Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte Top Questions

If I could go back in time and give myself advice about the transition to college what would the advice be. I would defantly tell myself to focus more and go beyond in finding out information. Then I would make sure I know that college work is harder and more serious than high school so I would have to suggest extra math help. Once its completely clear to myself that college isnt all simple fun and games I would make sure I get and keep a job to understand time management a little more also a little smart money management. Finally and most importantly I would let myself know the importance of studying and keeping a good grade point average. Then I would leave by letting myself know its not that bad, don't stress, and enjoy my freshman year.

I would tell myself to look more into scholarships. I had two jobs and my savings didnt show for it, so i also would have told me to stop buying shoes and save for school. It's expensive out here, and its hard to get a job too.

If I were sit mydelf down when I was a college senior, I would say, "Lauren, you are doing the right thing." I have made great friends here, and consider them a second family. I adjusted to life far away from home very easily, and have done an amazing job living on my own and acheiving great success. The only thing I would have told myself, would be to applly for the catering job I have now, my freshman year, not my junior year, so I would have gained an extra two years of experience, which would have helped out on scholarship applications. I love the cirriculem that my school follows. Every semester I ave taken classes which pertain to my major, which makes school enjoyable. The school assists you greatly when looking for internships, or apllying to jobs. The teachers are helpful and knowlageable. Another thing I would have told myself would be to find a 4th roomate for my sohphomre year, so I would not have gotten the awful roomate which casued a lot of un-needed stress in my life. Besides those two things, I wouldnt have changed a thing.

I would tell myself to not fret over the little things. High School is an important time in your life but once your in college you will start to see things differentlly, you will be among people who are as dedicated to school as you are and you will be around people that have the same interests. I would also tell myself to not bring as much with me to the dorm room. The rooms are fairly small and you don't need every little thing in your room. Most things are just extra, the less you have to begin with means more room for you to expand with. College is meant to be a time to have fun and learn. So don't worry about the course load, with experience comes wisdom and you can handle everything in stride.

The advice I would give myself is to run full force and not look back. To stay focused and don't let the chaos of college life distract you from doing whats most important, homework. To be careful with who you trust because not everyone is nice in college like they are at home. To never, ever give up on anything, no matter how hard it is. And don't try too hard to make friend, you become a family with your roommates and classmates over time, so don't stress out when your alone, just use that time to study as hard as possible. You will never learn too much, so take lots of notes from your teachers and don't be scared to ask questions or ask for help. And most of all be yourself. Don't lose yourself in college life, stay true to yourself. People let you down, don't let people mess up your future.

If I could go back in time as a senior and talk to myself I'd definitely be completely open and honest. I'd explain to myself how hard it really is to maintain that focus and desire to succeed when you don't have anyone looking over your shoulder. College life and transition in general is not easy to begin with, but once you add things like drugs and alcohol and parties and things of that nature, it feels like something that's impossible to grasp. If I would've known half the things I know now back then I would've definitely did whatever it took to better prepare myself for what was to come. I mean no one tells you about all of the hardships of becoming an adult until you get there and then you feel like it's too little too late. So my word of advice to you would be to continue to establish who you want to be in life and stay focused on both the task at hand and the future you want and forget about everything else because it'll fall in line eventually.

Your college years that are coming up are the most important years of your life, you are educating yourself for your future career, you are making friends for a lifetime and you are getting out on your own. Don't be scared. It's hard at first, you miss home, you miss your family and your bed, you are in a new strang place all by yourself, but you aren't the only one who feels that way. Talk to people about what you miss, I'm sure they miss it too and thats how you start a friendship. You have to step out on your own sometime, this is the best time to do it, becuase you have others that are in the same boat as you. Don't hold back at doing your absolute best. You have all the potential in the world at being great! Have fun, study hard, make memories, make friends. It will go by fast enjoy it now.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would definitely say be aware of your surroundings don't put yourself in situations where you know your going to get in trouble. Stay away from the partiers and the druggies. Make sure you come up with a plan for your classes because you have so many. More than likely your going to argue with your room mates, but handle it like a civilized person. Always do you homework, get calenders and marker boards to help you remember important things like when homework is due. Don't get an alarm clock unless it is a reliable one, use your phone. Be persistent and on time to classes, teachers do not care if your two seconds late they will shut you out. Always study for tests, do whatever you need to help you remember things like flash cards, and study sessions. Do not freak out on final days its just another test, and usually is a smaller percentage towards your grade than regular tests. Don't forget how passionate you are for culinary arts, and it is a struggle at first but just have fun.

I would tell myself to get in gear and start working as hard as I can. I would tell myself that college is quite demanding both mentally and physically. It requires a lot of time and hard work if you want to succeed. I would tell myself to start taking life seriously because my whole future is riding on my success during these 4 short years, even though it seems like such a long time. I would tell myself to have fun, put my time in, work hard, succeed, and that at times the pressure will get to me, but it will prove to be my greatest ally during my time spent in college.

If I could go back in time to when I was in high school, I would tell myself to learn how to focus. College is not a joke and should never be treated as one, yet I didn't take it as serious as I should have. Now that I have been here for half a year, I have mellowed out and learned to concentrate. I would also tell myself to apprieciate everything that the teachers did for me. In college, you don't have to have teachers that go out of the way to help you. They give you your work and tell you to get it done. It is up to me to prioritive and find time to get work done because there isn't an extension, even if you were sick. I would tell myself that this is a priviledge and that since I am paying to gt here, I should be serious about it from the moment I step onto the campus. I would tell myself to work hard and not to get distracted because I am here for a reason, and that reason is to learn.