Georgia Southern University Top Questions

The most valuable thing that I have gotten out of my college experience is the independence one gets when they leave their parent's home. You have to rely on yourself and you have to learn how to deal and solve problems by yourself. Many life lessons can be learned once you don't have your parents around doing everything for you. I have learned how to make the best of my decisions and how to deal with the consequences of a bad decision.

I have gotten that school is very important and that you can actually enjoy going to school. It has been such a great experience and will remember it for the rest of my life.

Although I am only a freshman as of right now, I have gained (and am still gaining) valuable experience every day. I now know why my mom told me constantly when I was a senior in high school to not stay up late and go to bed early. It's hard to get up in the morning if you have an 8am class, but you went to bed at 1am the night before. I also know why my dad used to tell me to watch my allowance and be careful on how I spend my money. Well, you will soon find out when you get to school that if you don't budget your spending money carefully, you will need to call mom and dad continuously every week. I can tell you right now - they will not like that. In addition, I guess the most valuable thing I have truly learned is becoming independent. I am a young man who can now make decisions on my own and stand on my own. Don't get me wrong. I still rely on my parents, but I am learning how to become the young man that they always wanted me to be!

I would tell my high school self to do as much as possible to get involved in everything at college. The most fun I have had in college is getting involved with campus activities, and I made so many friends, many of which were my age, and in similar classes. I found people I could study with and hang out with and have a general good time with. Being involved at school helped me find my school spirit and find college to be an amazing experience I won't soon forget. I would tell my high school self that the saying "You leave your family to go to college, then you leave your family to go back home" is the truest description of my college experience that I have ever heard.

Dear Zakira, You have done a great job your entire high school career. You have joined many clubs, participated in many organizations, and volunteered alot of hours. This is all great for your college career and looks great on your resume. Take time to re-evaluate if nursing is right for you, shadow for a day, and volunteer at a local hospital to see if this is what you really want. Pursue your LPN program first. I know that you eventually want to be an RN, but the LPN/RN bridge program is ideal for you. When it comes to hanging out with friends, keep doing what you are used to. Friends are important, but when they get in the way of your studies it's time to get back on track. Living at home for your first year was a great idea and your parents will support you the whole way through. When it is time to move out, you will know. Don't try to rush and leave the nest too soon.

Assuming I could go back in time, I would tell myself to loosen up and become more social and less reserved. My senior year in high school I had started a new school in a new state. I felt completely lost at times because I was experiencing major culture shock. I had come from a very big city to a small town. From the first week of school I could tell that all these students basically grew up with each other. They lived in the same neighborhoods, knew all the same people, and they knew every major aspect of each others lives. Because this senior class appeared to be so tight-knit I felt like I had nothing in common with them and didn't try to become a part of them. Had I gone out of my way to socialize with others and learn how to meet new people my senior year, meeting new people in college would have been a lot easier. The friends you make in college are friends that determine your social experience throughout those four years, meaning you can't hold back. Life is full of making new friends, might as well perfect it now.

"You were just oozing with potential," an old friend said to me the other day. "Were?" It hit me hard. She was right. What had happened? How did I get so lost? "Wow, I am lost." It has been six years since I was in high school. I know the 17 year-old me would be ecstatic to hear of his college life. He would ask questions about what was to come, and ask how his newly-formed business was doing. I couldn't answer, because he would never ask. He wouldn't recognize me. He would nicely try to explain that I couldn't possibly be from the future, that there were other Daven Jones', and that I found the wrong one. My advice would have to be short. "I have taken many wrong turns on the road of life, stopped at too many rest stops, and wasted far too much gas," I would say. "I knew where I was going; I just didn't know how to get there." He would be listening now, (I knew a story would get him). "So before you make a turn, check your damn map."

If I could go back in time and give myself advice about college, I would tell myself not to worry so much. Before I started college I was nervous that I would not do well. Now I have been through a semester and I have found that it is not has hard as I made myself believe it would be. I have realized that I was worried and stressing about something that I should not have been worrying about. The hardest thing about college for most people is learning how to live on your own and doing things that need to be done without having to be told to do so. I was already accustomed to being responsible and doing what needed to be done without being told. This made the tranformation easier for me than most, and therefore it is not something i should have stressed about. I would tell myself that I have been preparing myself for this transformation my whole life and am more than ready for it.

People always say, "Hindsight is 20/20," well I thought that was such a dumb saying for a long time, but now I agree. Looking back on high school, I realized I was really stubborn. I refused to write scholarship essays, I thought everything would be easy and come to me with no effort. I wish i could just tell myself, "Haley, quit being so spoiled. You shouldn't expect everyone to hand everything to you on a golden platter." My first year of college, I learned what it was like to eat bologna sandwiches on weekends, for fear that a Dollar Menu hamburger at McDonald's would overdraft my bank account. I would probably just remind myself that I would not have a job through my first year at school, therefore my money will not be replenished and that i needed to study more, thats what school is for, not for social time. Through high school i did learn a lot about myself, but college so far has been a much more eye opening experience.

Making the transition to college was not hard for me at all. I found it very easy and enjoyable. The best advice I would give to a high school senior would be to not abuse credit cards. I have had to learn the hard way, and am currently trying to pay off around $8000 in debt. The feeling is horrible! The average college student now graduates with about $17,000 in credit card/loan debt, and I wish I had no part in it! Money management is something that I think all high school seniors should try to learn about before moving out and going to college. It can be very tempting to spend money you don't have and just say, "Oh, I will pay if off later." Unfortunately, in most cases, it doesn't work like that! Right now I am paying around $430.00 a month in bills that don't even include rent! Think about all the other things that money could go towards. Books, groceries, rent, clothes... anything! Bottom line, do not spend money you do not have! I wish I would have considered that before I started college!