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!