Marquette University Top Questions

Although the transition to college brings about all sorts of stress from both major and minor concerns such as getting along with your roommate to not being able to find your classroom on the first day of school, I found myself worrying most about my social life. I was worried about not making any new friends. Therefore, if I were able to go back in time to when I was a senior, I would give myself the following advice: Picking up and moving to a place where you do not know any other person among eleven thousand is admittedly terrifying. But you have to keep in mind that hundreds of other students are doing the exact same thing. You are not alone as you start college. And although it may seem easiest to change the way you act in order to fit into a group of friends, you will risk losing yourself, and those qualities that make you ? you. So be you, show people your true colors, and by doing so you will find friends to laugh with and friends that will stand beside you as you face any other obstacles that you encounter while in college.

If I could go back, I would tell myself that everything is going to be okay. Many people go off to college, and although people can give you advice, no two college experiences are the same. I had many people scare me and tell me of their horrible first semester freshmen experiences, and horrible roomate stories, and about the horrible food! After getting through my first experience I realized that no one person can tell you exactly what college is going to be like, and although scary, you need to believe in yourself. I would tell myself to compare my books on amazon, move in early, and get to know a lot of people who are different from yourself. I would also let myself know that college classes are different than high school classes, but after the first exams you have the hang of it! I would let myself know that even though I struggled academically in highschool, college motivated me to work really hard and I got a 3.7 and made the College of Health Science's dean's list. Most importantly, I would tell myself not to stress, relax, and enjoy the end of senior year!

You have no idea what college to choose. You are hesitant about your future. You are apprehensive and overwhelmed. Take a deep breath, go visit your top choices again, and look at one thing-- doors. Notice everything about those doors from the grainy color to the thickness to the words on them to the dull doorknobs. But most importantly, notice how people at that school act around those doors. Do they hurry through them? Do they smile as they open them? Do they hold the doors open for the next people? You will pass through countless doors throughout your college career. Pick a college with good doors. Pick a place where people hold doors open. Pick somewhere that opens doors for you. Doors get us from one place to another, and so, too, does the right college. And once you are there, smile every single time you pass through a door; be it upon entry to a classroom or a dorm room, that room has potential to teach and inspire you. Open doors for others and return the favor. The wooden panels are much more than they appear-- they are a bridge, a dream, a means, a connection, a future.

Reflecting on my first semester of college and the mind set I had entering, knowing what I know now would have helped immensely with some of the choices I made, but a lot of things I feel were things every college student learns on there own. The advice I would give myself would break down into three categories; school work, social life, and personal relationships. Your school work is not a joke, or something to procrastinate. Take it seriously and always read and study, even before notices about quizzes or test. This continuous reading and studying will you keep you on top of your classwork and ahead because playing catch up is difficult and quite a struggle. Your social life will always exsist, do NOT put it before your school work. But do not forget to enjoy yourself, while making smart decisions. Do not overlook all the precautions you here about college parties and the dangers that come along with them like alcohol poisioning, rape, and drugs. It is all even more real at school. Finally, do not fall for the first guy you meet. Learn to read people and discover who they really are; it prevents a broken heart.

I would tell myself to put more thought and time into the process of looking and trying to find the right college that fits me. I thought that I would get into some where just based on my grades only and get a scholarship but that didn't happen so easily for me. I would had worked harder on exhausting my resources to look for money and a school that I liked and was able to afford. During my senior year of high school I wasn't thinking about that the next decision that I was going to make could affect me for the next four years. Now I know that when it comes down to looking for schools, it s a long term process and something that you really have to put more then just a few thoughts into.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition, I would have a couple things to tell myself. The first thing I would have done was told myself what I would be going to college for. I then would have told myself exactly what classes to take my senior year that would benefit me in college. Instead of taking a fine arts class in high school, like my guidance counselor strongly suggested, I would have taken anatomy, like I had originally wanted to. Once I made sure I knew exactly what classes to take, I would have told myself exactly how I should go about paying for my schooling. Financial problems have caused an immense strain on my schoolwork. I have been constantly worrying, for the past couple years, how I am going to pay for school. If I knew exactly how to pay for college before I even graduated high school, I would be able to ensure that my time is dedicated to my studies.

I would advise myself to start improving my study skills to adapt to the rigorous college curriculum. I would also tell myself not to take my last year of high school for granted. I would enjoy my family and friends and make the most of my teenage experience.

I would tell my former self to trust that things always work out the way that they should. As a high school senior, I, like my classmates, was focused entirely too much on the image that my college would purvey. I was obsessed with what eventual employers, current teachers, friends, and even family members would think about the college I would be attending. Once I entered college, I learned that the most important part of the application process is researching the individual universities so as to get a good handle on what kind of people chose that school and why, instead of just focusing on the big name, ivy-league schools. I would go back and tell myself to stay strong when I was rejected by schools that I thought would be perfect for me, and instead to keep my mind's eye open to the idea that I did not know exactly where I would be happy. By choosing a school where like-minded people would surround me, I ended up being happier than I ever knew was possible. I would also tell myself to search for a route to pay for my own education through grants and scholarships.

If I were given the opportunity to share some advice with my high school senior self, there is much I would want myself to know. First of all, I would encourage myself to become involved in an organization to make new friends. As many of my friends will say now, I am the first person to refer to my freshman self as a ?hermit.? I was exactly that. I rarely spent time with new people, and I never even considered going to a party. Looking back, I wish I had at least made an effort to meet even if many of them would not become my friends. To go along with this advice, I would tell myself that even though starting college is a scary concept it is also the perfect opportunity to try new things and to think outside the box. There are many times in the last three years that I wished I had joined an organization, like Habitat for Humanity or Students Taking Active Roles. While I have finally overcome my shyness somewhat, I would want my high school self to understand that college is the perfect time to start fresh and to branch out.

As a college freshman, I recently experienced the difficulty of walking into a room and not recognizing a single face. After move-in, when my family left, my life changed. I was living in a world completely unfamiliar. It was a life in a strange city where I had no friends, no hangout spots, and no family. It was a place where I was completely alone and disconnected from all that I had grown to love. But for some reason this place was great! It was a place for a new beginning. The best advice I could give to my high school senior self would be to go out there and make it a great one. That first week of college feels empty . . . unless you take the initiative to get out there and meet people. Never be afraid to walk up to a table to strangers or the people living next door and introduce yourself. Most likely these will become some of your closest friends. So my advice to you is to take the risk and get to know the person sitting beside you in class. Because its the people you meet who make college great!