Muhlenberg College Top Questions

If I were to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have a lot of advice to give. I would tell myself that as time passes, school only gets harder so enjoy the moments in the present while it isn't as challenging. At the same time, although school becomes more difficult, that doesn't mean you should give up. Being resilient and perservering through hardships will only make you stronger for the future. Another important idea is that you know yourself better than others know you. If you have a strong feeling you want to major in something, pursue it rather than testing the waters first. Don't be afraid to take risks because sometimes you will surprise yourself. Being a senior in high school is one of the best times in your life. You are young, have so much potential ahead of you, and have accomplished so much. Take time to live in the moment because life is too hard when you are constantly planning ahead and judging your past. The most important thing to remember is that you are capable of doing anything and when you feel like giving up, remember why you started.

Trust that you already are the truest and most honest version of you that you can possibly be and remain steadfast in your committment to your own thoughts, opinions, and actions. You're going to learn more than you could possible conceive about yourself. Through this learning process, you will mature, you will become independent, and you will blossom. You'll come to achieve many great things. But the you then is the you now, and the you now is the you then. There's no need to fear your future because you're living it now. Trust in yourself. Trust you'll make the right choices at the right times and know that if you don't make the right choice, the point of living is to collect experiences. You're bound for the biggest and best experience of your life. Relax and enjoy the ride.

Dear Kristen, You may seem nervous and anxious right now. Don't worry, you'll be fine. The first few weeks may be tough. After all, you haven't been away from mom for more than a week at a time. Thankfully Muhlenberg does a fantastic job of helping you interact with fellow students, so you will meet some awesome people! Showering is miserable, but you'll get used to sharing a bathroom with 20 other girls quickly. Also, your workload is going to seem pretty intense. There's a very good chance you will be stressed out due to professors assigning 15 page papers. You may not get the 4.0 GPA you kept up all four years of high school, but remember, a 3.5 is still Dean's list and you attend a very challenging school. The best advice I could give you is to be optimistic, work your butt off, be open to new things, meet as many new people as you can, and enjoy! These are the best days of your life! P.S. Hide your food in your dorm room so your roommate doesn't eat it.

The advice i would give myself would really have helped if someone gave me the same knowledge i know now coming into college. Following up on your financial aid is a must. Always making sure your financial aid is in order puts you one step ahead of the game. Come to college with an open mind, anything is up for grabs, get involved and always stay focused. Trust me! as much as you may think you wil not get distracted in college, YOU WILL! This is where maturity comes into play and you have to learn how to avoid some of these distractions. Last but not least learn how to take chances, this expands not only you and your knowledge in so many ways but also your lifestyle.

The biggest obstacle in my transition was the realization that I don't live at home anymore. The comforts of my bedroom were no longer there and my room was no longer my own. Furthermore, my family lived more than three hours away. It was a big shock that took quite a while to overcome. Looking back on it now, I would give myself two pieces of advice. The first one would be to enjoy my time at home and to enjoy the comforts of home. The second one would be to talk about my fears before I leave for college. This way I could come up with a solution before it became a huge problem. Thankfully, academics haven't been too much of a problem for me. There was nothing more I could have done to prepare myself for my classes and the work load.

Most importantly, I would tell myself to go in with a completely open mind and not to expect anything about the college life. Every college experience is different based on the school, the people, and the individual. If you go in with set expectations it can make the transition into college very difficult and can skew your perceptions of what college really is and is about. Try to introduce yourself to different groups of people and establish a main group of friends and try to keep branching out over the duration of your time their, don't just stay within your core group. If there's a problem with your roommate, address it instead of letting it slide. The problems will escalate if you don't say anything, and you'll only regret not saying anything to begin with. Time management with classes, classwork, and extracurriculars is key. Classwork comes first but finding a balance is crucial. For those of us who thrive off of being busy, balance is everything, so possibly scheduling later as opposed to earlier classes is sometimes best.

There are so many bits of advice I would love to go back and give myself as a high school senior, but one thing sticks out the most: I would tell myself to not worry so much about making mistakes. Back then I worried constantly about if I was making the "right" decisions, choosing the "right" school, and picking the "right" major. The fact that I had so many choices was almost paralyzing for me. What if I made the wrong choice? What if things didn't go as I had planned? Through transitioning to college, I certainly made a lot of mistakes and perhaps some wrong choices too. I changed majors, I lost some friends, and I wondered if I was at the "right" school. But the older I get, the more I see that there aren't always "right" and "wrong" choices. Many times we are presented with several good options and we just have to decide among them. To be honest, I'm still learning to not worry about making mistakes. But looking back, I can see that I would have been so much happier if I had just accepted the uncertaintis of life and smiled!

I have gotten more than I could have ever dreamed. I made life-long friends in conjunction with a quality education at a reputable institution. The professors and courses have fueled my passion to continue my education further and keep pushing myself to do the best I can in whatever endeavor I choose to pursue.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior in high school, knowing what I now know about college life and the transition to college I would give myself quite a few pieces of advice. Firstly, I would tell myself to apply for more scholarships and try to get as much funding as possible, even before FAFSA results are completed. Secondly, I would tell myself to go where I want to go to school, not where everyone else pressures me to go. I would also tell myself to simply breathe and not worry about the academic difficulty because I can do it, I will succeed, and worrying does nothing to help anyone. Also, I would advise to order books online rather than from the college because they tend to be cheaper, and order the books early so I have them the first day of class. Lastly, I would tell myself to be excited, not nervous! Be ready to have fun and reward myself everyonce in awhile for achieving A's!

As a senior in High School, I would tell myself to take more risks when I am making the choice in choosing the right college. Make sure to start the college search before junior year and expand your horizons. The highest-ranked or well-reputed school does not mean that it should be my top choice. Colleges all around have a lot to offer, pay attention to details like relationships between students and professors and extracurricular activities. Match your personality with your college of choice. Also, different fields of studies are ranked differently at all colleges. It is best to do research on the field of study you are interested in before making your decision. If you decided to go to big school, do not get lost in the crowd. Try to understand that college students come from a lot of different backgrounds, always keep an open mind. Meeting a lot of students at once could be overwhelming; however, everyone is in the same boat. Keep in mind there is a reason why you ended up at a certain college, make the best of it and keep smiling.