Indiana University-Southeast Top Questions

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, I would advise myself that going to college isn't about how far away from home you can get. This is usually overlooked by many seniors who are looking forward to "getting away" or simply being on their own. As I was looking at a few college choices, I ended up choosing one that is less than thirty minutes away from my house. I would tell myself that this is ultimately the best school for me. I would also advise myself to get involved on campus as soon as I could, because as a sophomore now I am just starting to join organizations. This makes the college experience all the more worthwhile. It allows you to stay connected with your fellow students on campus and to have some fun during the times you aren't studying or in class. The last thing I would consider telling myself is to not sweat the small things. The transition to college life was not as hard as it was made out to be. Everyone is so friendly and willing to help with anything you may need.

Go to college. Find something that catches your interest and follow it. Do not assume the models presented by those in your family or your community are the only valid paths for your future. Go to college. Explore.

The advice I would give to myself if I could go back in time is: you made the right choice to take a break from school after High School. You traveled all over the world, you lived on your own, you held a full time job and paid for your own bills. Your assumptions that you had to experience real life to appreciate school were absolutely correct. If you had gone straight into school, you would have become bored, restless and wondered what was out there that you were missing. Now that you have explored everything possible you can at your age, my current self is very hyped and eager to attend school; there isn't a day that doesn't go by when I am happy to attend class. Only this time around, don't live in the dorm, that was a waste of money.

If I could go back in time and give myself advice as a high school senior, I would tell myself to spend less time worrying about money for college and more time researching different career fields. While money is important, finding the career path that is right for you is more important in the grand scheme of life. So many high schools focus on grades and test scores, it seems they lose sight of helping students find their individual passions. College is a great place to learn about yourself and find your passion, but its never too early to start discovering yourself.

I would talk to myself and suggest that I work with my school advisors and my parents to learn time managment skills and study skills. To attend college is quite different from high school since there isn't anyone to remind you of assignments, due dates, or requirements. To be able to use a calendar or reminders through the school network is a must. I would suggest writing notes for reminders of deadlines and such in more than one area so that I am reminded at different times. I also would suggest to make notes on flash cards to carry with me at all times so that I will always have something to study during down time. I would want to learn to manage my time so that I can have relaxation time as well and help not to be stressed out. A stress management routine such as meditation can also be useful to learn before stressful situations begin. Also, don't forget to set an excersise routine and have it in place so that it can become a good habit. Most important is to listen and learn from ohers with more experience. Learn from others successes and failures.

Go to college as soon as you graduate from High School

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would have to give myself a lot of advice about college life. In high school you always here teachers saying they are trying to prepare you for college, when really college is a whole another ball park than high school. If I created a number line and had to specify where high school and college would be on this line, thy wouldn't even be close. High school would be a one and college would be a ten. When you're assigned a research paper in high school it may only be two pages, whereas in college they're more like a ten page paper. However, they make it even more difficult by only allowing you to use scholarly resources, no more google or wikipedia. The most important advice, however isn't that there will be more difficult work, but the fact that you're on your own. Your instructors aren't going to baby you like your high school teachers did. They aren't going to remind you when assignments are due. It's up to you to manage your time.

I would definitely give myself a pep talk about campus activities. I know now that it is hard to get involved when you don't live on campus. I wish I would've made myself look for more opportunities and to put myself out there more as a freshmen. I have friends from high school that attend the same college as I do and I relied on them a lot the first year. I would've told myself to try to make new friends because after all, you can never had enough friends.

Dear Senior: