't want to give much away, but just remember that your aren't the only new kid on the block. Everyone is going to be looking for that person they can lean on, someone to laugh until they cry with, a chemistry tutor, a peer-reviewer, a colleague, a life long friend. If you can do any of that (and I know you can) then I know you won't have any trouble finding your place in your dorm, or the classroom, or anywhere on the road ahead. Oh and about the whole career debacle? Let's just say that "the most interesting people I know didn't know, at twenty-two, what they wanted to do with their lives and some of the most interesting forty-year-olds I know still don't." Now if you'll excuse me I have a life that's calling me back; and you have a life that's calling you forward. Stay golden, Schnelly.

If I were to go back in time to the high school days; I would extremely change my thoughts of going to college. I graduated a year early in highschool as a junior. I was adopted at around the time I was to complete highschool; in 2007. I would have told myself to go to college and obtain a career. I was 18 then and now I am 24. I spent six years trying to pull myself through life, but I have been dragging. Money is and was hard to find. Witout a degree you make $7.85 an hour which is not much. Gas is $3.57 a gallon and well if you add it up you don't make enough without a degree to live. I am currently going to college for a business associates degree in management. I am currently working as an Operating Engineer for the state of Ohio. I make awesome money but also obtaining a degree through the apprenticship as an associates in Agriculture. I work 50 hours a week and school about 15. I dont have much time for myself but once I have graduated I will. Go to college!

If i could go back in time i would tell myself to manage my time wisely, your friends will always be there to go out and have fun but you only have one shot to get a good grade on the test your trying to prepare for. Procrastination was one of my biggest problems and still is, waiting untill the last minute to do something never ends good. A couple hours out of your day wont hurt you and the more you prepare the better off you'll be. i would also tell my high school self to put more effort in, just because the work is "easy" doesnt mean you dont have to try. Strive for what you want to achieve and more, doing the bare minimum instills laziness which never tranfers well when your going into college. A little extra work isnt going to kill you and can only help you out in the long run. I believe these are the two most important things i would tell my highschool self and i believe if i would have done these things who knows what kind of goals i could have reached!

Do not stress. College is such an amazing part of your life and all of your worrying is completely for nothing. You will meet people, you will make lasting friendships, you will have a big smile on your face every day. The transition from high school to College is absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

I would tell myself that each day is a precious gift so I need to appreciate all the aspects of each moment, good or bad. A recent phrase that has become common in today's culture, especially among the high school and college age group, is YOLO. YOLO stands for "you only live once". The majority of the time, the people using this phrase are either doing something reckless or about to do something reckless. To me this phrase just emphasizes the glaring truth that we only live on this beautiful Earth once and we don't have long to enjoy or better yet impact other people's lives. Each and every moment will never be played back again. There is no rewind or pause button like on the movie "Click" with Adam Sandler. You only have one shot to live a life that you are proud of living. I feel like this has been the biggest focal point in how my thinking has changed since I graduated high school and I think that I would have greatly appreciated someone trying to help me appreciate how special and lucky I really was/am.

At the age of twenty two, I am one of my college's oldest freshman. If I could go back in time, back to high school, I would tell myself that the most important thing about education is passion. Immediately out of high school I tried to choose a major that I knew would make my family happy, first Forensic Science and then Psychology. However, I wasn't happy with either of those majors. I ended up dropping out of school and taking a few years off. After two years of working odd jobs for little pay, I realized the only way I was going to get through college was to major in something I love. As I head in to the end of my freshman year, I know I've learned my lesson. High school self, realize that the most important thing is to be true to yourself. The only person who needs to be satisfied with your life is you. As Randy Komisar said, “The most dangerous risk of all – The risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.”

If I could back and talk to myself when I was a high school senior the main advice I would give myself would be to go out there and get experience. My first two years of college I attended a local community college and during that time I should have been volunteering at shelters, trying to work for veterinary clinics, hospitals, labs, basically anything that was out there and available I should have been looking into. I just thought I had more time and that I would get experience after community college. Now that I'm at Delaware Valley though, everyone around me has had years of experience. They've been working at Veterinary clinics and volunteering on farms, at shelters, all of these different places. I realized then that I was very behind and that I needed to catch up. So, to my past high school senior self, go out there and gain experience! Whether it's cleaning up poop or grooming, or working in a vet hospital, just make sure you're constantly gaining experience for the future.

I would tell my high school senior self to not be afraid to take chances and to go with your gut. I would say don't be afraid to look into greek life, because I wish I had joined Alpha Phi Omega sooner. I would also say don't let stress weigh you down, just slow down and take one step at at time. Lastly I would tell myself to enjoy the time I have spent at Delaware Valley College. Enjoy the time you have with your friends, enjoy the small moments.

Dear 16 year old Ashley, This is your 24 year old self. I wanted to give you some words of advice that you may find useful in your adventure in getting a Higher Education. Continue to work hard towards becoming an art therapist. The passion that you have will be very useful and motivating when you get to where I am today. Don't lose sight at what you want to accomplish the most in that career field. This might sound crazy coming from yourself, however, do not rush to grow up and leave the nest. Our home life may be "rough" now with the family and not getting along with certain people. However a life filled with debt is no walk in the park. Study at a community, get your generals done, and before you know it you will be on your own in no time. Please stop rushing to grow up, cherish the "childhood" that you have. And yes your parents may be strict now, but they only want the best for you and that strictness helps you to be a better person. Rember to no stress about the small things in life. Sincerely, 24 year old Ashley