Lebanon Valley College Top Questions

In order to ensure a socially, academically, and emotionally successful transition to college you should guide your decisions upon the following advice. Open your mind to new people, ideas, and opinions. Sign up for at least one activity. Make friends besides your roommate. Work at least a day ahead on homework. Seek help at the first sign of trouble. To find help contact your RA, professor, peer tutoring, or peer counselors depending on the problem. Say yes to new and nondangerous experiences. Staying in your room 24/7 will not make you happy or successful. Spend time in social areas such as lounges, you never know who you will meet and you can do your homework there too. Do not go home until fall break! The first month of transition is critical. Going home during this vital period will sever possible social ties that you could have made, making it harder to create a home at college. Going home during this time will only make it harder to return to school. If you wait, you will be able to go home and still want to return to school. Follow this advice and you will be successful in your new home.

If provided the opportunity to talk with my senior self, I would encourage her to stay involved in many extracurricular activities, which will help her prepare for the hectic college lifestyle. I would let her know it is not necessary to cram her schedule with extremely difficult classes to prepare for college, and would assure her it is not the students who take difficult high school classes who do well in college, but rather those who apply themselves, work hard and seek help when necessary. I would also advise her not to be afraid to request a tutor in college, because even “A” students use tutors. Learning to take initiative for her studies and manage her time will best prepare her for this next phase of her education. Knowing that division three colleges have competitive athletic programs, yet view academics as the priority, I would encourage my senior self to play collegiate soccer. After learning that being a part of a sports team builds lasting relationships, choosing not to play soccer is my biggest regret. Being a part of a sports team helps new students adjust to campus life and provides study breaks, which are crucial to learning in college.

It is not that opportunities like the ones in college will never present themselves in another form later on, but it is that so many different opportunities will be presented at one time at one place. Take advantage of any opportunities you can become involved in. Get as involved as possible. It will increase your connections, job skills, and also keep you out of trouble that comes with an excess of free time.

Your undocumented status should not define who you are and how you conduct yourself. Despite the disadvantages that you have in pursuing a higher education, the possibility of succeeding in your academic goals is still attainable. The struggle may be tedious, but it will be worth the fight once you achieve what others do not even dare to attempt. You should not let your friends and peers in high school distract you from doing your best in your academics. Concentrate in your classes and study hard so that you can attend a four-year university. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you have a lot of friends or if you’re popular because that will not be worth much once you’re done with high school. Your academic achievement will define who you are and where you go in life. Don’t get hung up on girls because at this young age, you kids don’t know what you want or what is best. Don’t let what you believe “love” is blind you from the reality of life. Your career comes first and then love. Overall, try your best. It will pay off in a few years.

I would tell myself to enjoy the college experience more. Grades are important, and failing or losing scholarships certainly isn't an option, however once you graduate, it won't matter whether you had a 4.0 or a 3.4. You won't remember the Friday nights spent in the library or music practice rooms, but you will remember the party with friends, or the impromptu road trip.

I would advise myself to not be so nervous about the transition. I thought I would be extremely homesick, but I never felt homesick once. LVC is great at helping students make the transistion to college life, and I am so glad that I chose this school to continue my education.

I would tell myself that college is an important decision but not to get overly worried about it. I would also tell myself to explore more college out of state and such.

Study more and retake the SATs.

If I had the chance to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would do many things. First, I would tell myself to take as many college classes during high school as I could. In high school I had made the mistake of not doing this when I was offered the chance. College classes in high school really make a different a fellow high school graduate of mine actually graduated a year early in college from doing so. Next, I would tell myself to dedicate more time studying materials than I did in high school, after I started studying heavily in college my grades skyrocketed compared with my high school grades. The most important thing with studying was to find the right place to study and to be around people that also want to learn from the study session. The last thing I would tell myself is not to do a project or study group with my friends, because generally I was the only one working on the project. Many times I had gotten worse grades when I chose to work with friends than when I worked in other groups.

Don't be afraid, don't be anxious, don't worry. College is a whole new world, and yes, that sounds a little scary. But it also sounds exciting and exhilarating. The number of doors opening to you as you begin this new path of life are endless. If something catches your interest, look into it. Try a new sport, join a club, make new friends. With every year, the "real world" gets closer. Enjoy being young and being free. There isn't anyone to hold your hand, but don't get scared. Savor each new step and each new experience. But never forget why you're in college; keep your eyes on the prize. So have fun, explore, drink in the adventure, but remember to carefully allot your time so that you don't fall behind. Come out of college on top, with not only the best grades you can acheive, but the greatest experiences you have ever had as well.