Illinois College Top Questions

I would tell myself that every situaiton is what you make of it. Any college you go to is going to be a difficult transition, but it is worth it. I would remind myself that everyone makes mistakes, so don't forfeit everything you've worked for just because you hit a minor bump in the road. It's also okay to miss home, to visit home, or to cry about it. I would also encourage myself by saying, the best part of college is the people you meet and the friends you make. The friends you make in college are the ones you have for the rest of your life. You do so much growing up together in such a short time. Don't be in a hurry to grow up either, you should enjoy every minute. This truely is the best time of your life, so don't let it pass you by. Take every oppurtunity. You want to look back on your life and be satisifed with the choices you made, and be able to know that you did everything you could to chase your dream. Anything is possible if you work hard enough.

Dear high school self, High school was fun, wasn't it? You found yourself through participating in your favortie activities with your best friends. But now, try something new. When you go to college, indulge in new activities to expand your horizons. There are more than enough opportunities to do new things and meet new people. Here, you will struggle with sports and school. Here, you will be surrounded by strangers. Here, the standards will be higher, and here, you will miss your parents. Here, you will learn time management by balancing sports and school. Here, you will talk to strangers and make new friends. Here, you will raise your standards, and here you will be making your parents proud.

If I could go back in time and give advice to myself as a high school senior I would say the following: 1) Being homesick is a real thing and it will happen, but don’t let that hold you back from getting involved on campus early. Participating in campus organizations will help you meet some amazing people. 2) When you join campus organizations, get a leadership position. It is more work, but the effort you put in will be worth it in the long run. 3) Actually do all of the soccer workouts over the summer. If you don’t, preseason will be a horrible experience. 4) Study in the library. Not only will there be fewer distractions, you will also be surrounded by people who have the same academic drive as you. 5) If you are looking for someone to date, it is better to find them at the library than at a party. 6) There are a multitude of research opportunities on campus and look to take advantage of them as soon as possible. 7) Get to know your professors. They have many connections on campus and in the surrounding community.

Study hard, get moer involved, be more outgoing, Find a Girlfriend!!!

College is a time to recreate yourself. You are with the same people from the time you start kindergarten all the way through high school, take college as the opportunity to go somewhere new, to meet new people and to figure out what difference you want to make in the world. It is intimidating at first to be in a place where you don't know a soul, but start with your roommate, get to know her and then start joining various activities around school. Illinois College is small, get to know as many people as possible and don't be constrained by the thought that they don't know you--how are they ever going to know you if you don't go out there to meet them? There are a lot of good people in this world that you will miss if you aren't open to meeting them. So be friendly, be social, and have fun.

To be honest, I wouldnt change a thing. The oppurtunities and memories that I have made have helped me become a stronger, more deicated, and inspired student. Without diversity and challanges how would you learn and grow? I love my school and all that it has given to me. I am proud to say I attend Illinois Collge.

Stay focused. You know what you want to do. Don't let anyone slow you down or get in your way. Keep your eyes on your goals but don't forget to have fun. Get out and get involved as soon as you can. You'll love it. Meet everyone you can, you never know who could turn out to be a life-long friend.

Make that extra effort. Those classes you skipped were not worth it. Imagine how many all nighters you would have avoided if you were present in that Math or chemistry class?

Knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition, the first piece of advice to myself would be to become better prepared for your future. Expose yourself to information, and have a better understanding of what it takes to be a successful individual, as well as a student. Secondly, I would tell myself to never give up when facing adversity. Also, give your maximum effort in everything that you do and you will see success. Lastly, I would tell myself to relax. Don't become stressed over the unknown, but, if fact embrace it. This is what makes life exciting, embrace the change.

If I could go back in time to my Senior year in high school, I would tell my senior self to stop being a perfectionist. Throughout my high school years, I was a massive perfectionist. I always aimed for getting A's on everything or getting the top time in Track and Field. My bar was so high for myself that everytime I would fall short, I continuously punished myself. Being a perfectionist was robbing me of my peace and self esteem. Even at the beginning of college, my perfectionism was still kicking my butt. I felt like I had to get a 4.0 G.P.A. It even got so terrible that when my friends were joking around with me on my flaws (like my running form), I felt I was worthless because I was not perfect. I decided one day that I was done being a perfectionist, so I seeked help from the college counselor. He gave me some tactics about dealing with perfectionism, and I even went as far as reading about it myself. Soon, I was able to relax more and cope with making mistakes because I learned that nobody is perfect.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to work harder for better grades. I could make the grades, but didn't push myself to go above and beyond. I would have spent more time studying rather than just getting by, because now I see the financial burden I have put on my parents for getting those average grades and not the grades that I was very capable of receiving had I just applied myself. I would also have been more outgoing, although I played sports, I would have joined more clubs to get better awareness of just what a difference I could make in my life and someone else's. Illinois College pushes for community involvement and now looking back I wish I would have done more of that. My little brother is autistic, I should have done something in our community to bring awarenss to this disability as so many people don't understand why he acts like he does sometimes. He has been a blessing in my life and I just wish I would have shared that more with my friends.

I would tell myself to never lose that confidence I had in myself and my abilities that I had as a senior. I knew what I wanted in high school and I always worked to get it. I wish I would have kept that attitude because my freshman year, I slacked a little on my grades. It wasn't anything dramatic just not as good as I was used to getting. I know now that as long as you put in the effort and time you will get the results you want. I would also tell my younger self that it is okay to be an individual and stick out. I came into college wanting to fit in, but eventually found that being an individual is a lot more fun. People seem to follow your lead when you decide to be yourself and they realize how happy you are. They last thing I would tell myself, is that you only go to college once and then it's reality. Work hard on your school work, but don't forget to experience everything you can while you are there.

My transition into college went surprisingly better than I expected. I was nervous going to school three hours away from home because I am super close to my family, especially my twin sister. We decided to go to different schools, which I think helped us both in many ways. I was paired with a really awesome roommate. We became best friends with in the first few weeks of school. Now that I am a senoir in college, honestly, I don't think there is anything I could have told myself that would have made the transition into college any better. I was just really lucky. I was from a small town and high school, so going to Illinois College was a good fit for me. Everyone on campus is extremely nice and the professor are really helpful. The only thing that I can think of that I wished I would have done as a freshman was actually take the time to get help from my professors. All of my professors have been extremely nice and I wished I would have taken advantage of going to get help from them more often.

I would say that I need to be ready to study! As long as you show up to class and pay attention you will have no problem making grades in college!

Scholarships. Seek and apply now. Do not think that they are not out there. I have lost thousands of potential dollars by being unaware of Eagle Scout scholarships. Those are valuable, and along with others, will not be available beyond your first year. Many are easy, just filling out basic information and writing essays. Do them. Majors. Wait to declare. Do not be like others going in with one decided major only to choose differently later. Such students often result with classes not applying towards the new major. Wait until you are absolutely sure what you want to do. It is worth it. Extracurriculars. Join groups. They are a great way to meet people. Sigma Pi is the literary society to choose, but go to more “smokers” so you know more of the actives and brothers during the pledging process. Also, do sports. Cross Country and Track are fantastic at Illinois College. Lastly, I am glad I was recognized for six years of community service by our mayor, earned my Eagle Scout, participated in church groups, and worked for good grades. It is all worth it when you get here. It is the character you and your future stands on.

I would encourage and advise myself to get involved in lots of activities right off the bat. It is the easiest way to find and meet new friends who have the same interests that you do. I started out quiet and shy like I was in high school, when I wish I had become more sociable. Remember that college is a chance to start over again and a chance to try all sorts of new things. I signed up for chorus and took voice lessons, something I would never have done in high school and I am so glad I did. I found that I really enjoy music and had the experience of taking a bus trip to New Orleans and performing in many places along the way! If I had not tried this new interest I would have missed a great time! I now intend to try anything I think I might enjoy.

I have learned a lot about current events, even though I am a science major. Before I started college here I had a very limited understanding of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but my freshman seminar class taught me that and much more. I have also made some great friends and met very interesting people. I know that what I have learned in my first semester will stay with me for the rest of my life. So it has been a valuable experience so far and I know that I am just getting started.

Illinois College is a small college. The fact that I have received such a great education from some of the best professors is really important to me. In fact, it outweighs the fact that this is such a small school and can be boring at times. The hunger for knowledge this school has given me is incredible. I have always been a good student, but here I have to work to be a good student, and it is work I like doing. I love forming relationships with students, professors, and even the president of the college who invites every student over to his house for dinner. I have learned so much here and have had the opportunity to work with actual people and make actual differences both on and off campus. It was the best decision I have ever made.

I have learned much about teaching children through my schooling at Illinois College. I find the skills I have learned a great way for me to become a great teacher one day. Even though the college is expensive to attend, I have great skills now to run my own classroom. Also, I have made many lifelong friends.

My college experience has strengthened me as an individual, and I feel as if I have matured greatly in the short two years of attending. For example, I had the unique experience of participating in a group that works with first generation students by preparing them for college; by having them come to campus a few weeks before the other students and doing core subjects with professors and college students. Transitioning from high school to college was rather difficult, but I endured the challenges that change presented and used it to better myself as an individual. College has changed me as a person, and I feel if this change keeps up then I will be ready to take on the world. Attending college is crucial for anybody even considering getting a over minimum wage job, even though its hard it will be well worth it once it is all done.