Emporia State University Top Questions

If I could go back and give myself advice when I was a high school senior I would be telling myself that the people you keep in your environment can have impacts on how confident you are in yourself and your future. It’s okay to be selective about who you spend your time with. It will be okay that one minute you will feel like a queen of the world and later that day you will feel completely defeated. As quickly as these emotions come they will leave you as well. It’s invaluable to learn that your defeats are lessons and they don’t make who you are, that is something I wish would have realized. Don’t wait, you’re good enough already. If I knew the struggle I would be having now being a “non-traditional student”, single parent and having to work and go to school I would tell myself to stop underestimating my talents, I hadn’t even begun to even realize that talents I have. Trust your instinct. When you don’t have anything else, no sleep, no book, no friends, you will have your instincts.

Often times I find myself deep in my own thoughts. I think about the things I know now that I would have given a million bucks to know at this exact time two years ago. I would tell my high school self to slow down, to take it all in, enjoy the time I had at home with my friends and family. So many times I told myself "I can't wait to get out of here". Now, I find myself wishing for a weekend at home. More importantly, I would tell myself to stop trying so hard to impress everyone, just "be you" I would say. I would put back those pair of shoes that I just had to have and think about all the groceries I could by in the future with that extra money. In all honesty, I would love to change these things and many more, but the fact that I can't makes it that much sweeter to me. These are life lessons that have helped shape and fine tune the person that I have become. All those things left unchanged are what made me who I am and for that, I am thankful.

I would simply say that I would remind myself that college is a chance to start over and be true to yourself, regardless of where you go. At the same time, remember who you are and don't let anyone change that; you are the only person in your life that you have to please.

To whom it may concern, If I could go back I would have tried harder in general education classes even the boring ones like college algebra. I would also suggest getting involved sooner than waiting till you make friends. Also take advantage of the free events on campus even the cultural ones. College is the time to learn about you so take advantage of every opportunity. Also find out if your major will allow you to have overseas opportunity. I would have found the library sooner and suggest picking a night one day a week and reserving a study room. This is beneficial to getting your homework done. As you work on transferring into college life take advantage of your moms home cooked meals by purchasing freezer bowls. Also a great life fact you may move into the dorm with your best friend. Don’t be mad when you find out that you are better friends than roommates. Thank you for considering my application. Jenna Kinnett

I would have told myself to save as much money as I could. Don't buy anything that you don't absolutely need. I have faced some really tough times during college because living on your own is expensive. You have to pay for absolutely everything and it is not cheap. Even with a roommate, the cost of living is high. Having to worry about whether or not you are going to be able to pay your rent is extremely stressful. It makes focusing on schoolwork hard because you are working, what seems like forever, just to be able to keep up with the bills. The other thing I would tell myself is to become more involved in the school. When you are involved you will make more friends and the college experience is so much more fun. It is nice to be able to take a break and just relax for a few minutes with some great people. You never know when you will need someone to talk to or help you with some homework.

I would tell myself to trust the system and enjoy myself. I would congratulate myself for graduating and getting into college with straights As.

First of all, don't worry about the transition. College is great and you'll love it. Be outgoing and get involved; you'll make friends easily and have a lot of fun doing it. Everyone says that, but it is really good advice. You won't regret any chances you take or any friends you make. Go out of your way to be nice to people. Be outgoing, try new things. Worst case scenario, you discover you don't like something, and you move on. College is all about trying new things, discovering who you are, and making new friends. Enjoy yourself, but don't forget to work hard. Whatever you do, don't hide out in your room. College is one of the best parts of your life, live it! That being said, don't overload. You can only participate in so many things before you get overscheduled. Also, as attractive as procrastination may seem, in the long run life is way less stressful if you get assignments done ahead of time, rather than at 3 in the morning the day they're due. Most of all, remember to enjoy yourself and live life to the fullest.

Take some time during your senior year to find everything you think you're passionate about. Right now, you feel like you can do anything (and believe me, you can), but it's smart to tinker in the interests, hobbies, and even careers that you think you'll enjoy. Shadow an orthodontist (since you want to pursue a major in Biomedical Sciences), a publisher and editor (for that Creative Writing degree you tried), a college theatre director (yep, you tried a theatre major, too), and a business professional of some sort (as boring as it sounds, you might find you like it). While I'd never say that I regret all of the degree changes I made, it certainly could have saved some time to do a bit more searching in high school. Good luck! Keep up the good work!

When deciding on a school, choose one that will make you feel at home and welcome. A large part of your education and success will depend on if you are meeting all of your needs. Don't choose a school just because it is close to home or one your best friend is attending. Choose a school that fits you . This will lessen the chances that you will have to transfer. VIsit all of the schools that you can see yourself at and take every opportnity to ask questions and find out what they're really about. It helps to sit in on lectures to see if it appeals to you. Choose the school that you want to go to, in the end you will be very happy.

After my first semester as a college freshman, I learned that my study skills and strategies I learned in high school were not sufficient to be a successful student. I quickly learned that studying, in addition to doing the homework and listening to the lecture, is the key to success and telling myself that earlier on could have helped greatly. I found myself frequently needing to put in extra time for studying and having to make sure I understood the many different concepts. I would encourage myself to study at least two or three hours for every hour I spend in class. Looking back I wish I knew that every instructor had a unique teaching style. I would explain that some instructors teach from the lectures and others from the book and the ability to discern between teaching methods is the one of the fastest ways to succeed in an education. If I could tell myself to improve my study habits, to study outside of class, and learn how to differentiate between teaching methods, it could have increased my success greatly.