Iowa State University Top Questions

I would tell myself that get involved even if you have no friends in the club. You will meet new friends and the friends you meet the first year of college you won't necessarily remain friends with as you go on. Try new things and get out there. This is the start of your adult life. Make the most of it!

If I could go back to high school version of myself, I would constantly remind myself to stick by the lessons and rules passed down by my father; courtesy, perseverance, and integrity are lessons to live by in everyday actions. Maturing into who I am today, I would tell my high school self to not only strive for academic achievement but also assert myself into new situations with new people, accept me for who I am and embrace my culture. My college experience has been tremendous eye opening. I would tell myself that life is unpredictable and that I should trust my own instincts and follow my ambitions. College has taught me the importance of self-management and preparation in every aspect: physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. I have learned the consequences of my decisions in high school years and its influence on my performance as a college student. Nevertheless, sometimes you have to take the extra step and take a risk. Knowing what I know now, I would tell myself, “Take the initiative in sculpting your future, work hard but now and then it’s good to pause in the pursuit of happiness and just be happy”.

Take some time away from school, a year or so and work. This way you can get a better idea of who you truly are and where you would like your life to go. Life experiences help not only to learn who you are, but also to know what not to do from watching other peoples' mistake. Learning from one's mistakes, yours as well as others, is the BEST learning experience one can achieve, and it is not from reading a book or taking a test. Living life is learning.

Hey you, You really need to relax a bit. You seem to be sweating all the details, but really, this place will take care of you. This campus and all these colorful people, are the closest thing you will ever have to home. ISU is really good about helping with the financial things, so really, you have nothing to fret you pretty little head about anymore, you college family will take care of you. I know that you think you are just going to be a bookworm and study your butt of an coast through now that you can afford school, but stop and smell the roses. You may not believe it, but the people here aren't as different from you as you think. And you are going to make some friends, both in and out of the classroom, that will mean the world to you. This is your time to shine, you are going to learn lots, work hard, and smile every day. I promise =) Best, An older You

I would tell myself to look very seriously at choosing a college and to make sure that I am making the right choice. I would tell myself not to be scared about the future and to be excited about taking the next step in my life.

If I were to go back and talk to my high school self, I would tell myself to party hard and study harder. College is only a small part of your life, so be sure you enjoy it. Make as many friends as possible and take part in as many clubs and extra-curricular activities as you can. You many not keep in touch with all of those friends, but they will give you some of the best memories. Remember that your purpose of going to college is to get an education and you are paying a lot of money for that education. Don't waste it! Study hard and take advantage of your professors. Your professors enjoy helping students and they can give you some great insights. Learn their office hours and visit often. Make all of your experiences count!

Hello David, circumstances are different now in the future. We have developed nanotechnology, extended longetivity and even mastered time travel. I am you in the future. I've come here to give you advice. You've now graduated and still quite insecure of what to persue. You've always had an interest in science and technology and dreamt of outer boundries journeys. Let me tell you, there are professions that require those initiatives. Aerospace Engineering is the core for outer-space exploration. The big quest is to find life forms in another planets, trust me there are many like the earth; The hard part is getting there. We share the same questions and we are both aching in finding a thuth about our universe. My advice is this: keep focus, stay motivated, look up to people like Dr. Michio Kaku, don't listen when someone tells you; you can't achive something, resist peer pressure, surround yourself of possitive and humble people, protect your loved ones and family and apply to as many scholarship opportunities as you can. Keep these words in the pocket of your concious. The future depends on you David.

Your future is your education - your education starts with your university. Your university is not entirely concrete. Its campus is grass, it is flowers, it is art and sculpture. Its buildings are brick, they are metal, they are rock. The clubs, sports and special events change change with the seasons as autumn turns leaves and the rain that falls from the clouds turns to snow, but through it all the sun smiles down on the students. The scenery, the facilities, the social nature - these things vary greatly, but are nothing compared to the student body. Your peers will have different cultures, different interests and different goals. Your future is your university. And your university is as varied and changing as the people passing through its bricks and events and seasons, the future of whom it is a manifestation and the lives of whom it will shape - differently for each person and uniquely for each person. Your future is varied. Its building blocks will be changed, its seasons weathered, its people incomparable - its experience priceless. Take opportunities as they come. Don't fear change. Try new places, new paths, new people. Your future is not entirely concrete. Embrace its variety.

I would tell myself, college is serious and leave all the fun for after your done with college. Also, make sure you know what you want to do before you get yourself into a major. If your unsure, it's okay, just think about what you really want to do and where do you see yourself in a few years. You don't want to stress yourself out because your unsure, it's the last thing you want to do. When you finally decide what you want to do, try not to slack any bit in college. College is different cause your on your own and you have no one to tell you what to do. It's no where near highschool, so once you screw up, you screw up.There will be stressful times but it's part of life when your starting college. You'll eventually get on track no matter what happens. Just as long as you remain positive, become your own self-motivator!

College is a lot different from high school so you need to find that ambition to work hard again a lot faster than I did the first time. Also while you think engineering is what you want to do because it is expected of you; you need to realize that college is for you and it is teaching you skills for what you are going to do the rest of your life. Pick a major that interests you and that you will be in love with for the next 50 years...aka anthropology! Take more classes with Jana and don't pull as many all nighters. Join MARCHING BAND right away and not two years down the road as it is the best decision you will ever make. And just enjoy yourself. College years are some of the best and most important years of your life and you shouldn't waste them by studying too much or socializing too much, find the combination of the two that work best for you and stick with it.