Grand Valley State University Top Questions

I would tell myself to not worry too much about finding friends and things to do. Just by being myself and doing things that interested me, I was able to find campus activities that were good for me, and I was able to find friends with similar interests. I would recommend getting involved with some sort of club (I joined the rowing club/team) because that gives you something to do and provides a way to meet people. It also helps you to meet upper classmen, who can give you advice and help you out. I would also advise myself to test out of all of the introductory courses that I could, since I learned more in my high school classes than I did in introductory chemistry, biology, and physics. Finally, I would advise myself to maintain good study habits and be prepared for some very challenging courses. A lot of the courses here don't just teach facts, they teach how to understand and use the information in practical applications. These courses teach you how to think and reason. They are hard, but they are the best classes I took.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, knowing what I know now about college, I would tell myself to put in a little more effort into my classes. Learning good study habits early on would help me succeed in college and make learning much easier, not to mention my better grades would have gotten me more scholarships and made it easier to pay for school. I would have also told myself to get more involved. Learning leadership skills would help me, not only in college, but in my life and future career.

In high school, I always worried about not getting an ?A? on everything I ever did. I was second in my class of eighty-three, and the pressure from family to keep it that way or make it better was always overwhelming. If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior, I would tell myself to never give up, and to stop being so nervous and focus on all of the amazing opportunities that I am opening up for myself. I would tell myself to stop stressing about every little grade, because everything would be worth it in the end. In high school, I would get frustrated with my teachers because at the time, I never understood why they pushed us so much and made us work so hard. Now, I understand. My teachers in high school wanted nothing but the best for us. They knew that by challenging us then, it would make things easier for us when we moved on to college. I am forever grateful for their dedication. If I could go back, I would tell myself to thank my teachers, even if it didn?t make any sense at the moment.

The advice I would give myself is not to freak out. All throughout my life people have told me college is hard and scary, and it was for me too, my first day, because of the stories I have heard. I was an average student in high school and I worked just as hard maybe even more but I did get good grades. I would say that life is going to be more confusing because of all different situations hitting me, but that is part of the college experience to work with that, so in the future I have balancing skills. Also there are going to be a lot more people compared to where I grew up, so making friends is going to be just as hard, but once they are made its a blast. Overall, I would want to say to myself that attitude is everything, if I freaked out at every little situation, I would be everywhere, but I didn?t and had confidence when I went to college. With that said, lets not be overconfident either, that could result into a bad situation too

Dear Leah, Please make time to develop friendships during your college years. School is not only about education and finding a job. If it takes you five years instead of four to finish and you have made life-long relationships, then you have succeeded in what is important. School is not about grades and study habits. Your education should be expanded to what you can learn from other people who come from different religions, backgrounds, and ethnicities than you. Networking and relating to people is as much a part of your degree as accounting or management skills. Please take two weeks each summer to volunteer abroad or even in your own city. Remember how much you loved France for seven weeks? Take time to help others and yourself by forgetting the $300 you could make waitressing and go! Find children to love, women to nurture, elderly people to read to, and you will be more satisfied by doing these things than by earning money. Love, Your Older and Wiser Self, Leah P.S. Don?t let mom and dad talk you out of dating Vicente. You will marry him one day.

Only you can make your life happen. What motivates you? What do you like? What do you not like? Take classes and explore your interests, but also make sure to take as many core classes as possible to get them out of the way as soon as possible. Push your boundaries; once you start to feel comfortable where you live, or who you hang out with, then expand to add more knowledge. Be careful about who you hang around with and what you do-it would be horrible later in life to have the cost of poor choices as youth to inhibit us from qualifying for our future careers. Also, do what makes sense-do not be afraid to go "against the grain." There may be a time where no one reaches out to lend a hand to help another, but you will have to set the example! Finally, don't ever give up; life is too short to be discouraged if something does not go as planned.

College opens countless doors of opportunity once you step foot on campus. There are many aspects one might expect from college such as the food. But there are also some other aspects that I wish I could have been told of before coming to school. As a high school senior the first thing I would tell myself as the only child in the family, is to quickly get used to living with someone. Making that adjustment from being alone in a room to having two people is shocking. At the same time it?s an eye opening experience that no one should turn down. I would also tell myself to begin to learn how to set aside your social life and begin to work. ?Senioritis? stops on day one. College is the last stop before your career, why not excel to impress your future employer? In high school I prepared for tests the day before; in college that mindset doesn?t cut it. I want to go back and tell myself to pick up study habits, habits that I picked up on pretty quickly within the first few weeks, but the preparatory advice would have saved me from the stress.

I would tell my high school self not to be afraid of taking the most difficult classes I could. By taking more AP classes I would have been even better prepared for the level of material at the college level. Once you are in college your high school GPA doesnt matter to you anymore, so there is no need to worry about the difference between a B+ and an A if the B+ comes in an AP course. I would also tell my high school self not to be afraid of losing my friends from high school by going to a college where none of my friends are attending. I have met so many people, of different races and cultures, that any friendship from high school that doesnt last will be replaced by a dozen more with people who are just as fun and exciting. Its these new friends that make college enjoyable instead of a burden emotionally, physically, and financially. And the last thing I would tell my self would be to embrace every moment with my family before I leave for college. Once Im away from home, I miss every last one of them.

As you embark upon this next phase in your life, remember that you can do anything you put your mind to. Learn not to separate your dreams from reality by developing a mindset of a trailblazer. A trailblazer recognizes that anything is possible. It is one who is not afraid to make a way, even when it seems too hard. Your college career is an important investment, which you expect to receive a high rate of return. Get Involved! Ask questions and commit yourself to interact with professors, advisors, staff, as well as students gaining as many skills and as much insight as possible. Take advantage of resources available to you. Produce effective and efficient study habits so that you can make the most out of your time. Most importantly?do NOT worry! Many of us tend to worry when we are subject to change. Worrying will not add anything of substance to your life. Change in itself is inevitable. Embrace this transition with open arms taking hold of the opportunities ahead.

As a high school senior, I would definitely take as many AP classes in school that are available. Take high school more seriously, your grades do effect what schools you can apply to and attend. So your grades in high school do affect your future. College is a lot tougher than what I expected. There is a lot mroe homework, in every class, so you need to save a lot of time for doing homework and studying. Homework is consuming more of my time than I had expected. Be careful not to overload yourself with classes. College life is very busy and you need to be involved in extra curricular activities and groups. Being involved is the way you get to meet new people and make new friends. A good nights rest is very important, don't stay out late at night. And the most important thing to to save save save your money. Text books are very expensive! College is very expensive!