Marquette University Top Questions

I would tell myself to relax. To live up every moment because college is going to go by a lot faster than you think. Study hard. Be smart...you only live once so don't waste it by doing something stupid. Believe in yourself...if you want something you can do it and you will....never doubt yourself. Put yourself out there and follow your heart. Remember the people who got you where you are today. They are the same people that will be there for you in three years. Enjoy every day, every hour, every second. Even when you are exhausted and tired from studying for so many hours. Believe it or not...these are going to be the best days of your life.

First, I would tell myself to get to know my teachers right away. It took me untill second semester to understand the importance of doing this. As far as transitioning, I would tell myself to start writing in my planner more often (something I never did in high school) because its impossible to rememeber the workload from all of your classes. Additionally, I would tell myself to try to be more social during the first couple of weeks, I definitely struggled with making friends. Lastly, I would remind myself to enjoy every minute of the experience because it really does fly by. These last few months have flew by and at times I catch myself wanting summer, however, this is suppose to be the best four years of my life. Although I have only been in school for a semester, I can already tell these four years will be gone before a blink of an eye. So most importantly I would tell myself live in the moment, make mistakes, but most importantly have fun.

I would tell myself that college will be the most difficult, but most rewarding aspect of your life. The work that will go into applications for schools, scholarships, loans, and grants will be a crucial decision-maker of where you attend college. I would also tell myself that Marquette University will be the best experience, regarding the material you will learn, and the people who will enter your life, changing and helping you grow every day. I would say to never be afraid to do what makes you happy. Do not settle for anyone throughout your life, especially for your educational life. Also, try new things. College will be a time for you to grow into the adult that loves journalism and has a passion for writing that will only evolve throughout your years at college. Be brave, be strong, be creative, and be yourself.

Have faith. Believe in yourself, and do what will make you happy! College is about YOU, it will ultimatley determine your future, but don't let that scare you, just be wise in the choices you make. You know yourself best, so don't let anyone talk you out of your dreams. Follow your heart; people may say they don't think your making the best decisions, but people will always want to disagree with you, so stand up for yourself. It is better to make a few mistakes and learn from your falls then to regret each day for something you let someone else talk you out of. Mistakes are part of life and they make us who we are, or show us who we aren't, but at least mistakes won't allow you to wonder what you could have been. So never give up, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going", hardwork will always pay off. Keep your head up, college is a big change. Change is different, change is new, but don't allow the differences to consume you, eventually those foreign places will feel like home. Work hard, stay strong, be happy!

If I could go back in time and give myself advice as a high school senior, the first thing that I would tell myself to do is to relax. In high school, and into the fall semester freshman year, I put a lot of pressure on myself to pursue perfection in my classes. While I don't regret this because it helped me to achieve goals that I had set for myself, it created a more difficult transition to the freshman year of college. Upon arriving on campus, it was difficult for me to adjust and learn how to study for classes at the college level. In high school a lot of my classes were easy, and in retrospect, required little effort, and when I arrived at campus, I thought that classes would be easy for me once again. However, I soon learned that before I could learn the material necessary to succeed in class, I needed to learn how to study. If in high school I had been more relaxed about my grades and pursued perfection less, the transition to college would have been easier, because upon arriving on campus, I would have placed less pressure on myself.

If I could go back in time and give advice to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to be more open-minded. It was so easy to get caught up in my own life and limit myself to my small group of friends. There were so many wonderful people in my High School that I didn't take the time to get to know because I had a presumption of who they were. College has taught me that people are hardly every who you expect them to be, and often times you learn the most from the people you would least expect. I am taking my years in college trying to get know as many people as possible; something I wish I could have told my High School self to do.

Dear Paola from 2014, I'm you from the future. It's 2015 and you are in college. I'm writing because I feel like there are some things you should know that are going to make your life ten times easier this senior year of high school. So here it is: 1- Don't stress yourself too much about school. Everything has a time and eventually everything falls into place. I stressed myself out too much senior year with college applications, school and extra-curriculars. I wish I spent more time taking-in that I was going to graduate. Enjoy this time with your friends. 2- Spend more time with your classmates. Get to know them better. You will have fonder memories of them. 3- Spend more time with your family and appreciate everything they are doing for you. 4- Don't take anything for granted. You don't know where life is going to take you. 5- Lastly, EVERYTHING is about to change. New faces, new places and new adventures are going to take place but everything is worth the change. You'll mature and see the world from a different perspective. Good luck, Paola from 2015

I would tell myself not to be afriad. I would tell myself to go out, talk to that boy, and sit down and eat lunch with that girl that you have a class with. College is all about the experiences you have and the people you meet. It's a way to network and make friends with some of the most unique people you'll ever meet. The experiences that you have and the people that you meet will change your life forever. It's also okay to get a little homesick. You'll miss mom, and her homemade cooking, and how your older brother used to pick on you, but you'll be so distracted that you won't even notice the slight pain in your heart from missing them. Take every opportunity that you possibly can. Don't lose out on an experience because you were worried about getting the good grade. Grades come with the work that you know you will put in. The last piece of advice I would give myself is to be true to yourself. There are 10,000 undergraduates, don't change fof one person. No one will ever be worth that.

I would tell my high school self to give absolutely everyone that you come in contact with a chance. There are no second rate people. Everyone deserves to be treated equally and loved unconditionally. When you start college there are tons of people everywhere that you have never seen or talked to before in your life and it is so easy to fall into the trap of prejudging everyone but there is no time in your life that you will need friends more than you do starting college. Do not be afraid to talk to people that are different than those you talked to in high school and don't worry if you don't "click" right away with those you talk to. It may seem like everyone one is making friends right away but everyone is just searching like you are so keep talking to people until you find your fit.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a senior in high school, I would tell myself to calm down and stop worrying. I would tell myself that there are 8,000 students at Marquette, and I bet all 8,000 of them have the same fears as me. I would remind myself to just be who I am, and find friends that will accept me for me. I would also tell myself to enjoy my senior year because it is one of the best years, and if I continue to stress out, I'll miss out.