Florida State University Top Questions

My dearest Tallie, Boys are not your concern; they will move on and so will you. Focus on the relationships that you already have with your best friends, sisters, and parents. Best friends will truly be there for you until the very end and in every special moment. Sisters are more than your best friends because they have to go through everything with you, and they still love you after it all. Mommy loves you more than anything in the world and just wants to be heard. Papa is not a man you should fear but a father you need to trust, hug, and love. You are his little girl, and he will treat you right, but he needs love more than anyone in the family. Cherish these fleeting high school moments because they are so sweet and pure. Love, Tallie

Don't put pressure on yourself to decide right now what you want to BE in your life. Instead, focus on what you want to DO with your life and what makes you happy. The latter focus is what will ultimately help you decide on a career choice that is fulfilling and worthwhile. During college, take the time to learn new things and take on various hobbies. Participate in intramurals and build relationships. Focus on your education and take courses that interest you. Don't choose a major because the schedule is easier. Instead, research your options; look at careers that utilize the major and read profiles of people who have excelled in those careers. Look at salaries and job satisfactions. If the career possibilities excite and interest you, then pursue that major and engage in clinics and other extracurriculars that supplement the course of study. Do internships and gain experience. Set short-and long-term goals for where you want your studies to take you. Utilize the study abroad program and pursue coursework within your discipline for a comparative review. And don't be afraid change your mind. Spend your time pursing knowledge; everything else will fall into place.

The biggest things I would tell my high school self is to become involved in campus in as many ways as possible that are applicable to yourself. Join Greek life, clubs, and internships and utilize and research all the available resources that the campus has to offer. This will greatly improve the transition into college life and help with getting a job after college. Also just, have fun. Go into college with no judgments about people and places. High school relationships, enemies, and grudges do not matter. You will meet many people that are very different from you who are amazing in every way. You will meet lifelong friends and some that will just come and go. However, to utilize the ability to meet these people you have to have an open mind about the people you will meet and the opportunities granted. The last piece of advice that I can offer, is to apply for as many scholarships as possible for your situation. College is expensive and any help that is offered should be taken advantage off.

It is all going to be okay. Sure, you are going to feel like questioning your very existence, every day, but you can't. Take opportunities as they arise, even if you don't know what the opportunity is or fully understand it. My best decisions came from taking advantage of an opportunity, even when I did not want to. I would also reccomend to get involved with your community, participate in philanthropies, work hard and strive to be the best version of yourself every day. Life is going to throw you curve balls, you are going to feel lost and confused. Sometimes you will even fail miserably, but my best work comes after a huge failure. Failure is motivation, it teaches you to better yourself. Failure is the greates thing that can happen, so do not be afraid. Embrace daily challenges with an open-mind and you will be successful. My favorite quote is "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" - Steve Jobs. It means to stay motivated, make mistakes, and keep making them until you learn.

I would tell myself to not be shy and embrace as many new experiences as possible. I would also tell myself not to change who I was just to fit into the "cool" crowd. I think that it is very importat to stay true to yourself and figure out who you were meant to be in this world. Do not let anyone tell you are not smart or that you will not pass a class just try your best and thats all anyone can ever ask of you. Also, do not let other peoples opionon affect you. Not everyone in this world will like you and there is nothing you can do about it even if you are the kindest person in the world. Do not let those people drag you down or make you feel bad about youself. You will do great things and never give up on your dreams!

I would say ... take the time to fill out all those small scholarships, they might just come in handy covering books, tuition, and food. Enjoy your last days in the all the sports that you gave your heart and soul. And make sure that you are prepared for the void that you WILL have when you no longer fill your days with swimming, soccer and track. Those high school sports were such a part of who you are, and the "sports high" you ALWAYS had, only you didn't know what it was ... you now know about endorfins only because you don't have that great feeling from committing to your team and the workouts you did daily. When this happens, make sure you think twice when choices present themselves ... those sports were/are in your life for a reason. Life does not need to be hurried through. Hug your family (when your parents say how proud they are, believe them), Thank your teachers and coaches, and Remember to be true to who you are ... that person is on to becoming the person you are meant to be.

If I could go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to stop worrying. Stop worrying about all of the AP classes because once you're at Florida State University, you'll want to take every single class you can, even the ones you already have credit for. Stop worrying about picking a major. It doesn't have to be set in stone before you come here. Plenty of students come in as exploratory. Soon you'll find your passion for marine biology and everything will be okay. Stop worrying about how you'll make friends. Everyone on the campus is friendly, willing to talk, and willing to help. You will make friends in classes, in the dorms, and even at the bus stop while you wait to get to Publix. Everything will be okay. You will be happy and you will thrive here. Your experience at college will be so much better than at high school. Even the all-nighters you'll pull will be better here because you know that what you're doing matters and it will all be worth it in the end. Stop worrying.

It's a chance to learn about yourself which is an amazing but difficult challenge. You learn what it is to be lonely, but don't worry, you will learn to be happy without the cushion of your home environment. You have the oppurtunity to make a new home (though don't use the term 'home' to refer to anything that isn't where your parents' live in front of your mother), utilize this time to learn more about yourself and grow as a person. Get excited about what's in front of you, and don't worry you can figure this out. If you go to the right school you'll find you'll feel comfortable there soon enough. You're going to have to be more outgoing, you can't lean on those friends you've had since middle school, you need to talk to as many as people as you can. Join things that interest you. Try everything you want, then prioritize after you've found what you love, and dedicate time to that. If you can binge watch tv for several hours (days?) you can go to some new club meetings.

I would tell myself to be better prepared to meet all kinds of people and accept that not everyone thinks the same in college. I came from a medium sized high school that was very diverse. Although it was diverse the majority of the students had a very similar mindset. Being around people that come from all parts of the country I have run into many different mindsets and personalities. It took me a little while to get used to the fact that people will just think differently and I can't control how they think. If I had accepted that this would happen before coming to college I could have saved myself from making a few bad choices in friends and had a less rocky start.

College is not as "easy" as it seems, prepare youself for a ton of hard work and dedication to your studies.