Elmhurst College Top Questions

Dear HighSchool Me, It's senior year and this is your last year going to school everyday with the friends you have grown to see as family. I know senior year is the year that you want to blow off because you want to runaway to college and never look back; but do us all a favor and don't wish this away. Also, please learn to balance. Balance school and 'fun'. Don’t go for one weekend of doing nothing for school and give yourself a week of torture. But also don’t stay in 24/7 studying because you will feel like a balloon that is about to burst. Create a balance. Create a schedule. Create happiness. These four years are going to be the most crucial to the process of growing up. Lastly, don't try to grow up too fast. Enjoy mom's cooking, dad's jokes, your dog's kisses, and your brother's loud music because if you go away to college; sitting in a 7' by 7' room with a stranger will make you start to miss home and you will start to wonder why you wanted to grow up so fast.

Some advice I would give to myself is first would be to apply for a lot of scholarships. The more money you have the more of a chance you will let your parents relax and not have to worry about tuition payments. Also you are more likely to live on campus which makes a huge diffrence. That is one thing I wish I could have done because you are able to use all of what the campus offers. Another thing is practice on how to study, it might sound weird but people do not realise that the study techiniques they used in high school will not always work while you are in college. One last thing is get involved your college expirence is way better when you are involved at school. It will also look good on your resume when employers see how involved you were.

I would remind myself that college is not the time to get "off track". Stay focused, work hard, and pick a major and stick with it!

I would tell myself to ask for more opportunities to build more for my college applications and extraccurlars

If I could go back to my senior year and give myself advice about college I would tell myself that I should not worry about the transition. The fact that you play games will bring some friends and you will be happy with the ones you have. It will be alright in the year. You must get a job over the year and you have to find a way to keep payments going. It is important that you go to the events. Happy friends equals happy person. Remember that you can be happy if you try. There will be bad things that will occur. Do not worry about it.

When debating over whether to commute everyday or live on campus in the residence halls, choose to live on campus because it is a decision you won't regret. Living on campus is very convenient especially if you ever have a large gap in between your daily classes. Yes it is extra money being spent however, you will make life-long connections with friends and you will also learn more about living independently through the experience. You will receive the complete college experience. Another word of advice is to take the advanced placement classes you have been offered. Don't be afraid to take them because you think they are too challenging or you are too lazy and want to have a slack-off year. No doubt about it, the credits you will receive will benefit you. They will save you time and money due to the fact you will not have to take the courses in college. Another benefit of these classes is that they will help you receive insight about how college level courses are taught. You will be prepared and know what to expect when entering a whole new level of schooling.

To whom I used to be, Being courageous is facing the unknown, with only the faith in your abilities and will to be all that your mother has wanted you to be. I plead with you, make the decision to perceiver in life, you owe it to those who have seen you this far and most of all you owe it to me. To blossom is to grow into the absolute greatness, I have learned too much with every chapter I decide to venture into fully and without prejudice. Stay humble and remember to never look back at what was lost, for those who have made you who you are WILL NEVER BE LOST, THEY REMAIN THE SUN IN YOUR SKY AND THE BREATH IN YOUR LUNGS. Leave the worries at the door, and take with you the certainty you will never know it all, but know for absolute certain you are worthy of success, you deserve the world and the world deserves your absolute best and nothing less. Remain humble; inclusion is the key to embracing the world at its best. Never stop learning; never stop believing. We are our mothers' daughter. Yours Truly Self

High School Senior Me, Life can only get better from here. Once you graduate you will finally get to follow your heart instead of just your head. Now is the time to stand up for yourself and prove that you can do more than you ever thought you could. You may be shy and a little socially awkward but you will learn to own it and love every part of what makes you unique. Always remember life is meant to build the weak and challenge the strong. Stand tall, stay driven and enjoy every moment of growing up! You will gain lasting friendships, a new self confidence and determination that will grow as you do. Just remember that your not in high school anymore, live a little bit, avoid the drama and speak your mind. No matter how long it may take the ending result will be well worth it. Sincerely, Future Me

The year is 2010, and I would tell my younger self to get a job. Getting a job would allow me to save up money since I will still be living with my mother. The money that my older self needs now, and saving money isn’t easy. I would also tell my younger self to attend James Sprunt Community College first instead of attending Mt. Olive College. This is because I wouldn’t have loans to pay back and it will be a whole lot cheaper to attend a community college versus a private college. I would tell my younger self to get more involved in extracurricular activities, and volunteer during High school because it will make your application look much better. I would tell my younger self to look into scholarships throughout the school year, the more money you have during college the better off you’ll be. I would also tell my younger self to pay more attention to my grades rather than being satisfied with just “passing the class.” Finally, I would tell my younger self to enjoy looking into different colleges, but think smart and to enjoy meeting new people that I could call friends'.

I would tell myself to pay attention in school and take my education seriouse. I am a good student now but it is more difficult for me in college now because when i was in high school i didn't care about education, i only cared about having fun and looking cool. I would tell myself this is the real world and you have to work hard for what you want in life. Education is very important, if you are not educated you do not have knowledge. Knowledge is needed in everyday life activites and most importantly a good future! I would tell myself to work hard and prove everyone wrong about yourself, that you can make it in life. That now in the future i feel left out when people talk about history or geography. Its not a good feeling whe everyone know's about a particular subject but i don't have any idea of what they are talking about. I would tell myself that i know what i want to be in life and i know what i have to do to get there and doing what i was doing then certainly did not help me now.

Focus on your schoolwork and do not procrastinate. Procrastination in college will cause you much stress. Do you work when it is assigned and you will not have a problem with completion. If you have to write a 15 page research paper, do not wait until 2 nights before it is due to start working on it. If this paper was assigned 3 weeks earlier start working on it as soon as you can, then you can use the last few days to revise or edit your work.

Senior year my main goal was to "just get through high school". I was compleatly exhausted from all of my AP courses, my debate seaon and mainly my college hunt. If there is one thing I could tell myself as a high school senior it would be that when you find the right college you just know it. There is no need to spend countless sleepless nights wondering what college you are going to choose. If you are stuck between two colleges then you have not taken advantage of everything both colleges have to offer potential students. It is extremly important to visit potential colleges many times inorder to understand what exactly you are getting yourself into. It is also important to distance yourself from the situation and think critically when you are making these visits. For example, you may be in love with the school but does the atmosphere make you feel comfortable? After all college is about feeling free to expand your horizons. Does the staff treat you the way you wish to be treated? When you take everything into consideration and relax then deciding what college to choose is easy, you will just know!

Focus on classes. When the teacher assigns the minimum homework, do a little extra. Classes are going to be much harder and you need to be willing to dedicate the time and brain power to keep yourself on good academic standards. Work as hard as you can to get A's, but remember your friends. You cannot have the college experience without friends. Make time to hang out with them, even if it is for fifteen minutes during a study break or to study with them. They will leave before you know if you cut them out of your life. But always remember, keep your eye on the end goal.

Time can be your best friend or worst enemy; learn to use it wisely! Although this has always been true, the consequences of misusing time are much harsher in college. Just remember: there will always be time for friends and videogames, but homework, studying, and scholarships have deadlines which cannot always be moved or made up. What's more important? Your progress in a videogame or your progress in the class that you are paying hundreds of dollars for? And yes, it will be difficult to pass up your friends' invitations, but finishing your homework first will be much more benefitting and satisfying in the long run!

I would tell my high self to enjoy the company I have! Take time to be with friends that I won't go to school with and make memories with. Once I left my home, I realized I have to make all new friends and all new memories and I didn't spend my last moments with each person I felt made a difference. If I could go back, I would spend more time with them than counting down the days until I move.

I would tell myself not to get caught up in everyday life. LIfe just keeps on going on and on. Without the right skills learned you have no tools under your belt to work with to get that career you've been searching for started. College is truely the best way to learn great skills. We all want to be done with schooling after high school. But it is important not to procrastinate. Even if attending part time at a college is still a start towards learning specific skills you need to achieve a career of you own choice. A good career can be achieved without college, but it is takes longer, more errors will be made, you will be stuggling to attain your goals, and probably won't have the career of your choice.

Don't simply assume, be positive! Please, take it from me, you can waste so much time and money because of simple carelessness! Along with that, have some confidence! You have worked so hard to get through high school with good grades, you deserve a good education! You do not have to be nervous to ask questions, especially if they pertain to your future. Trust me, I know plenty of people who didn't ask questions because they were afraid of being annoying or sounding stupid; unfortunately since these people lacked the confidence to ask questions they ended up being more stressed out and often times in a "deeper hole" because of it. And even if someone gives you attitude when you're trying to ask for help, don't be discouraged! Bare with them until you are able to have you're question resolved, especially if the quesiton is about college. After all, your family is paying a great deal of money so you can get educated! The last bit of advice I can give you is don't hold off when applying for scholarships! You know that procrastination just leads to high stress. And who needs more stress?

Look Joseph, I know you can be lazy and procrastinate, but that doesn't mean you have to. You have such a good oppourtunity for yourself and I don't want you wasting that oppourtunity. Focus on your work, get enough sleep, and I guarentee that you will do great in college.

In high school, I recall constant moments of absolute trepidation. Unfortunately, my personal responses to these moments were tears, mental abuse, and once self-injury. Why? Anxiety. “Well, do we experience anxiety in college?” “Yes.” “Is it worst?” “Yes.” “How do we cope?” “We learn.” Stress never changes, only the form it comes in. So, when stress unleashes all its anxiety, I must find a positive outlet. Go biking, hiking, try pilates, or yoga. Never underestimate what you can handle in any situation. Never assume that situations only have bad outcomes. Therefore, it is best to find the positives in every circumstance and realize that a moment of fear ir anxiety is just another fleeting moment. Take this moment as a way to grow. Use it as an experience to help someone else who might one day go through the same situation. In other words, make the stress empower that younger me. When you make a mistake, buy a bigger eraser! And most importantly, be a friend to myself! No amount of comfort in the world will ease the anxiety of stress if I do not know how to comfort me.

If i could go back in time and prepare myself for college, I would tell myself that morning classes are some of the most difficult. I would tell myself that friends are an important part of life and college to grow as an indevidual, but to keep up in school and to keep up on my priorities. Balancing the two is key information and may take a few weeks to grasp this concept. If you get behind, tutors are an option. They are there to help you. They won't judge you just because you don't understand something, so don't be afraid to ask for help. The meal plan is there so you can save money, so eat at the school as often as possible! And last, I would tell my self to fill out for as many scholarships as possible because it's always nice to know that you don't have to worry about coming up with money later in life.