Grand Valley State University Top Questions

College is a place where a person can start to discover who they are in their personal and professional lives. The beauty of having a college experience is giving yourself time to experience relationships in new ways that have not been available before in high school, as well as giving you the practical knowledge of understanding a career. The personal life aspect is one of the most important because we start realizing who we are and how people view us, which will help us when trying to figure out what we want to choose as a career. I learned in my experience that being organized, focusing on my responsbilities, and learning from people are the most important. Through this I believe my work ethic has been enhanced with staying on task, as well as understanding that the most important part is to understand others and grow with them through the tasks of our job. I learned from both the positive experiences and the negative ones which, in reality, gave me a well rounded perspective of the future and where I wanted to go in my career.

My college experience has so far made me more responsible, as college usually does to a person, but also more well-rounded. Not only is it a liberal arts college, but it's also a unified campus with a high acceptance of everyone and everything they are connected with. It's taught me that no matter what, people should be equal-- if they play drums or sing in accapella, play basketball or spend their time studying, if they are black, white, middle-eastern, or anything in between, if they praise God or if they shy away from religion. Anyone can be in the same group, even if they come from completely different backgrounds or have different ideas and morals. I came here as a freshman, along with 3,000 other freshmen, all in the same stage of our lives. Together we have progressed and become different and better people in just over a semester's time, and sometimes I feel that's a unique thing to feel connected with that large of a group of people. These things define Grand Valley and I'm proud to be a part of it.

If I could go back and give myself advice about transistioning into college, I would have one maing thing to say. I would say that the most important thing you can do to ensure that you have a fun, enriching experience is to be open and go with the flow. You learn quickly that there are many things that are out of your control. By "rolling with the punches" you save yourself a lot of grief. By being open to new things, even if it makes you slightly uncomfortable, you will learn so much more and meet many new people. Don't compare college to anything else you have ever done. There will always be a million reasons not to do something: be what you want to be regardless of any excuses. Most of all, don't be afraid: take things as they come.

If I could go back in time to when I was a senior inhigh school I would tell myself to get housing on campus before the last minute. I also would say that scheduling 8:00am classes is not a great idea if you can avoid it because you never want to get up to go to class that early in the morning. I would tell myself to study more and do whatever it takes to get good grades. In making the transition easier I would advise myself to be more outgoing and try new things. Go out and meet new people because that's what college is all about. These are all things that I would tell myself if I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, and give myself advice about making the transition from high school into college.

First, I would give myself this advice...College is NOT high school. There is a reason why, when you go to college, you move out of your parents house and into dorms. You're on your own, but there will be plenty of people along the way who are willing to help. Call home every once in a while, let your parents know you're still alive and swallow your pride to ask mom how to do laundry. Now, to classwork. Professors will not tell you to follow your syllabus, that is up to you. You can choose to do the reading or not. They will not tell you if you have homework due, that is also for you to find on your syllabus and do. Most professors will not remember you name, especially if they have classes of 100+ people, so go to office hours and get to know them a little. NEVER be afraid to ask questions. Party, watch tv, go to the movies, or go shopping, if you want to, but remember, in the end you are the only one who can answer the questions on that exam. Have fun and live a little! Try something new.

I think the main thing I would tell myself would be to take a year off. When you graduate from high school you are debt free and basically free in general but you most likely don't understand the weight of financial debt and the responsibilities of life on your own. Also you have been in school for 13 years already and it's probably time for a slight break. These days, even if you head straight to college and get a degree, you aren't guaranteed a well paying career, contrary to popular belief. It is a wonderful idea to take some time off to figure out who you are and what you truly want. You may not find all of the answers after a year but you will most certainly be more aquainted with the idea of paying bills living without all of the little things that your parents do for you that you take for granted. You will also, hopefully, have a little money saved instead of jumping straight into college and coincidentally, depending on what school you choose, into lots of debt.

Assuming I would be given the chance to travel back in time and give myself advice I would advise myself to fill out the FAFSA early. I would also sit down and tell myself important study tips about how to stay ahead in class and to take effective notes. Do the homework the night you get it if at all possible and work on it as much as you can before the next class session. This frees up more time later as well as keeps all of the material more fresh in your mind. I would tell myself that I don't have to write down every word the teacher says, mostly summarize what they say. This saves times writing and frees up more time to listen to what they are saying. That way I can more actively listen and remember the lecture. I would also advise myself to get as active in plays as possible since I am focused on a theatre major, and always have been. Experience is invaluable. Before I left I would also strongly recommend myself to stick with GVSU and not transfer to any other school for any reason, it's a waste of money.

I would tell myself to try a little harder at the end of high school, because college is a lot of work and it is something I need to prepare for. Also I would tell myself to enjoy how easy high school is because after that it only gets harder.

If I could go back to high school and do things differently, the first thing I would do is sit with my parents and communicate with them my interest and goals for college and encourage them to support me by looking into different avenues to assist with college tuition and planning. Next, I would give myself a kick swift in the rear and make major changes in my priorities. I would take school a lot more seriously, take courses that focus on my college major, and immediatley become a student athlete; I'd play softball. I think as a student athlete I would stay focus on my grades, a positive attitude, time management skills, learn to be a team player and also build social skills in the classroom and on the field. I think being a student athlete would help me not only prepare for college, but also provide an opportunity for a sports scholarship to assist with my college education. If I could go back I would stand and believe that working hard while I am young will pay off when I am older; it takes financial security and stability to enjoy life and support life!

If I could rewind a year, I would tell myself to do as much as I could whenever given the oppurtunity because there are some things in life you may only have one chance to experience. The more you do in life the more you learn, and when you know more and have a good number of experiences under your belt it only makes the transition into college easier. I would have told myself not to feel overwhelmed and that yes there's a lot of changes I will go through in the first year -- but even when things seem tough and unbearable everything works out and falls into place.