Marshall University Top Questions

I have learned to have independence and self discipline. Living on campus has given me confidence and has taught me many important life skills.

It has help me realize that many more doors open for me. Now that I'm getting my education more employers are willing to interview and offer me jobs. It also has help me set an example for my daughter, that if I can go back and graduate school, she can do anything that she sits her mind too. thank you

Having been in the workforce for over 8 years now with an A.A. degree, I've come to realize how valuable my secondary education has been. It prepared me for real word experience and also set me up to excel in my current career. One very important experience I gained in college was learning how to better manage my time and how to work with others in group activites and projects. In deciding to go back to college, I plan on expanding my knowledge and hopefully open up new opportunities. In pursuit of my nursing degree, the knowledge I hope to learn my professors will be invaluable when it comes time for me to enter the work force as a Nurse. I will be able to learn from their real experiences and be better prepared.

During my years at Marshall University, I definitely learned a great deal about self expression. My degree was in Fine Art/ Visual art, and even though I specialized in Photography, I feel that I learned a great deal about the other avenues of the art field. The college experience, for me, was an enjoyable one, full of friendship and opportunities. I was given a chance to work closely with others in my field, including professionals, and also a chance to exhibit my work proudly. Numerous opportunities were given to all students to network and branch out into the "real world" of art. Overall, I believe that out of my years in school, I gained not only the skills necessary to succeed in my field, I also gained the confidence to move forward, to go ahead on my own and to become the professional I always dreamed of becoming.

Learn how to study! I never had to study in high school and got by with good grades. In college you gotta learn how to study because if you don't then you will fail a lot of tests.

I believe that I would tell myself to not let anything get in the way of academic goals. I say to not let extracurricular and social activities be more important than academics. Keep my goal and mind and never give up on it.

If I could start college all over again, I would apply for every scholarship I was eligible to win. In most cases all it costs to apply is time, not money. I would also keep up my grades, because I lost my biggest scholarship due to slipping in that department. Thirdly, I wouldn't have put as much pressure on myself to graduate in four years. As one of the few in my family to go to college, I felt an incredible amount of pressure to knock college out of the park by getting out in the standard amount of time. However, had I graduated in 2008, I would not have had the opportunity to intern for a television show and a big-city newspaper, both of which are taking place this academic year. Those look much better on a resume than just the clips from academia. Finally, I would have participated in more than just one campus organization. I will always love the campus radio station, as it allowed me to win many national awards and meet great, new people. However, there is much more to this world--and this campus--than broadcasting.

To put it bluntly, I would tell myself not to be an idiot. I made the mistake of wanting to get away from home, to get out on my own as soon as possible. So I picked a major I didn't truly want to pursue and went to a school three hours away. Also, I was a straight-A student in high school and graduated with very high honors, and I assumed that college would take a little more work but it would still be a breeze. I was dead wrong. I struggled through my first year, and my cumulative GPA was very embarassing. I knew all through the semesters that I wasn't doing well, but my pride kept me from asking for help. So, I lost my scholarships. I realized that my major wasn't right for me and neither was the school, so I changed both. I decided to move back home and go to a school there. I've done a lot better this semester. I've worked harder and asked for help when I needed it. I just wish I could go back in time and tell myself to do that from the start.

Considering that Marshall University was not my first choice, I would tell my high school senior self to go to my first choice, Miami of Ohio. Even though I had been accepted and received a scholarship and I got talked out of it because of its excessive cost. I would tell myself, "Stand up for what you believe in! You know that this is what you want! The campus is beautiful, the reputation is great and it is a (somewhat) safe taste of the real world." My first year at Marshall was spent at off campus housing and because there were no rules, I ended up getting myself into trouble and dropping out for a semester. Maybe if there had been a slight structure to my housing sitution, as in less rules than at my mother's house, but more than being on my own, I would have passed the first semester. I would have also enjoyed the experience of having a dorm room, even if I didn't stay with Miami of Ohio the full four years.

The advice I would give myself now would be look for scholorships that can help pay for tution and housing costs. College tution can be quite expensive, and if you do not live on campus your freshman year it will be difficult to make friends and obtain that bond with them that will last through college. Yes, you want to make good grades and earn a spot on the Dean's List, but you also need to have fun and make wonderful friends. I see that now as a college freshman who does not have close friends because i commute to school and do not have the opportunity to hang out around campus. To have that full college life, join student organziations and try so hard to live on campus and meet new people.