Ferris State University Top Questions

The advice I would give high school self would be to never ever be afraid to get involved, i'm stronger than I thought and to let go of the mean things that kids say. I was never involved in high school and once I came to college I found my home in a sorority and from there went on and took three leadership positions and found my voice and place where If i had been more involved in high school i might have had a better experience. Telling my self to be stronger in the fact that just because I was getting made fun of and there were times when it just didn't seem worth it, to hold on and really look into myself and realize how strong of a person I can be. Finally, people will always have something to say and it might not be kind, but let the words roll off your shoulders and never give them a second thought. It is wasted energy and you are so much better than that.

If I could go back in time to my senior self, I would try to better prepare for the expectations of college. As many higher educated students mention, college is northing like high school. Here, every decision made will directly affect the future. With this in mind, I would tell myself to get involved more. Marketing yourself is one of the best ways to advance in the career field. As a junior at Ferris State University, I wish I would have began vouneering in the international office sooner. I have met so many life long friends. Experiencing different cultures vicariously through my friends has opened my mind to where I see my future. From interacting with international students, I chose to convert to Islam. If I could go back, I would tell myself to make this decision earlier. I cannot explain the joy and satisfaction I have in my life since I have chosen this path. Lastly, I would tell myself, life isn't easy but to stick with the things you're passionate about, love your family, and keep your friends close.

Absolutely nothing. In these past two years of college, I have learned so much about myself as an individual, and have found many ways to improve myself as a person, and a scholar. I do not believe that college is something that someone can simply fully prepare themselves for. I believe that college is ment to be a monumental learning experince where a student should leave the comfort of their parents household and further off into the real world; off into a place where mistakes will and should be made so that a student will learn not just about what it takes to maintain a future job, but off to learn about life and what it truly means to that student. Being unprepared and not knowing what to expect was my best preparation. Giving advice to my past self would change who I am today and I am perfectly content with who I am today, and overly ecstatic with the direction and feats in which I am taking my life. - Arshano McKenzie

There are going to be hardships in life that you cannot avoid. My past self would not give this a second thought. Going up in a small town the biggest thing I had to worry about was how I was going to wear my hair to the Friday night football game. After losing my father the summer after graduation, I realized I can’t see the world in black and white any longer. There are going to be those gray areas that will make you want to quit. You cannot let those times bring you down. One of the biggest things I would tell my past self, can be summed up into three simple words. Let. It. Go. Do not have a heavy heart for something that you did wrong, or couldn’t have been avoided. Learn from those moments and grow into the person and student you want to be. Lastly, always fill out your financial aid and scholarships on January 1st. Do not wait till the last minute because you will miss out and be mad at yourself. Please do not let your college life pass you by. These are great years, remember them.

Being able to go back in time and talk to my younger self, I would encourage myself to dual enroll and take college credits. It would have saved time and money. I would also have told myself to develop a better study plan. There is a lot more work to do in college than high school and I would want to be better prepared for it. I would have also told myself to join Circle K International my freshmen year because it was one of the greatest experiences I have had in college. I've met a lot of great people and done a lot of amazing community service events that I am very proud of. I would also tell myself that failure is okay, and that it isn't the end of the world. I have learned a lot from all of my experiences and it has built me into the person that I am today. I would also tell myself to try and keep in better touch with friends because they are a great support system and they will stick with you through thick and thin.

"As a high school student, DON'T TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT!" These are the exact words that I would tell high school seniors preparing for the transition to college. Often times seniors want to "slack" and take easy courses to end their final year of high school, but instead, why not dual enroll in college courses or take college level classes offered at the high school? College isn't a place where you can relax or look for a shortcut, it's like a full time job and has to be treated like one. A college education dictates what a person does for the next 40+ years, and nobody wants to be stuck doing something they don't enjoy because they couldn't succeed in college and get a degree of their choice. Taking basic courses that a college freshman would take, while still being a high school senior, in my opinion, would make the big transition less shocking when the time comes. Knowing what you have coming while you still live at home and have help from your family is something everyone should take advantage of. Always aim high!

If I could go back to in time and talk with my senior in high school self, then I would tell myself all kinds of things. I would tell myself to not stress about everything, because it will work out. I would tell myself to hold on to those moments because I'll never experience anything like it before, but to look foward to the moments coming because those will also be once in a lifetime. I would tell myself to get ready for an amazing time.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior; the advice I would give myself is, “Continue to apply to Northwest Community College, but stay there until you graduate and then go to the university. I know what happens if you only attend for one year and it isn’t good. You will have a daughter and you will need to provide for her, it will be a lot easier if you already have your degree or will almost have your degree by the time she is born. At 22 years old I’m trying to go back to college and it’s a bit of a hassle when I’m still raising our baby girl. If you continue to go to college until you graduate then you will be able to get a career with stable income and thus giving her a more stable life. So I say to you; stay in college now, your life will be better later in the future.”

College is the perfect time to find yourself. The transition from high school to college is scary but it's equally exciting. It's a time to revamp your image and make some serious life decisions. You can stop relying on your parents and find your own solutions to your problems. Mistakes are supposed to happen, just learn from them and move on. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is choosing the wrong friends. Finding good friends can be just as hard as your science lab or economics class. It's easy to be friends with the kid down the hall. It's even easier to date the kid down the hall. Just becuase it's easy, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. It is said that you become the average of the five people you are around the most. The people you hang out with have a profound impact on your life so choose wisely. One great way to meet people is getting involved with an organzation, going Greek, or playing sports. Being involved is not only a great way to meet people, but also an avenue to explore new passions.

Don't cut your hair so short! (it was a pixie-cut) In the city, short hair on a girl is okay. It's almost normal. But here in the middle of Michigan, short hair is too edgy. If I had had longer hair, some of my social experiences would have been more pleasant and people wouldn't right off the bat assume I was a lesbian. Lesbians are cool, but they are treated differently sometimes, and I know there were several people who had assumed I was and had made things difficult.