Florida State University Top Questions

Don't limit yourself to what you think you want. The "perfect" school does not exist; there are always going to be flaws with what you think you want. Some things you'll foresee happening and others will be a surprise. If you prioritize what's important to you for your future, you'll make the right decision. And it's not the end of the world if you make the wrong decision or change your mind. There are a lot of paths that lead to bright, satisfying futures. Everything's not only going to be okay, it's going to be amazing! Keep working hard, dreaming big, and living fully...it's going to be amazing!

I would advise myself to live in dorms my freshman year. I chose to live off of campus because it was cheaper, and because of this I feel like I missed out on the college experience to an extent. I don't have as many friends as the other kids at my school, and I haven't been to one college party. I don't necessarily regret the later, because my GPA is much higher than the friends I do have who study much less in favor of partying, but I do wish I knew more people on campus. I am not outgoing at all, which makes friend-making somewhat hard. Looking back, I can see that dorms truly are a part of the "college experience" even though I didn't believe that at the time.

Give yourself time to organize everything that you will be doing. There are always things going on at FSU so make plans to see what you will do. Just keep doing your best and work as hard as you can because there are many other students doing the same. You will love FSU, and it will be the best experience of your life.

Having a seventeen year old sister, I find myself constantly giving advice. When it comes to her selecting colleges, I give her my honest opinion. I believe a college-town is the best place to attend college and hope that everyone has the opportunity to experience something similar to what I have. The environment of college towns is what makes them so special. There is something to be said about rarely having to drive more than 5-10 minutes to go anywhere you need to go. You develop a special bond with not only the university, but also the people that are a part of it. Graduating next semester, I have learned a few things. First, talk to your teachers and get to know them. They are more willing to help you than you'd ever imagine AND can serve as a great reference when needed. Second, get involved in an organization and hold positions. The more you put in, the more you get out. Finally, it is so important to find a balance between social life, academics and physical acitivity. Take one day, one test, one project at a time. Enjoy every second, because it sure does fly by!

The most important advice that I would give myself is to establish good study habits which work for my style of learning. Everybody learns differently and people benefit from different teaching techniques. I recently began to understand which methods where effective for my learning style and I am noticing the difference in my grades. I wish I would have known these techniques when I was starting college, I honestly think I could have got straight A's in my first two years of college.

Knowing what I know now about college overall, I would tell my high school self not to worry about drama, to take more dual enrollment classes, and keep focused. I would try to explain to myself that the drama of high school isn't worth the time and effort to stress over because once you leave, there isn't any looking back. Sometimes you do stay friends with some of your high school friends but usually they're not the ones that were involved in drama with you. Looking back, the dual enrollment courses I tooked were very beneficial. I would tell myself to take advantage of this program and take more courses so that I could save the money and have those credits going into college. Taking more dual enrollment courses would've exposed me to more college experience and help prepare me for the transition into the college life once I was graduated from high school.

If I could go back in time and help myself with the college life transition I would have given myself more opportunity to be indecisive about my major. When I first entered college I was set on double majoring with Theatre and Psychology. After awhile I felt the pressure building up and my dream to work in theatre did not seem as important as my desire to have a strong educational background. I assumed psychology would be the best fit for me because I am not good at math and biological sciences. If I could do it over I would have kept my double major with theatre and tried to better incorporate it with my life goals. I have always known that I want to help people and that is what I intend to do. On the bright side I still have a theatre minor and I was able to pick up a Spanish minor as well. In summary if I could go back and help myself, I would tell myself to have more faith in my abilities.

Have fun but not too much, don't get carried away with dropping classes, and remember at the end of the day your grades get you what you want, don't let them suffer.

Take Duel-Enrollment instead of Advanced Placement courses. Save yourself the stress, while knocking off pre-reqs. and getting college credit.

I'd kick myself and say "One, don't slack just cause it's almost over, CAUSE IT'S NOT!!! Two, you are never, ever going to be bothered with those people again", while pointing at my former allies turned enemies. "THREE!!!!", and I will have to yell because it will be neccesary to get my wandering mind back again, "it's harder said than done but, think really hard about what you want to do because you still don't ~know~ what you want when you reach University even though you ~think~ you do now. Honestly, you will be so unsure about everything that you'll want to cry yourself to sleep every night . Lastly, believe in yourself and, in other people, because I know you will make the right choices." However, I WILL NOT tell myself what decisions to make because, in the end, it's my choice. I won't tell her the accomplishments she made in love, in academics and in life and I won't tell her of the grief that she faces or the fulfillment she will feel by finding who she is because those are the experiences that allowed me to cherish life.