Iowa State University Top Questions

If I could go back in time as a high school senior, I would tell myself to get and keep those grades up. And submit applications for scholarships before the beginning of the last semester. And then take an assessment to find the perfect job I could picture myself working in the future and pursue it. I would also start saving my money from jobs that I work to pay for school. Moreover, I would tell myslef to get my master degree first before I start a family. Knowing now, how hard it is to be a parent and attend school. I would probably not volunteer for a deployment in Afghanistan and apply for University immediately after graduating form the Community College.

I would have tried harder in high school to get better grades and to get my GPA up, it would have helped me out a lot when it came to scholarships and financial aid. I also would have listened to my parents when they actually told me to apply to all those scholarships, and I was just to lazy to fill out all the forms, now I'm struggling to get enough financial aid money to pay for school, and am searching for scholarships to fill the gap.

I would tell myself to start being better organized when it comes to applying for scholarships and search for them way in advance. As for transitioning into college life, I would advise myself to join clubs that I never would have imagined being in and to not be afraid to socialize with new people. I would advise myself to get help with classes as soon as I start to realize that I'm struggling and to get a tutor for the classes in which I am having difficulty in. Most importantly, I would tell myself to not be afraid to try new things and to remember that it's okay to take risks.

If I could go back and give my high school self some advice, there would be many things I would say. First off, I would tell myself that as soon as I move in to college, I need to go out and meet new people, rather than depending on my high school friends to be there for me forever. Another thing I would tell high school self is to try a bunch of new things, join all sorts of clubs, and don't be afraid and timid to be yourself. I think this advice would have really been helpful for me when I first moved into college.

If I were to go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself it is never to early to start planning for the future and not to worry. As a senior in high school I didn't realize all the resources that my college was offereing to me. I would have told myself to explore the college website and see what interesting things I can find and be involved with. I would also tell myself not to worry about about making friends or finding things to be involved with. During my time in college I have made so many friends and found many new interest and they were all easy to find.

*Bursts throgh the closet door of my old bedroom* "Hey, put down that controller a sec" I huff. "What are you- what am I doing here? Nice beard by the way" my younger self responds, surprisngly calm. "I don't have time to explain all that. I'm hear to tell you about college life. Listen, each class is important even if it's statistics." "I hate math.." "Uh, hello? I know! Don't interrupt me. People are going to want to help you, listen to them; take any help or advice you can get. Especially your advisor- she just wants to help you to suceed. Look, just turn that off and sell it." I point at the Xbox on the TV stand. "Seriously?!" "Yes, just listen, college life will be so much easier if you network with people and make friends. That thing makes it too difficult for you to maintain relationships and manage time effectively. That's going to be important! Time management!" "Okay...I guess...anything else Mister Futureself?" "Don't eat the eggs on campus." "Wait, why? What are you doing here anyway?!" "No time to explain!" I yell, vanishing back into the closet.

Remembering my senior year seems so long ago. If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell her to be patient. As a senior I couldn’t wait to get out of school and take a year off and start working. I wanted to grow up fast. My plan was to wait a year and do some travel and relax before enrolling in college. I also only had to take 3 classes my last year in high school so I was defiantly pulling against the restraints to leave. I would tell myself time goes so much faster once you are older. You feel it slowly passing now but you will miss the time you had in high school. I would let my senior self know that waiting to go to college is a mistake. I’d explain that you won’t return until 6 years later because you wanted a “break”. Life happens and I wish I would have started my college life sooner than later. Some say better late than never, which I can agree to that now. I needed someone to push me harder to continue education.

Dear Alex, please don't worry so much about making friends in college. Just work on being the person that everyone would want to be friends with. Keep your focus on your schoolwork but don't forget to have fun every once and a while. Make sure you try new things, but don't feel bad about holding your ground if you're uncomfortable with what people around you are doing.

If I went back to senior year, I'd advise myself to not stress or worry about transitioning into college. Iowa State was very welcoming which made for an easy adjustment. I would also advise myself to not get to caught up in the social aspect of college. It is a very different world and if you aren't cautious you could fall behind academically. Be very social and take advantage of all the opportunities offered. Lastily, I would say cherish every minute. Freshmen year is a great experience and is over in the blink of an eye.

I would say "Karina you should stick with college. It is only harder on yourself to go back to school and relearn the material that you have not studied for awhile. Rather than give up, keep on tring and with perserverance and support you can keep going towards your goal no matter what obstacles come your way."