Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne Top Questions

I have made many new, great friends during my college experience. They are from all over the country and from foreign countries too. It has taught me about the different cultures of the world and to appreciate each and every one. Also, I have learned a lot about who I am and what I want in life because I am growing up and having to take care of myself.

The most I have gotten out of my college experince is the fact that all the decisions are up to me. If i dont want to go to class I don't have to, if i don't want to do my homework than I dont have to. This is different than highschool because you had to go to class and do your homework.

i would tell myself that be ready for college, because college isn't high school no more. and that ill need to put my game

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that in order to acclimate to college life, I should get involved. And the sooner, the better! I was involved in high school, but I assumed that college would be different. I thought I would need to spend all my time studying; I didn't think I would have time for extracurricular activities. Fortunately, I started to get involved on campus during the end of my freshman and beginning of my sophomore years. I became active in a couple campus organizations and played intramural tennis. During the latter half of my undergraduate career, I traveled to Europe with the educational travel program, worked two campus jobs, became an officer for two student organizations, and attended campus activities and artistic productions. It was this involvement that made IPFW feel like a second home; it gave me a sense of belonging and community. These were the most stimulating and rewarding semesters of my college career because those activities introduced me to some of the most interesting and engaging people I know and gave me insight into what I might do after graduation.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to take school more seriously. In earning a college grade, you have to sincerely read the required readings and complete the homework. Also, you should take advantage of your teachers' knowledge. They know a lot and are able help answer any unsure questions about college and studying methods. Participation in class is the most useful concept that I have learned throughout my semesters in college. If you plan to participate in class, you will most likely succeed. Preparing for class goes hand in hand with achieving that "A". If other students are expecting you to participate, you will need to make sure you did your homework. This also helps teachers recognize that you are devoted to the coursework. Having that professor-student interaction is benefitial in many ways. They help you not only with a particular course, but can give you insight for your future and open up doors for you. I recently had several professors willing to write me a recommendation letter for overseas study. This would have been impossible without them.

I would tell myself to take math my senior year, instead of taking classes just to fill time. I would also tell myself to work on my writitng more and prepare myself for college instead of taking it easy my senior year. Finally, the most important thing I would tell myself is go into college with a plan knowing what I wanted out of it. Going into colleg undecided makes scheduling classes difficult and could make fall somewhat behind early.

If I could go back in time knowing what i know now the advice i would give myself is create study habits. Coming from the high school i graduated from it was a breeze. I was a smart kid so i figured why study i can just do my work whenever. Now that im in college and studying is the key to everything, i now have to create a habit that should have been broke. Its hard but in order to pass classes it's what you have to do because it has to be done in order to be successful.

There is so much that I wish I would have known. I wish I would have known that the classes in college are not as hard as they are made out to be. I was told that for every hour you are in class, you were going to have 2 hours worth of homework. I really stressed myself out during my senior year of high school and although my good grades paid off, I wish I could go back and tell myself to have fun and, while focus on my grades because they are the most important things, to let loose once in a while and allow myself to relax because I really needed it. If I had just relaxed once in a while during my senior year of high school, I believe that I would have enjoyed it much more than I did and I believe that I would have been less stressed about the transition to college as well, along with not worrying about how hard the courses were going to be.

This first thing that I would do would be to take more classes my first year. That first year is really all review from High School. If you take more than 12 credit hours you will have a better chance of getting your degree done in 4 years instead of 5 or 6 years which is what is normal now a days. I would also take summer classes. Even if it was one or two. This will also help speed up the process of getting your degree faster and getting out into the work place faster. One more thing that I would change would be making friends. As a freshman I did not want to hang out on campus or talk to anyone. This would have helped me out. I could have formed study groups and make friends that could have helped me out all through college. Like they say you live, and then you, learn.

Know how to study and understand that high school is nothing like college. It is nothing you can prepare for but just be sure to stay in school and make the best of it. Work harder at it than you did in high school and keep your GPA up!

"I don't care if you don't know what you want to do with your future, start your higher education NOW! Take the general education classes and experience college and experience life, you will like it."

The one thing I wish I would have known in high school is to not stress over it so much. I may not have been the greatest student in high school, but because of that I looked into joining the armed forces and ended up joining the ARMY National Guard, which has taught me so much more life skills than high school ever could have. Since joining my life has changed dramatically for the better, and overall I have become a much better person because of it. I now have certain disciplines I never had and organization in my life that is making college much easier than I had imagined.

I would tell myself to work harder at my final year of school and to apply to more outside scholarships. It would be easier to be in school and only in school now. I would also tell myself as a senior to apply to more schools and shop around. I think that if I compared schools a little more, I would be able to take the best offer, rather than stick with the safe option. I would tell myself that it is not a smooth transaction from high school to college if you do not have time for any school activities because of working and attending school. I would tell myself to enjoy my final year of high school and work hard to prepare for the next chapter in my book. It might not be a very easy road for me to continue on, but it will be worth the drive in the end.

Knowing what I know now I would have never quit college the first time because it is the hardest thing to get back into college. I would definately go back and redo everything. I would go to class and work my hardest on my school work. I would encourage all my friends to stay in and do there best. I am ready to get a degree and start a career and raise my child.

If only I'd known what I know now... Had I realized the numerical sum once you added the expenses of tuition, housing, books, office supplies, music equipment, winter apparel, groceries, doctor visits, medications, and even toilet paper, perhaps I would not have taken the value of money for granted when I was a high school senior. Perhaps I would have worked harder in school. Perhaps I would not have viewed my father as merely an ATM maching. Perhaps I would not have spent every work pay-check on movie tickets, concerts, clothing, and other non-essential items. Not only that, perhaps I would not have quit my job just because I wanted to be able to sleep in on the weekends. Had I been able to see into the future, to see the current $2.76 balance in my bank account and then ask my father for money only to have him reply "Actually, I was going to ask YOU for money..we might lose the house", I'd been more responsible and appreciative. I would have valued money, kept my job, saved up. I would have been smarter. I would have been better prepared.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself two things. First, figure out what you really want to pursue as a career. I thought I wanted to be a nurse, but in my second semester of my freshman year, I decided that I truly wanted to be an underwater archaeologist. Those are two very different majors and occupations. This also is very expensive to change last minute, especially when you have nursing classes that you have to drop for anthropology classes. Second, don' t procrastinate and actually study. I went from having a 3.0 GPA to a 1.75 GPA because I didn't take college serious. I goofed off and didn't attend class as I should have. You can lose scholarships and even get kicked out of college by doing that. I would strongly yell at my high school senior self to get myself in gear, because I'm not that special, there are other people who can do archaeology better than me IF I don't start taking what I want to pursue and how I will pursue it seriously.

If I could go back in time to my senior year of high school, there would be a lot of different choices I would make before going to college. Some of those choices would be to fill out more scholarships to get more money, work more over the summer so I would have money saved up, and study even more then I already did. I would fill out more scholarships because that way I wouldn't have to pay as much money towards school. College is very expensive and the more scholarships you fill out the better you'll be. I would also work more over the summer so I could have money saved up for living expenses. Food for a college apartment can get pretty costy. It would have been better if I would have saved more money for food. I also would have studied more then I did so I would be more prepared for college classes. All of these "should haves" are what are important to do before college.

Unfortunately I do not have much to say seeing as I am suffering from amnesia and have no clue what that person was like or the plans that person had made.

Wherever college takes you have an open mind. Don't be afraid to connect with your peers and advisors. You will need them to have a positive successful collegiate career and to open doors for you after graduation. Take all general education/graduation requirement classes first regardless if you know what your major is because you are spending your money so spend it wisely. Find resources outside of what the school will provide to attend school. Your education is your responsiblity so handle it cause no one else will. Lastly, take one semester at a time and enjoy what you will learn in and outside of the classroom. Everything is an experience.

I would tell myself to go with my first choice in picking a career. I would have said that " You will need medical in a few years, continue and follow your dreams." I would of them listened to my heart and maybe have been able to save my dad. My dad died 2 years after I graduated college. And now I am going back to follow what I should have started. Now I can't save my dad because he is in heaven, but I can keep other family members going strong with the information I will learn.