North Carolina A & T State University Top Questions

What should every freshman at North Carolina A & T State University know before they start?

Darielle

Darielle, apply for all the scholarships that you can because college is very expensive. With college being expensive, you need to take your classes very seriously. Books are not cheap, you can spend up to $500 on books alone. Although you may not study now, you need to learn to! Studying is required in college, you cannot just memorize everything and pass the class. Make sure your priorities are in the right order, work hard then play hard. As a college student, your work must come first! There is nothing wrong with going out and having fun, but it is a problem when you have a five page paper due that night. Do not procrastinate, if you can, get your work done early. The earlier that you get it done, the less you will have to stress about it. Most importantly, be you. You will get a fresh start at college, but be yourself, people will like you for you. Get out, socialize, and be active by joining clubs and organizations; this is the key to having a great college experience.

Jasmine

If I could go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would really emphasize on expanding my horizons. From my recent college experience, this key point is my determining factor in life that I wish I would have had. In high school, I took college seriously, however I put all of my eggs in one basket. Overall, there we thousands of colleges I could choose from, but only North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University stuck out to me, so I limited myself to only focusing on one school. Looking back, I wish I would have kept my options open and did more research on other schools to explore all of my options. Do not get me wrong, I love my school, but the money aspect is hurting me. Although, money is an issue, I can honestly say I made my college decision based off of personal experience. The atmosphere at NCA&T is exceptional! Every day, I feel like I have gained other family members because it feels just like home. My friends, teachers, and fellow classmates treat me with the utter most respect because we all want each other to succeed.

Kendall

The Kendall Booker that left her last block AP English class to check her phone in the bathroom? Wow! "Hey, hey you! Kendall! Turn your phone off, go back in your class, sit down, pay attention and get your work done. When you get to college no one is going to make sure you're doing what you should be doing or hold your hand to guide you across the finish line. College is going to shape you into the woman you will become before you enter the real world, the work force. If you don't start now you are going to have a much harder time than you have to." I would simply tell my high school self that she needed to remind herself of the goals she set out for herself and realize that slacking will not get her there. I would lift her up with wise words and loving encouragement, not to scare her but just to open her eyes to the next chapter of her journey that she was about to embark on.

Alexis

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to more self driven. I sometimes looked to others for motivation, but I realized that you are the best motivation. You have to want it and not be afraid to fight for it. I would tell myself to stop letting my past interfere with my future. I cannot blame myself for what has happened to me in college. So I would tell my high school self to learn to never settle, also to not take the backseat to others so often. I have just as many great ideas as others but if I do not voice them, then nobody will ever know. Success is what you make it now.

gabrielle

i would tell my self to get ready for more homework and to look up more scholarships. i would also tell myself to be ready to make major changes in my time. i would tell myself that time management in college is important and to learn the proper techniques and ways to be more time organized. i would also tell myself that organizing is important as well and to always stay focused when it comes to checking up on assignments in class. i would tell myself to be more independent and boost up on studying skills. i would also tell myself that you are responsible for making sure that you get the notes and homework assignments from the teachers if you are late because they arent going to remind you and also that attendance is important and could affect your grade in some classes and just to be ready for a more open yet challenging place and atmosphere.

D'Ante

The three. most important things in life are discovering youself, discovering your passion, and discovering how you learn. All three are needed to be succesful and happy in life.

Sierra

If I could go back in time and give my high school self advice about college I would tell myself to BUDGET! Money is very scarce in college, well at least for me. Learning how to handle money and to budget is very important. I would tell myself to go to the financial aid office and talk to the counselors to create a budget. i would also tell myself to prioritize my time. I would make it clear that procrastination is not a good thing to do. Tackling assignments and papers as you get them will help you to be succesful. Another thing I would tell myself is to never be late to class or hand in assignments late because some teachers do not take late work. These are some of the things I would warn my high school self about.

Zainab

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would probably tell myself to pay better and closer attention in my classes, aswell as take more notes, because notes are pretty crucial in college. I would tell myself to listen to my teachers and elders who told me I was going to need the things that I was learning, instead of learning those lessons the hard way. I would also tell myself to do more community service and volunteer work, because the community really needs it, and it's a plus on my resume.

Antoniah

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I advise myself to buckle down and get ready for the real world simply because it came and smacked me in my face. As much as I thought I was I never fully prepared to become an adult. Another thing I would advise myself to do would be to have saved more money to bring with me to school because its difficult living on my own without my family and having to provide for myself with limitied income.

Vondae

If I could go back in time to high school, after being in college, the list of advice I would give myself would be never-ending. There is so much that you do not know going into college. So the top three things on my list would be one to apply yourself as much as possible. Two, get involved in as many extracurricular activities as you can so that you can build your resume. Lastly, do your research from freshman year, start researching colleges to see if they have your major so that you can have a wide range of options that all best fit you. Apply yourself as much as possible, meaning network with as many people and or businesses that you can because you never know what someone else can do for you just by knowing your name. Building your resume and getting involved is very important because people look at your credentials. What have you done and what you can offer is important, it makes you three steps ahead. Finally, most important is researching, knowing where you want to go to college. I ended up transferring colleges because I did not do the proper research unfortunately.

shadeka

HAVE FUN DURING HIGH SCHOOL AND BE MORE ACTIVE BECAUSE COLLEGE GOES BY SO MUCH QUICKER AND IT TAKE MORE DETERMINATION TO GET THINGS DONE BECAUSE THE LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY IS 10 TIMES HARDER

Cody

Ever since I was a young child I always dreamed of going to college, and throughout my early to young adult life I strived to reach that goal often putting my studies before fun. Throughout high school I tried to be perfect, yes I did particpate in extra curricular activites (theatre my one true love) but I never thought it could be a career that is where I was wrong. In college I discovered that dreams are important, "the bigger the dream the more powerful the journey is going to be. " If I were to talk to my high school sel I would tell myself to have "fun." Love what you do and do what you love. Don't be practical! Being normal is vastly underrated! College has taught me that being your own person is the greatest thing you can learn. I would tell my high school self that you need to treat each day like its your last. College has been the greatest thing for my development as a person and if I was now who I was then, my world would be extremely different. My young self would know to take chances.

Tyrone

The advice I would give myself about college is to pay more attention to what's going to help me in college. To learn how to do more productive things with my spare time. I tend to forget what's important and do things to help others. When I know I should come first because nobody is going to graduate for me but me. That's the advice I would give myself.

Gabriel

I would tell myself to make sure you get in the habit of having better study skills. Also to not be such a procrastinator because once your in college that doesn't work to well. Also to make sure you save as much money as you possibly can because when you get older and have to live on your own and pay for school you are going to need it just for the little things.

Khiana

When you are in college you are responsible for yourself mom and dad aren’t around to punish you for things but police, security guards, and faculty are in place. I’m sure you already hear about college parties, at these parties and other locations on campus there is often times alcohol and drugs around. People are constantly throwing a bottle or cup in your face trying to influence you to drink UNDER age. Half of the time they won’t take no for an answer they keep giving you reasons you should do it telling you it’s not that strong, you won’t get in trouble, and it’s only right for you to TURN UP. This is the furthest thing from right because there is always police and security on campus, suspicious behavior can cause them to stop you and you can go to jail. One night can cost you your education, once you get in trouble for that much more comes into play. The ways around peer pressure are simple associate with people who respect your decisions, hold on to your beliefs, and mean what you say. So if you tell someone no, really mean “NO!”

Ishyna

If i could go back in time, during my high school senior year, I would tell myself to take school more seriously and start learning how to study more because I have to know how to study well in order to be prepared for my tests and quizzes. I would also inform myself to take the opportunity to appreciate all the time I spend with my family because while I am at school, my family will not be able to provide for me as much as they could if I was at home. Learn how to be away from them, so whenever you get away you will not become homesick. College is tough and there will be times when you want to break down, but keep your head up and do the best you can because that will get you far.

Christopher

Chris, I want you to stop and think about your future. What do you want and how are you going to get there? Pay more attention and make sure you are making the necessary preparations for college. College is fun and you will love it! But you will have to work hard, pay attention, and be diligent with your homework. What has helped me when I don't feel motivated is to think about what kind of life I want my family to have, and that will largely depend on how well you do in college. Another piece of advice I would give you is to always think about what you want to major in. This will be a big decision that you will have to make. Make sure it is something you are passionate about, something you won't feel is a chore but a new opportunity everyday. You will learn a lot about a lot of things in college, so it can be tricky to narrow it down to one thing. But remember to have fun through it all. Enjoy every day as it comes at you, it is an adventure and you will love it!

sharray

Experienceing college was one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life. knowing what i know now, I believe i would have considered going to a trade school after college. My reason is because i would have gotten hands on experience their versus learning experiences. Today, when you are being interviewed for a job the employers are mainly looking for individuals who have hands on experience. One of the biggest regrets i have about attending college was accepting unsubsidized loans. I did not have much knowledge on loans. My advice to myself would be to only accept subsidized and do not accept more money than what you need because the interest would not accumulate until after graduation. I am in debt big time. I can't rewind time but all i can do is make better decisions. In graduate school all they offer is unsubsidized loans but my master's degree is so important to me. I just believe i will be able to pay it back once i hopefully find a great job!

Nathan

With the exhilarating experience of traveling back in time and meeting myself as a high school senior I would have a few things to say. The first thing I would tell myself would be, “We become the first person to travel back in time!” Then after the initial excitement begins to wear off I would become serious and say, “I know our father died last year but don’t give up and don’t slack off. This year is the start of your life. Dont't fear the transition to college it's not that scary, in fact you do better in college than you are doing in high school right now.” However, I will not tell myself of any major upcoming life experiences because I believe that those experiences are what dictate my actions and what have brought me to where I am today. I would try my best to not change anything in my timeline to prevent anything form changing. Finally the last thing I would tell my high school senior self would be, “Everything is going to be O.K.” I just hope after traveling back in time I would have a way to get back.

Morgan

If I could go back and speak to my senior self, I'd probably tell myself to relax. Coming into university I was plagued with thoughts that I would miss my family too much, wouldn't get along with my roommate, would get lost trying to get to class, wouldn't understand what any of my professors were saying, and other general 'Freshman Phobias.' Having completed my Fall semester and begun the Spring, I can honestly say that these fears are, at least for me, unfounded in many ways. It may be due in part to the university I chose to attend because of all of the comraderie and helpful upperclassmen waiting in the wings to come to a struggling freshman's aid (if you look in the right place), but I found myself easily acclimated to the college experience with one minor exception, attending classes. Time management and self-motivation are traits that seem to have skipped over my generation and as a result I found myself missing classes left and right. These revelations in mind, I would tell myself to calm down and buy an agenda book and alarm clock with multiple settings. They help.