North Carolina State University at Raleigh Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to relax and that everything is going to be okay. I was very stressed out about the prosepect of going off to college and ended up giving myself bad anxiety that resulted in panic attacks. Now that I am here, I have adapted and realized that it was silly for me to freak out. Also, I would tell myself that it is okay that I chose to go somewhere that no one else was going. I have been extremely lucky in the people I have met here, which has changed me for the better. I would also to tell my self to trust my gut because back in high school I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life but then changed my mind a thousand times, as well as my major. My high school self needs to know that it is okay to be unsure and that you do not have to know the answer and have a set plan for everything.

Looking back on my senior year of high school, I did a lot of rushing. I was rushing to graduate, rushing to be an adult, and rushing to go to college. Knowing that I rushed my way through my last year of high school now makes me sad. I didn’t get to fully enjoy what was supposed to be the best year of high school. What I would tell my high school senior self is to slow down and take one day at a time. Graduating can wait. Becoming an adult can wait. Going to college can wait. Taking one day at a time to soak in every experience is what I wish I could do.

I would tell my self to reach out for help more than I did and earlier than I did. Use the resources there to help. Also, take a little time to have more fun.

The first piece of advice that I would give to my highschool self would be to always look for new things to try. Doing this would allow you to network with faculty, other students at higher academic levels than yourself, and discover lifelong friends that share similar interests with you. Another word of advice that I would give myself would be to get out and exercise frequently. There have been times when I wanted to go to the gym, could've gone to the gym, but instead chose to lay around and be lazy. Exercise has been to proven to enhance academic performance and is a great way to relieve stress from the body. A third piece of advice that I would give is to remain strong in my faith. SInce I came to college, the number of times that I have attended church on the weekends steadily declined until I stopped going at all. I would tell my high school self to ignore the impulses to skip church so that I may have faith as a go-to option when all else fails.

If I had the opportunity to travel back in time and speak to my high school self, I would tell him that everything would work out. Approximately a year ago today, I was crushed by a waitlist decision followed by an eventual rejection from my lifelong dream school. I was so dissapointed in myself and had convinced myself that my future was in ruin. My second choice for college was North Carolina State University and I firmly believe that coming to State is one of the best decisions I have ever made. My former letdowns had motivated me to achieve and in my first semester at North Carolina State I was very succesful academically, got heavily involved in the college community, and made great connections and friends within the Wolfpack community. Without a doubt, given the opportunity I would tell my seventeen year old self that everything would work out for the best, to learn from my seemingly monumental dissapointments, and most importantly that hard work is necessary to reach my goal.s This is an essential lesson that I wish my high school self had known, but am greatful to have learned now.

I would tell myself the people you are in high school with are not your friends. College is where you will find your best friends that truely care about you. College is where you need to be and high school does not define you. There are more people out there like you who are hard working and driven to do the right thing. Your relationship with your parents will get better and you will miss them more than you can ever imagine. Life will get harder in some aspects because your grandmother is going to pass away the first week of college and you will feel helpless but you will get through it. The loneliness that you felt during high school will subside into laughter and many cups of coffee with some of the best people in the world. Professors are not scary people. They are just normal humans who put their shoes on the same way you do and they can give you oppurtunities of a lifetime. And yes your first semester freshman year you will help write a book, and your name will be published on this book. The door is open so run to your new life.

If I traveled back to my senior year of high school the piece of advice I would give myself is to ask the teachers I had currently and past teachers what lessons they learned in college and any advice they had to give me. Many people look over the fact that teachers are not only there to teach you the state mandated curriculum but they are also a wealth of knowledge about life including college. Some of the best college advice I did get was from my Comparative Governments teacher and I imagine many different teachers would have sound advice to help ease my transition. Because I lived in a town where people had moved to from all over I could have gotten so many different perspectives to help prepare me for what was awaiting me as I arrived at college. Even such a simple act as asking a teacher to tell you about their college and life experiences can help you not only better prepare yourself for the daunting task that is college but you might also learn some interesting facts about your teachers that you otherwise would have never discovered.

Next year be different. Do not go into this thinking you can continue to not study and get A's, or thinking your teacher will curve the test. You need to work hard and be proud of the grades you achieve and not allow yourself to put your social life first. That being said, have a social life. Go out meet new people on the weekends, they will be who you go to when the stress of class becomes too much or when you just cant figure out that physics problem. Yes, you will be taking physics, math, and a lot of chemistry. However, so will most people you meet. They will become some of your most vaulable resources and will be there when you will inevibly get a grade you are not so ok with. This grade, be it a C, D, or possibly even an F, is ok as well. You are not perfect and one bad grade, while an idncator you need to study more, will not ruin you and your college career. Just remember to get enough sleep, to put forth effot, and to find good study partners to suffer though the classes with you.

Take all of your classes seriously and dedicate more time to studying. Every class is important, and failure to dedicate time to studying for every class with result in bad grades. Don't simply memorize material. Take time to understand what you're learning and why it is important to your major and future career. You need to become an expert in each class you enroll in so you can become the best professional you can in your field. Look for internships and actively seek oppertuinies within the university and within your field of interest. Make contacts and friends that are along the career path you want to follow, they will become invaluable resources in the future. Overall, find something you enjoy doing. Try a variety of sports, hobbies, and classes of study. Spend your first year without a major, and explore different fields in order to discover what you really want to study while you have time. Make sure you do well in your first few semesters, so your GPA can withstand mistakes or uncontrollable circumstances that may badly affect your GPA in the future. Overall, have fun but work hard.

If I could go back in time and give myself advice on college, I would say make the decision that is best for your future, financially and socially. I had applied to a few out of state schools, and while they were great, it really came down to the cost. While it would be great to attend an out of state school where you do not know many people from your high school, you have to look at the big picture ten years down the road. No one wants to graduate with over eighty thousand dollars of debt from student loans. Though it may seem if you go to a college in your own state or near by that you will already know everyone there, however, I can say that even though I go to school thirty minutes from my old house, I do not see these people all the time. You make new friends and introduce yourself to people who you thought you would never come across at a fraction of the price of an out of state institution. A social life can be developed whether you're close to home or across the country.

If I had the chance to time travel and talk to myself as a high school senior so I could have a more worthwhile college experience, I would advise myself to avoid procrastination, always plan ahead of time and don’t be afraid to take risks. “Be sure to use your precious college time wisely so you can feel relieved when you graduate and ready to move on into the real world,” I would tell myself. Remember what your dad said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” “Make sure you have a backup plan because sometimes things won't always happen the way you want them to. Also remember to focus on what is in front of you but also don't forget about what potentially could happen.” In addition, I would advise “to go outside of your comfort zone sometimes and don't be afraid to take risks. No risk means no reward. Do things that when you look back on, will make you feel proud of yourself." “If you choose to follow this advice, you could have an internship for the summer, not be at home and be one step closer to reaching your career goals.”

I have only one thing to say to my high school self: DON'T BE LAZY. You can't always glide by in life. If you want real success, you must work hard for it. No one wil magically come along and fix your mistakes and grades. Your school provides you with the tools and facilities for sucess, but only you can se them to your benefit. Don't put off that homework assignment to hang out with your friend, because the deadline approaches quickly and you may miss it. Do what you can now so you can have fun later without worrying about bad grades. If you procrastonate and gof off, you WILL regret it. Yet again, you are on your own. No one to remind you. Make a plan and stick to it religiously. I can't count how many times I would have done infinitely better had I acknowleged the fact that I needed help and gotten it. You can't do it on your own, or if you could, you are one in a million. I would reassure myself that I can do it, but must always work for my success.

Look past everything that the schools are telling you. Every school is going to look roughly the same and equally amazing if you listen to what they tell you. Its what they don't tell you that makes a difference. Just because there's one or two areas the school really excells at, it doesn't mean the university as a whole is equally amazing. For example, a strong research program actually means that the professors are much more engaged in their reseach and grad students than teaching undergrads and it shows. Second piece of advice is follow your passions. It sounds cliche, but in high school the goal was to do as much as possible to be attractive to colleges. Once you're in college though theres a number of awesome clubs but to really get anything out of them one needs to put in 10x the amount of time they would have in high school. Find one or two really perfect extra curriculars and make it happen. Last little thing is stay active. Don't forget about staying healthly just because mom isn't around anymore. It can really make all the difference.

It is okay to make mistakes. After falling, picking yourself up is the first step towards the most beneficial and substantial growth that you can experience for yourself. Be reasonable, but do not forget to listen to your heart. Do not let anyone steer you wrong or force you to do something you do not want to do. Look ahead and try to predict your future, but do not forget to act in the present; have and develop a plan, but don't forget to carry out the things leading up to it. It is okay to be rooted in the past, but the future is an entire journey waiting to unfold before you. Do things not for the approval of others, but for the benefit and wellness of yourself. Ask for help when you need it, and offer help when you can. College is a period of your life in which you will find out who you are, but don't forget that you have already been someone your entire life. Be brave, be emotional, be studious, be courteous, be holistic, be determined, be clever, but above all, be happy.

First, do not take a year off after high school to have fun and work a meaningless job. Immediately make the transition from high school to college, even if its only a start in a local community college. I wanted to take a year off and it turned into several and it is one of the biggest regrets that I have. Also, develop good study habits. High school never challenged me so I never had felt pressed to study because I was ahead of most of the students and my grades were A's and B's. That practice, however, is not helping me in university. There are a lot of advanced topics that you won't understand on a quick run through a 50 minute lecture. You NEED to study and do practice problems in your free time. Last, apply for every scholarship you hear about. It is no fun having to work a job and go to class fulltime. Jobs mean no free time to participate in student activities on campus.

You’re about to be a freshman in college, it’s crazy, right? First of all, you need to do what makes yourself happy and be done with all the rest. Too much time I spent worrying about what other people thought and doing things I didn’t enjoy just because I was following along with the crowd. Once you get to college you realize none of that stuff matters anyway. What really matters in life is that you are happy with the person you have become. Stay focused, and don’t let anyone dull your sparkle. The transition into college is easy when you just let it happen. Don’t overanalyze everything. You will gravitate towards the people that you get along with, and it will be easy to create friendships that way. Last but not least, you are going to love the university you attend. You will find pride in your university, so much pride you’ll fight for it, knowing now that this is now your second home. You grow up so fast, so I ask that just every once in a while, you stop and consider how truly amazing life is, and appreciate it.

I would tell my high school self to put herself out there. She needs to make an effort to talk to strangers and make new friends. Meeting people is what college is all about. You never know what can happen unless you try, so suck up your anxieties and make an effort. Get involved in intramural soccer, because you'll miss it more than anything. Bust your butt to pass your classes. Studying does actually pay off. Most importantly, have fun and don't worry so much about what others think of you. You have four years to make mistakes and figure out who you are as a person. You should at least have fun while doing it!

As a senior, I believed that EVERY decision I made would have a lifelong impact on my personal and career. This way of thinking helped me to achieve many goals and get to where I am now ,but at the same time it caused many stressful nights of worry and little to no sleep. Therefore, there are six things I would go back in time and tell myself. Number One: Get some sleep. Sleep is a beautiful thing and I wished I would have taken advantage of the time I had to rest. If I was better rested, I would have been less stressed and been able to enjoy my last year before transitioning. Number Two: Getting an A is not critical to my existance. Sometimes classes can be difficult ,but that is okay. Classes are made to challenge you and to make you think. It is more important to learn the content and have a better understanding than to just learn the material in order to make the grade. Knowledge is more important than any amount of short term learning. Number Three: Enjoy the ride and laugh along the way. Life is too short to have days without laughter.

Apply for every scholarship you can find, because you will be broke for a very long time if you don't.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school student, I would tell myself to start college courses while in highschool so that my course loads would be lighter at NCSU, and I could soak up more of what I am being taught. I spent my high school years working around 50 hours a week so that I could pay for college without taking out loans (and after 5 years of college, I have officially taken out my first loan...). Instead, I think it would have been best if I had worked part time and started college extra early. I would have more loans than I do now, but I would be able to take fewer classes each semester and truly learn everything I want to.