Marshall University Top Questions

What should every freshman at Marshall University know before they start?

Ronica

If I could go back in time and give my high school senior self some advice, I definitely would have plenty to say. I would give myself a lot of advice about what to expect in college and what to do to get the most out of the college experience. College is not easy and requires a lot of responsibility and motivation. Socially, college is completely different from high school; at times it can be very lonely, but you just have to push past these moments and fully enjoy the times, no matter how few they may be, with the new wonderful people you meet. When you start college, get involved with the many clubs and activities that are offered; you will enjoy these experiences and the people you meet through them very much. Most importantly, don't let college change you to be someone you aren't. Still hold on to the person you were from high school, but allow the experiences from college to grow your good characteristics and quatlities to become the best you that you can be. Be a light to all those you meet.

Royale

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to relax. College will be a transition, but you cannot stress yourself out about it. I would also tell myself to study. It may not be that big of a deal to study in high school, but it is a must in college. I would've told myself to apply to more scholarships. I can't afford school and don't know how to pay for next semester so I definitely would have told myself to make getting a scholarship my job. Most importantly, I would have told myself that school is extremely important and never let anything distract you. Don't give up, ever.

Samantha

If I could go back, I would tell myself to follow my dreams and not settle for second-best. I would tell myself to walk up to my best friend and tell him how much I really feel about him. I would tell him how I have felt about him all the years I have known him. I would also tell myself to move into the dorms once I went to college. I would also tell myself to get better grades so that I wouldn't get so behind in my work load.

Dakota

The most important thing to understand is all of your options. I know you are science-minded and believe that physics or chemistry is the only field you have perceived yourself pursuing, but you MUST stop and consider all of your options. Explore chemical engineering programs, environmental engineering, biotechnology, economics, chemistry education and every other program that this research leads you too. Keep your mind open in terms of your future career and role in the world. Also, don't assume you MUST attend the college that is in your backyard; you know, the one that everyone, including yourself, has always assumed you would attend. The is no good reason for this default assumption. Learn about other schools. Look at rankings. Look into the types of research and publications that other school are involved with. Also, prepare for the ACT. Don't just take it to get the minimum score necessary for a full-ride to college. Take it like you want to get into the world's best school. While your at it, go ahead and apply to the world's best schools. Who knows, you may get in. Show your potential. Live up to your potential.

Brianna

College will be a place that you enjoy. Do not feel pressured into socializing. You will find an amazing friend in the person that will be your roommate. There will be ups and downs, but stick with your gut and you should be fine. However, I suggest buckling down and working hard academically. Do not get lazy. I know it is tempting, but it has really messed up our plans for the future. Also, apply for as many scholarships as possible. I unfortunately did not for the past two years and now, when I need the money the most, I do not have a single dollar. Work hard to go to Japan. You'll definitely make it!

Estrella

Hey, I know you want to take a year off before you start college, but dont do it! You will find college far more interesting and challegning which i know is what you want. I know you dont know what you want to major in right now but you should still go to college and get all your prerequisites done! Soon enough you will know what you want your major to be and you will be so stoked and excited for your future. The sooner you go college the sooner you will be working at your dream job and making the world a better place! Go to College now and you wont regret it!

Alanah

The advise that I would give myself would be to not room with your best friend. I thought since we spent all that time together anyway, that it wouldn't matter. I would also tell myself to apply for scholarships as if my life depended on it, it suits to say that it does in a way too. I would tell myself not to take things so seriously, but not to be too lenient on my class work. I would say that it is important to have fun in college, or you will get burnt out faster than a match in a wind storm.

Sumur

Don't wait, don't be lazy, no one is going to hand you anything Sumur, you have to apply and keep applying. This is something that I didn't understand as a high school senior. I thought "with my GPA, all these schools should come crawling to me", boy was I wrong. Colleges don't come crawling, they send out emails and such to let you know that they exist, but that's about it. And so I kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting until i didn't have any time left to make an educated decision as to where I wanted to go, I just went to the college that my father pushed me towards. If i could go back in time I would share my story with myself, stressing that the longer one waits, the harder it gets and hope that I would listen.

Allison

I would tell myself to never forget who i was and dont be afraid to meet new people and try new things. Don't be afriad to stand out because its ok if some people don't like you because some people will. Also dont bring so many clothes, doorm rooms are small and can not hold so many clothes.

Savonna

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would first be sure to repeat the words "get involved, do not sit around". I highly consider finding out what is going on around campus and join a sports team, sorority, club or organization. Do not pass by the opportunities that are given. Those are also great ways to make a lot of friends. But at the same time, you need to keep up on your school work and attend class regularly. Falling behind can cause you to stress and become overwhelmed. Most importantly, never give up! Times may get hard, classes may not seem so easy but take advantage of the tutoring system that is available. Never be afraid to ask for help, there are many options and a lot of people willing to work with you so that you have a good understanding.

Miranda Gabrielle

Living in a small community, I always felt like a faceless person in a crowd of thousands. Average. Moving to the U.S. and suddenly becoming a minority made me realize I couldn’t blend in even if I wanted. And what else was I to do but own the spot light? It took three years to reach my full potential. I would tell myself to never hold back. That would lead to making many mistakes, but it’s learning from our failures that determines how successful we will be in the future. I would tell myself to be responsible, think critically. Lessons can only get us so far if we survive long enough to apply them. It took one night of irresponsible drinking to change my life in a major way. But I was determined to move forward and did so by applying my vigor into academics and work. I don’t regret my mistakes. They’ve encouraged me to work harder. I wouldn’t have accomplished so much without them. It’s not the end of the world to disappoint the people around you. It becomes an opportunity to show them that you can accomplish anything.

Brittany

I would want to give myself a few pieces of advice. For example, I would have to tell myself not to be afraid to ask for help and get the help that I need. It's ok to ask for help. It does not make you stupid or imcompetent. Some things do not come as easily as it does for other people. I would also tell myself to not be afraid to break out of my comfort zone a little and talk to people, make friends, join some clubs. It is a struggle to get through college with no friends, no one to turn to, or to feel like you have no friends or nobody to talk to. It is hard to be open to people, but it necessary to get through school. Finally, I want to tell myself to look for scholarships the entire year and apply to everything when I could. College is hard to afford and expensive and get even more so.

Nathan

I would tell myself that I need to get into doing more reading. I would also tell myself to work on my artist portfolio, and to start entering galleries. I would encourage myself to work on being more organized, and to concentrate less on women and more on the work at hand.

madeline

Dont worry, things get better. One day you'll realize your a beautiful person, just keep your head up. Smile more, your pretty when you smile. I know its hard but just keep pushing. Your going to be ok, its going to be tough but just you wait... it gets better. Youll meet a bunch of wonderful people. Youll wake up and smile knowing your going to have an awesome day. I cant tell you much else without ripping apart time and space... but nerdy... you wont believe me... but its sexy now... so dont change for the world. Your going to make it change for you. Dont give in to anyone, dont settle for anything less than perfect. You deserve nothing less, and lastly... your stronger than you know kid, dont forget that. Never forget that.

Meghan

I know that all incoming freshman are going to be sick of hearing this, but they need to be aware that it isn't like high school. The work load is harder and you have to be careful of how you manage your time. I can't stress that enough. The first day of school you need to get a planner and be sure to keep your life in it. You'll get real busy real fast so you need to come up with some way to keep track of everything and keep on the ball.

Megan

If I was given the ability to go back in time and revist myself as a high school senior after experiencing college life first hand, I would need a couple of days to express the advice I would have for myself. First, I would tell myself how important it is now to start practicing effective study and work habbits. A person never quite understands how important these qualities are to have for your college career. Contrary to popular belief, college isn't one big party. Secondly, I would express the importance to myself of putting myself out there, getting involved, and meeting new people. My mother always told me, "the friends you make in college are the friends you'll have for life". If a person doesn't enjoy themselves from time to time, they are ultimately setting themselves up for failure. It is important to remember that with hard work, comes reward. All in all, college is one of the most precious and valuable real life learning experiences that cannot be marked with a price. If we could travel back in time to prepare ourselves, it would ultimately take the learning aspect away from the priceless experience.

Tanesha

Wow, if I could push rewind and talk to my high school self, what a difference! My freshmen year was imperative to me. I would be on Honor Roll, no exceptions. I would’ve succeeded, but one obstacle, Social Studies. Being mature, I would say, every subject matters even if it’s your least favorite. I would’ve prospered during my sophomore year, but the culprit was World History. Tanesha, World History is important; do you not want to know more about where you came from? Some of yesterday’s histories play a major part on today. Finally, junior year arrives. I did it, I accomplished my goal! I was number seven out of ninety-nine, scholarships here I come! Uh-Oh, senior year blues. The senior drop out syndrome prevailed. The people I wanted to acknowledge my achievements didn’t. The Tanesha now would say, if nobody else cares, you have to care yourself. Build yourself up and don’t take no for an answer. As a consequence of my break-down, I graduated out of summer school. The Tanesha of 2012 would say do your best, because when you don’t the later consequences will hurt.

Max

Max, pay more attention and do all of your homework. take notes and stay organized. Slow down, and focus on school, if you do you will find things will be easier for you. you can do anything you set your mind to. Oh yeah, wake the fuck up.

Nick

The would say, "Get your act together! Stop sleeping in class and not turning in your homework. Having a high GPA is very important in college, but if you don't care, that's fine too. College is honestly the best time of your life, not high school. You go to class only for a few hours a day, which is very manageable. Giving you the rest of the day to make friends, join groups, but also to do your homework. When you do get to college, keep in mind that the cafeteria food still stinks.

Renita

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, myself probably wouldn’t listen. Although intelligence is a blessing it is almost always accompanied by an equivalent ignorance. However, the path we take to enlightenment of any sort is a life experience and should be seen as such. Since high school, I have learned the things I was so determined to accomplish turned out to be like blinders to the things I was missing out on. Given the opportunity to attempt to explain this to my 18 year old self would be an interesting challenge. Luckily, I know she isn’t afraid to question, explore, or fight for what she knows is right for us; and that her journey for righteousness will most certainly be a rewarding venture.