Grand Valley State University Top Questions

Take school seriously. You will have enough time to have fun and party, but for this moment and time study hard and maintain good grades so that you could be accepted at a very good school and earn scholarships. Life will only get harder and the best way to make it through life is with a good education. Make sure you plan on your career goals. Be realistic and follow through and if your not decided on what you want to do make sure you are enrolled at a community college and get your generals out the way and sign up for programs that could help or guide you to a career choice. Join clubs or groups around the school that will direct you to a better educational plan. Get to know the college you enroll in activities and programs around the school and ask questions. There is a lot of people that are willing to help you. Don't be afraid of asking questions, a lot of people don't know what they want, it's ok not to have and idea of what you want, the important thing is that your are trying to do something about it.

Jonathan, you are a smart and talented young man and you can never forget that. You deserve to be happy and you have to go after your dreams. No matter how many times that inner voice tells you can't do it, I know you can. You are going to hit many hurdles along your path, but the best people do. All the bumps in your road will give you life experience that cannot be bought. Everything bad or good happens so you can learn from them and become a better man because of it. You deserve your dreams and never stop chasing them.

Don't worry. It will all work out. You'll get into Grand Valley. You will get a scholarship. You will figure out that darn FAFSA and you will learn how to take out loans. The first semester will be hard, but you will do it. You need to learn to STUDY, which I know is not something you do so often now. Go to class. Set about 85 alarms to make sure you get up in the morning. Most importantly, enjoy your time with mom and dad, because you will miss them a lot more than you think.

I would tell myself to relax. Everything will turn out alright, even if at the beginning things seem out of control. A little chaos is good sometimes; it makes life interesting and worth living. Also, I would let myself know that the pressure's not all on me, I should have gone to talk to professors more often when I had questions; it's okay to be wrong and make mistakes. My highschool self also needed to know it's definitely okay go against the crowd. During my first week here, no one wanted to show up at the transitional activites the university had planned for freshman. Everyone was talking about how stupid they were, that they didn't want to get up early and go, or they didn't want to put the effort into meeting people that they would never talk to again. I decided to attend any way, and I'm so grateful I did. I met a friend there that I've become close to, and she introduced me to the group of individuals I now spend large amounts of time with. Interestingly enough, I found out some people are actually worth the effort.

If I could time-travel and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would encourage myself to apply for more scholarships and to more schools. I didn't apply for very many scholarships and the one school that I applied to accepted me. I think that I would be better off financially if I had sent in more applications and looked at more schools. I would tell my past self to really go out and take part in more resume-building activities as well, and to take part in more school clubs. I think having more of a social group than just a very close-knit group of band students would have made the social transition easier. I wish I had gotten more out of my senior year experience. I was really active in the music program but didn't take part in many activities. I would tell myself to make the most of my high school experience. I would also tell myself to focus more in my first semester of college so I could avoid the academic problems I encountered at the beginning, and to take advantage of the resources supplied by the university.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would advise myself to be prepared to say goodbye to freetime. I did not know that being an art major would be so time consuming, therefore I was quite overwhelmed with the ridiculous amount of things I now have to do every day. I would also tell myself to be open and ready to meeting a lot of different people who have backgrounds and lifestyles that are not similar to mine. I was very sheltered growing up with the same group of kids for my whole life because I went to Catholic schools, but in college you will be exposed to people with different religions, races, and morals. Another aspect of college life is the long distances you have to walk to get to class, and at Grand Valley they can be really brutal, especially with the harsh weather from the lake effect. Consequently, I would advise my senior self to bring a lot of warm clothes and to get ready to dress in layers because I see a lot more snow in Allendale than I was used to back at home.

If I could go back in time (1997), I would tell myself to reconsider my major. I would remind myself to think of job stability in the future and what careers / degree programs will get me there quicker. I would also tell me to do my best to earn good grades and do as much as I can to get financial aid to finish my degree in 4 -5years. I would tell myself to do whatever is needed to not quit until I have earned my degree and obtain a good job in my dream career. I would remind myself that "The secret to success is consistency of purpose!" EVERYTHING happens for a reason!

I would tell myself to try to do things on my own. Try not to depend on others for so much and learn to succeed with little help. I would also tell myself to learn how to study because that is a big part of college. Test in high school are easy so you may not have to study but I should learn the skill so I can use it in college.

If I could go back and talk to my high school senior self I would advise myself to listen to what others have told me. I'd tell myself that college is a place where you have to get involved in clubs in order to make friends and that staying in my dorm all day won't get me a social life. I'd convince myself to join GVTV in my Freshman year rather than waiting until my Sophomore year because it is definitely worth it. I'd say, "don't be shy, just show them who you really are!"

With my current knowledge, I would have told my high school senior self to apply for more scholarships and to not be as shy. Thanks to my wonderful groups of friends and associates, I had an amazing four years, but I wish I wouldn't have held back so much. Though I was very active on campus and knew many people, there were times I hesitated. For instance, I participated in The Vagina Monologues and volunteered during Make A Difference Day, but I regret not joining a sorority. Likewise, I also would have told myself to focus more on external internships. This way, I could have possibly saved myself from unfulfilling opportunities after graduation. I would have also told myself to dance harder as a member of my dance team. Lastly, my greatest advice would be that college truly is a life altering experience, so stay smart and enjoy yourself.