Loyola University Chicago Top Questions

Knowing what I know now, I would have very many pieces of advice I would offer myself as a high school senior if given the chance. Most of this advice would not be about the academic part, but it would be about the social side of the transition. One thing I would tell myself is to be careful how you spend money. It is very easy to have fifty dollars in your wallet and a week later it is spent. You do not have mom there to give you some money once a week. Another thing I would say is that you should find a comfortable balance. College is meant to be fun and exciting as well as knowledgable. Set special time aside for all school work, and then hang out. Things flow much more smoothly if your a structured person. The last piece of advice I would give is to be outgoing! There will never be another time in your life when you are around so many people your age. Everyone is very friendly and eager to meet new people. You just have to throw yourself out there and start the fire yourself.

Are you tired of filling out applications? Do you get an obnoxious amount of mail? School days off to visit other schools? Itching to get out of high school? At times, confused and overwhelmed at the thought of what lies ahead? You must be a high school senior, ready for the next big step, college. Here is a tip to ease the stress and prepare you for one of the biggest transitions of your life. First, take a breath, calm down, I promise you will survive. One of the most important ideas that I can pass on is the importance of doing an overnight visit at colleges, not just a tour. It is important to get a true student's perspective of the college and its environment. Having a two-day experience at college will give you an idea if you truly feel at home and can see yourself there for the next four years. Of course, the usual advice applies, but I cannot stress the importance of doing an overnight visit enough. I believe that it will solidify your choice in a college and easy the transition into college life. Finally, breathe, I promise you will survive!

Dear young Victoria, Woohooo! You are almost done with high school! Senior yearrr! Parrtyyyy!! But hey, you hold on there one gosh darn second! Don't you go partying your tail off missy. You still have lots of work to do. I am telling you right now, DO NOT blow off your classes this semester. I know you are a senior and yadda yadda yadda, you just want to get out of there right?! Well, finish strong. What you learn your senior year will help you to carry over into college and hopefully make those intimidating first semester classes seem a little bit more tolerable. There will be lots of stress your first semester, but every student is capable of handling it; especially you. I know you are a busy body, but for your first semester of college. Take it easy. Feel free to get involved in school activites, but don't you over-do it! Just make sure you get used to your classes first and then everything else will fall into place. Oh, and one more piece of wise advice: Know your campus before hand. Nothing screams "FRESH MEAT" like a newbie walking with an enormous campus map!

Big City, Big Dreams....... well making your dreams a reality is NOT an easy task. You will be even obstacles you would never expect, but don't be discouraged or intimidated. Hold your head up high and believe in yourself. Don't be afraid of being alone, friendships shall come over time. Be patient and honest with your true feelings, don't hold back .This is a chance for you to be one hundred percent Iesha. When it seems you have no answer, follow your instincts. And always remember there is a reason for everything you do......... Good Luck and always remember I believe in YOU!!!!

Do not be intimidated because the more confidence you face college life with, the easier it is to meet new people, to succeed in classes, and more. Becoming a college student sounds scary at first, but the truth is you just need to stay on top of your schedule, such as do the readings for your different classes and remember when different clubs (which I would recommend getting involved in) meet. Then there are your studies; I advise that you experiment with different places to study, such as your room or the library, and different review methods, such as flashcards or just reading, in your first semester to master it later on. Then once you have your schedule and your study methods down, it is very easy to find free time to hang out with friends and watch your favorite television shows or movies. At first college life is mainly a balance between socializing and studying or working, but it is easy to get used to it, especially after one semester. Overall, just take control of your independence and have fun in the new environment!

If i could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would advise my self not to play around as much as I did and to do my best to graduate with honors instead of just graduating.I would also tell myself to be more serious about college and work on being more disciplined when it comes to doing my work because i now know that in college there will be no one there to hold your hand along the way and remind you to do your work .Its an independent world and i would have better prepared myself for it.

There is so much I know now I wish I would have known coming into college. I would start of saying don't wory about making tons of friends, they will fall into place. What I would worry about instead, is finding the right friends. Go into relationships innocently, however, not too naively it gives people a chance to take advantage of you. Initially trust people, but don't give too much trust that it hurts when they betray that trust. As for the work load, manage your time wisely, if you're given an entire month to write a paper, use that entire month, don't procrastinate! Come up with a schedule to work on the paper, that way two days before the paper is due, you're not stressing. When it comes to the freshman 15, just remember portion sizes and that the ice cream and cake will be there tomorrow, so you don't have to get dessert every time you eat. Plus, take advantage of the gym and classes offered, they're great stress reducers and you feel so much better after working out. And of course have fun, you're only in college once!

Knowing what I now know about college life and transition, the advice that I would give myself is to see a doctor much sooner to be treated for ADHD. I think it is important for people to understand that education is one of the greatest privileges, and the best advice is to focus! I've just recently been diagnosed with ADHD, and the symptoms can make focusing on school quite difficult at times. While in highschool, I was able to manage a 3.7GPA because education is an essential part of my life. I make every effort to work to the best of my abilities no matter how difficult or impossible focusing may be. The transition to college proved to be quite problematic, although I still earned a 3.2GPA. All of the new material combined with my off-campus part time job, inevitably left me with minimal spare time. I no longer had the time to deal with my extreme inability to focus. After experiencing one semester, I knew I should finally be treated. I only wish I would have been treated sooner. I already notice a difference and I am positive that I will be a success!

I would tell myself that college is completely different from high school in so many ways, but the biggest difference is that in high school, you are pressured to live up to others' expectations of you; in college, you are free to discover and be who you are. No one at college has met you yet: because of this, you have the rare opportunity to completely reinvent yourself. Others cannot compare your actions against those of "the person they've known all these years," because they've only known you for the past few days! College is probably the best time of your life to learn about yourself and your interests; thus, I would advise myself to use my time in college to explore any and all of my interests without fear. You may discover a passion for something that you didn't know you had. If you find that you don't like something, you can quit and no one will say a word. No matter who you are, there will be a group for you. College is not only about learning information in preparation for a career; it is an excellent place for learning about yourself as well.

Freshmen should remember that they are not alone. Last semester, I thought I was the only one having difficult adjusting; I saw peers easily fitting in and making friends. However, for me, finding friends was tedious and overwhelming. When I talked to my hometown friends, I learned they also felt slightly alone at school. Now, I realize I should have branched out more to find friends. If friends at other universities were also having trouble fitting in, there must be similar freshmen at my school, too. Take notice of peers you relate to and have fun with in your classes, residence hall, or activities and work on building a friendship. Do not try to replace your old friends; they were unique individuals you had known for years. At college, you must work on forming new relationships. If you feel alone, realize you and your college friends will share new, exciting experiences together that you never had in high school. Academic and extra curricular achievements are top priorities, but feeling at home and welcome at school is important. If you are surrounded by supportive people who you enjoy spending time with, you will look forward to returning to school each semester.