Iowa State University Top Questions

Going to a community college for two years while working a job and saving up money for the four-year school is a great plan. Transfering in your gpa from your previous college doesn't follow you.

If I were to give my former self advice on going to Iowa State, I would tell myself to relax. I was not only very excited about going to college and living on my own, I was also very nervous. I wasn't sure what to expect from the people there, or from the classes. I would have reminded myself that college is different from highschool in the fact that the classes are geared toward your specific interests, which makes it a lot easier to be excited about attending different classes. I also would have told myself that I would eventually discover many things I enjoy, and that it's okay to change focus and plans. Life comes at you quickly, but there is always time to go in the direction you feel is right for you.

I would tell myself to stop worrying so much about doing extra curricular activities that look good on resumes and that I had no genuine interest in. Instead I would tell myself to learn things that interested me and that I would regret not knowing or doing later. For example, I should have tought myself how to create a platinum-palladium print or photographed in Kodachrome or taught myself how to spin. Instead I expected my high school to provide all the information I thought I needed. I should have been more proactive with my education. I should have read philosophy and sociological texts and I definitely should have stood up againt misogyny, racism, homophobia, and transphobia instead of muttering to myself that it was wrong. If I would have done all these things, I could have gotten far more out of undergrad than I did. Instead I played catch-up to all the things I could have and should have learned when I was younger.

When you first get to college find out all of the available capus material like about the tutoring programs, study groups and so on. make friends in a lot of your classes that way you can form study groups and the can help if you do not have a complete set of notes. Go to the Library often instead of doing homework and studying in you room to minimize distractions. Focus on your education from day one and put your social life second so that you can keep your grades up. Spread our your studying and homework throughout the week and do not leave it for the weekends because it is to your benifit to study as you go along and not to wait till last minute. Also the weekends is where most people get together with friends and some people will completly disregard their studies.

There is a huge difference between public schooling in America and College level work. If I were still in Bosnia the public school wouldn't have been as poor therefore college would not be shocking. Expect to always study, all day long. What my typical day looks like now as an architecture major is this: wake up at 7am do readings and emails, shower eat, make lunch at home, go to class, have lunch at studio desk while writing, start 4hr studio class, work during class with professor and class mates, then go to work at the wood shop where I will do class work as well as teach students how to us power tools, then go home and eat dinner around 8pm, finish writing the hw or scholarship essays i worked on during lunch too, study hw, and after a little while at home head back to studio to do the architectural project. Weekends are a lot of studio time and working at the bar. So it’s a intense place with not a lot of relax time, you just have to keep chucking away with school work and employment work, good things do come, the professors notice it!

Well in high school I was the high school sports star, but I didn't work hard enough to make it in college so if I could go back I would tell myself to go to the weight room and workout and run. Also I would tell myself to study more because compared to college, high school was a cake walk and there's no reason I shouldn't have gotten a 4.0.

If I could advise myself in my senior year of high school, I would advise myself to start my adventure career at a junior college. Junior colleges are a great transition from high school, especially for students who are undecided in their future career choice. Even if it is only for a semester, it allows you to take a few prerequiste courses without being in a lecture hall of 300 students. After attending a junior college, I would recommend attending a public institution. It allows students to discover a new of diversity and culture that most don't experience in high school. I also would advise myself to be active in clubs or Greek living. It allows you to meet new people and expand your social network. Most importantly, I believe students should live on campus for a year or two and then make the move to off-campus living. It is important to learn how to manage your money wisely because after you graduate, you will no longer have a meal plan provided for you, there is a need to buy groceries. It also forces you to have responsiblities such as paying rent and bills on time.

Don't go to a community college, go straight to the university, when you are having problems understanding some matterials don't be afraid of asking your teacher during class or make an appointment to talk about the matterial. Make study groups to help you learn. Don't go into chemistry instead go into genetics. This are the advices that I would tell my self if I could go back in time.

Firstly, I would explain to my past self that the major I initially had in mind, computer science, is something that I do not actually enjoy doing. I would explain to my past self that I should, in fact, study what I am passionate about: politics and philosophy. If I had this information while I was still in high school, I would never have had to play "catch up," and I would be significantly further in my academic program today. Secondly, I would write down which classes I should take, and which professor I should take them with. In addition to making the four years I have in college more efficient in terms of time management, I would enjoy certain classes better if I had professors more suited to my personality. Finally, I would explain how vital it is to develop a schedule that I could actually adhere to. Make room to study, because studying means high grades, and a higher GPA means more scholarships, which means less stressing about financial troubles and more focus on learning about interesting concepts.

Get sober, don't drop out and apply for college.