Luther College Top Questions

lose the anxiety be more outgoing and spontaneous try and meet everyone practice and prepare more take chances don't worry about appearance

The most important thing that I could tell myself would be: Don't let your insecurities about fitting in hold you back. One of the wonderful and unique things about your freshman year is that every single freshman is going through the same thing you are. Every first year is feeling, in varying degrees, alone and uncomfortable with themselves; college is a completely new experience for everyone and NO ONE feels properly prepared for the moment when their parents leave and suddenly they are on their own, surrounded by hundreds of strangers. Don't let this get to you. If you keep in mind that everyone else feels just as insecure as you do, it makes it easier to be yourself; it keeps you from worrying about how you will fit in/be accepted. Relax; meeting new people takes time, and a surprising amount of effort (particularly if you are introverted), but it will be infinitely easier if you remember that you all have a common point of reference and you are all experiencing a similar situation and emotions.

As a high school senior living in Iowa, I did not experience being exposed to as many cultural and social differences that might come along with living in a big city. Had I the opportunity to retreat to that time and give myself advice on college life, I would tell myself to jump in with both feet and experience those differences first hand. Sometimes, as a young person making the transition to a new setting, it might be stressful to step outside this comfort zone of "what-I-know." In my opinion, the most rewarding realization any young person can ever make is "I don't know anything." I finally learned to open myself to this concept, and since have made great relationships and learned much from the opinions and expertise of those who think differently than I do- including professors, professionals in my field, and especially other students. If I could go back, I would have taken advantage of the transition, been open, and made more conversations early on rather than having wasted time in my comfort zone.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself, I'd tell myself to stress less about applications and enjoy senior year more. I think I took for granted all of my friends during my senior year. We all scattered all over the U.S. and I rarely get to see most of them now. It's a tough transition going from knowing hundreds of kids in your school to knowing one person. It's also important to really try to make friends during that first semester in college. It can be a stressful and lonely time in anyone's life and it's really important to get out there, expose yourself and really try to meet people. Having friends, especially those who are going through what you're going through is important because especially at this time you need a support system that's close to you, not 3 hours away.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to be more open to ideas about what I wanted to do with my life. I was so set on being a doctor for as long as I can remember, that when I started to take science classes at college, I realized that I did not really enjoy them. I began to look at other areas and realized my true passion is in music and education. If i would have been open to this idea in high school, there are major strides I could have taken to improve myself in this area. I would also suggest that I challenge myself more. When I got to college, I did not understand how to write a paper or even how to study. If I would have tried harder or taken more difficult classes in high school, I would have been better prepared for college and probably would have a higher GPA from my first year.

I would tell myself to look at more scholarships. I would also tell myself to find a good job and save up for the school year in order to pay for books and any extra costs for school. I would tell myself that the adults weren't kidding when they said that college is hard. The transition is tough and there is no way that high school can prepare you for how hard college is. You have to study hard and much longer than you did in high school. Call home often and talk about your day. Write home too. Somehow, these little things can help with the homesickness. Make friends and don't be afraid to ask for help. The professors are more than willing to help you reach your goals. Find a tutor if you need it. It's free and worth the help.

Prepare to juggle. Having a job, school, and a social life at the same time takes a lot of effort and it's hard to get used to, especially if you are taking challenging classes.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that college is not as impossible as it seems. Although it is stressful and overwhelming at times, college is really a wonderful experience and its an important time to learn about yourself. You grow intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. Most importantly, you don't need to be afraid because there are so many people there to help you with whatever you need. It will take awhile to make new friends, learn new rules and the layout of the school but all the worry and apprehension will be worth it in the end. Though your family and friends from home are far away, they will always be there to support and love you no matter what you decide to do with your life.

College goes fast; though I am a Freshman I feel like so much time has slipped away from me. Make the most of your experience; knowing that you are at school for academics is important, but it doesn't mean that all of your time must be focused on your studies. Be happy with the people and opportunities around you and get involved! College may seem daunting, and it is rigorous, but don't let that make you stressed or take away from your overall experience. Talk to other people, especially students older than you, they give good advice, and are all much nicer and less scary than they seem. Take time for yourself! You will be living with a roommate, and while the experience is wonderful, you are always around other people and being able to have some "alone time" is essential to keeping yourself happy and focused. More than anything, have fun! If you are already focused on your studies and that will continue to be a mantra, do not let opportunities slip to meet new people and try new things!

I would tell myself to look into studying abroard early, and to give myself the opportunity to travel. I would tell myself to start out strong with good grades, so as to make it easy to maintain a higher grade point average. I would remind myself that I can do anything I want and that I am whoever I want to be and to follow my dreams. I would tell myself never to forget whats important in life, and to do thing for myself once in a while. I would tell myself to stay strong and do great i life, and to never take anyone for granted because you never know if you might not see them again. I would also tell myself that 4 years speeds by real fast and to make sure I don't miss a moment of opportunity, and always try new things.

Say true to yourself.

My senior year was a stressful, worrisome time for me. Not only did I worry about the colleges I was applying for, and the cost of which college to go to, but I was extremely worried about my grades and expectations of my teachers. If I were to go back in time, to my senior year of highschool, I would tell myself not to worry as much. Being in college now, I wish I hadn't stressed so much in highschool. Life was much easier then, the stress levels minute compared to that of my college now. If I were to go back in time to my highschool senior self, I would tell me to enjoy the time I had left of my highschool career because college would be a mountain compared to the molehill that highschool was.

I would tell myself to wieght the location of the college more heavily. On-campus there is everything I would ever want in a school; however, there are times when I just want to get away and relax but find myself with no where to go. As a music major, I also would enjoy having a professional orchestra or chamber music society to go listen to. These organisations would also provide opportunities to audition and possible even to perform as a subsitited while still in school. Although I am quite satified with my professors, friends, and acedmeci environment, I wish I would have considered the schools location when deciding where to attend school.

Wow, If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior. I would tell myself to go off to college and not look back! I would tell myself to go to prom and have fun with my friends. I feel that I missed out on many many things through my high school and I regret that, but now I'm trying to go to college and get my RDAED-2. Which I'm so proud of myself for doing! If I could go back to high school and talk to myself I would have changed all my classes and taking the harder classes beacuse I know I could have done it, instead of taking the easy way out! I would have told myself college is the right choice for me. I would of said don't be scared you can handle anything that is thrown your way!, and if I could of done that I know I would have left high school and went on to college like I was suppose to!

To relax and just breathe. I need to not worry so much because I will be able to handle and manage everything that I do. At first it may seem overwhelming but in the end it really does get better. Once you make new friends and get acquainted with everything and everyone you feel just like at home. I am smart enough to just take care of the things that are really important. I need not to stress a lot before the situation takes place.

I think the only think I'd tell myself is to try and be more social. I find it very difficult to make friends, and I thought I would be able to keep in touch with my good friends from high school. Now that I know that's not true, I would have told myself to be open to new people and make new friends. Everything else has prepared me well enough for college, so I have nothing additional to add.

I would tell myself to make sure to savor every moment left of my senior year with the friends and family I love but to also begin to look forward to the new friends and opportunities ahead of me. Make yourself open to new experiences and people. View every thing with as much optimism as possible because this will help you cope as you transition from the world you used to know. Make sure to develop good study habits asap because the work load of college is much greater than that of high school. Ignore the pressures of others to find a career plan asap. College is designed to help you decide what you want to do with your life. Take classes in both things you love and things you know nothing about. Doing so will help you decide what youre passionate about. Its difficult to do but try to maintain a balance between work, studying, and time for yourself. What ever you do, do it with passion and committment to bettering yourself, your community and the world around you.

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to slow down, enjoy it, and try everything at least once. Life happens so quickly and even faster in college where you are on your own, studying, planning, and hanging out with friends. One day it is your first day there and everything and everyone is new and unfamiliar. The next instant first semester is over, it is Christmas break and you are ordering books for second semester. Because it goes so fast I would tell myself to try a little of everything; at the activity fair sign up for as many things that sound interesting because you can always not go or be removed from the email list. Try intramurals, get to know your teacher and classmates - you will need their help sometime, join clubs, go to the sporting events and activities going on, say hi to a stranger passing by, and do something that would shock your friends and family like try ballroom dancing or join a bowling league or even take a road trip somewhere. Do not limit yourself to what you were in high school, be something new and have fun.

I would tell myself to study more. High school was always easy for me, and I rarely had to crack open a book to get A's. I knew that college would be more difficult but I didn't anticipate having to actually read a text book, not just skimming the headings. I would remind myself that I'm studying to prepare for the rest of my life, so each topic should and will be broken down into infintesimally small details. I would try and impress upon myself how difficult it is to get into medical school, but tell him that I'm confident that we can do it; after all we both know how stubborn and relentless we are.

One thing that I would definetly tell myself is to use my time wisely. I have spent many late nights doing homework, when I could be sleeping, but because of the poor choices I had to stay up. By staying up late, I would be to tired the next day to pay attention in class, which makes it hard to understand what you are learning. I another thing I woud tell myself is that even though you live with someone it doesnt mean that you have to be firends. My roommate and I this year fought constantly which took an emotional toll on me. I wanted so hard for her to like me, but she would just keep on being mean to me and I would get frustrated with myself wondering what was wrong with me. I would tell myself that is okay not to be best friends with your roommate. you just have to be polite and hopefully they will come around and if not it is okay. And if problems get really bad make sure to talk to you RA, it is very important to fix a problem before it gets worse.