Grand Valley State University Top Questions

College is a wonderful opportunity to see what you are capable of becoming. Don't waste it. It is so important not to let fear make your decisions for you, and the easiest and safest route are not always the best for you. Challenge yourself and take a class that stretches you and challeges you. Get involved in at least one extracurricular activity, getting through school as fast as you can shouldn't be your main objective. Joing thse groups will give you a chance to meet new people and do things you didn't know you were capable of. You will meet your future husband your first year and will want to spend every minute with him, but don't forget your friends. The friends you make in school will help you get through your classes and challenges, and they will be your friends for life. Finally, don't let fear get in your way. Fear of failure, fear of being laughed at, fear of doing something wrong, fear of doing something new; all of these things can get in your way and you will miss some wonderful opportunities where you least expect it.

Dear High School Me, You do not have to go to college straight out of high school. It is ok to take some time to get to know yourself, your skills and your preferences, to help you make the decision on how you can best serve the world. Do not go to college until you want to be there. Do not go to make someone else happy or to conform with what others expect of you. If you do, you will not do your best to apply yourself and it will affect your college career later. On the other hand, do go to college when you realize it is what you want for yourself and you know it will help you to be who you are designed be. Do appreciate others who help you in pasying for college or supporting you in other ways to reach your potential. And realize that college is a privilege, not a right, and how fortunate you are to be able to be there. Sincerely, With Age Comes Wisdon Me

Don't get a credit card, it is just not neccessary and you are much too young, and lets not forget you are horrible with your finances as it is. Don't be a work-a-holic, making money is great but it means nothing when you are still doing the same thing five years later with nothing to show for it. Sleeping is a wonderful thing, even though you are young and your body can bounce right back with minimal sleep your brain is not as effective and thats the one that matters. Don't try to focus on finding friends or finding a boyfriend, ninety percent of the people you meet won't matter to you by the next semester. It really isn't "cool" to do poorly, thats what the dumb kids say to make themselves feel better. You can be the one that screws up the curve so aim for it. Don't try so hard to please everyone, make sure your life is in order before bending over backwards to help someone out.

If I could advise my younger high school senior self, the biggest piece of advice I would give is to not let so much time pass before pursuing a college degree. I was hesitant to enter college because there were so many career paths that I was considering and didn't want to spend time or money on a path that I would not use and so I waited for several years. However, I now encourage recent graduates to at least attend a school to complete the general education requirements while those concepts are "fresh". Going back several years later and having to re-learn math concepts, science terms, and writing techniques that I knew but then forgot makes the process more challenging and also takes longer as sometimes remedial classes are required to be ready for the college level courses. I was also hesitant to enter college because I was frankly afraid of failure. I would tell my younger self that college is not something to fear because there are services available, teachers willing to help, and fellow students willing to encourage you the every step of the way.

If the ability to travel back and time and talk to myself as a senior was a real possibility, thankfully there is not much advice I would give. None the less, I would have a couple important suggestions to make, such as taking A.P. classes. As a senior I was hesitant to take more than A.P. Calculus, but after being successful in the course I regretted not challenging myself more. Another idea I would preach to myself is too be more involved in sports. I was captain of the football team, and I felt it necessary to give up all other sports to be the best player I could be. Finally the most important advice I would lend is to remain reserved in situations that are of little importance to me. A high school’s social environment is that of intrusion and curiosity, and sometimes the best approach is to remain restrained.

Don't go into the honors college. It's not worth it. Though the dorms are awesome, you'll have a much better time in the regular college. Try to relax and fit some fun in. It's all going to work out just fine.

I would go back and take a chemistry course. I took a biology course in college and it also included chemistry, and that was tough because I did not take that in high school. Thank you

It can be difficult to open up to new people and when you go off to college you are usually surrounded by new people, so the biggest piece of advice I would give would be to let people in and develop those lasting friendships. They are what will get you through all the stress of school and the change of uprooting yourself and moving somewhere totally new. Second, as cliche as it is, I would say get involved as much as possible...but instead of trying to join every club on campus, pick a few that you really enjoy and excel in them and try to become more than just a member, it looks better on your resume and its amazing how much it can supplement your education. Lastly, I would say take school very seriously and do your absolute best, not being afraid to ask for help. But with that, don't let school become your life...there is a lot more to college than just school and it is important to have memories beyond just exams and cool experiments you did in class. Most important...live every day to the fullest...those 4 years will go by fast!

If i could magically go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, i would tell myself to choose a school based on what they offer, and the kind of people they attract. Obviously every school has fraternities and sororities, clubs, and sports, you want to pick the thing that sets the school you're pondering apart, and that is the academics and the people. Avidly research and know what what you want to do with your life because going to school and paying thousands of dollars, whether it's your own money or parents money, it's too much money to just throw away while you take pointless, random classes just for the heck of it. If you're unsure of where you want to go and what you want to do, take a year off from school to explore yourself and what you love to do. It's not looked down upon, honestly, it's better to do that than to waste money like i said before.

I have often thought about how different my college life would be if I could go back and tell my high school self several things. I would tell myself that since I had not chosen a major yet to stick with general education courses instead of attempting to specialize in something and wasting time and money on something I'm not interested in. I would have also immediately gotten involved in extracurriculars instead of waiting for my second year. I met almost all of my friends in extracurriculars, like dance troupe and intramural volleyball. I would also have considered spring/summer class as a way to diminish my course load during the school year. I would tell myself that as a freshman in college not to wear pajama pants to class or get really dressed up on the first day. I would tell myself that I do not need to feel stressed out all the time about choosing my major or making friends. College is really fun, but time management is key to keeping your grades up! You may never realize how important grades might be in the future!