Northern Kentucky University Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to myself in highschool, I would tell myself to reach for my goals and to never give up. Even when it seems like school is hard and a social life and working is more important, it is possible to balance all of them efficiently. I would take attending college the first time around more seriously. I would tell myself that i have survived school for 13 years and that college will just be another 4 to 6 that I can get through with a little hard work and dedication.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I will tell myself to go to the school that you really want to go to. I feel like I let my family decide where I wanted to go for me. I do not think that they meant to do that, but my family pushed me into going to Marietta College. It was close to where my mother lived, who moved my junior year, and she really loved the idea of me living close to her. I chose to go there and ended up not feeling at home. If I could tell my senior self one thing, is to, for the first time in my life, make my own decisions and to pick what was best for me. I would tell myself to visit more colleges and get a feel for more campuses. If I would have done this, maybe I would not have transferred. Maybe I would have found my home at NKU sooner. I would also tell myself to enjoy my time in high school. I did not think I would miss it, but I do. I wish I would have enjoyed it more.

If i could talk to my high school senior self, I would tell myself to work harder and take classes more seriously. I feel that by taking this step I would be able to better prepare for my college career, and make wiser choices. I also feel that I would tell myself to take the ACT more seriously, and to take more pride in the work I submit to my instructors.

Keep your mind open to new experiences and push yourself outside of your comfort zone.

The first lesson that college has taugh me is that no, going out with your friends is not nearly as important as applying for scholarships. Although you may feel that your entire extistence relies on attending this one party, there will be more of them, and most likely each one will be essentially the same. Unfortunately, the deadline for the scholarship is not nearly as forgiving as your classmates. You will now be forced to work five days a week to pay for your tuition. The second is that once you're out of highschool, no one cares what you did in highschool. It doesn't matter if you were prom queen or had to eat lunch by yourself everyday. The social hierarchy disappears and you realize that everyone has the same goals; make it to class on time, graduate, and hopefully have some fun along the way. The third is you are entirely responsible for yourself. No one is going to make you succeed. You have to want it and you have to work for it. You must be passionate and proactive. If you fail, you will only have yourself to blame.

Knowing what I know now I would have told myself to take a break from school before rushing back. I would warn myself how school is full time dedication and commitment and to make it through I would have to sacrifice working full time. The most important advice I would have gave myself is do not take on too many credit hours even when an advisor try to pressure it on you, it is up to YOU to take advisor advice you can tell them no.

I would tell myself to always look at things with the most postive outlook possible. Almost any problem you are having, be it academic or otherwise, can be fixed with a good attitude and a little bit of hard work. The transition into college can be rough at times, be it the rigid standards that some professors hold you to or the tough coursework, but in the end a positive outlook makes everything seem worth it. Keeping your goal in sight (in my case, medical school) and not letting go of it is also important. Even the toughest lab is worth it when you have perspective. To conclude this, the biggest thing I would tell high school me is to not give up- ever. The college transition can be an incredibly difficult one, but a good attitude; keeping sight of your goals; and a positive outlook all serve to make a what can be a rough transition a lot easier.

Pay attention, high school does matter despite all the advice you heard. Your friends? You'll stay friends, but be prepared to not share as many memories. You'll change - everything will change, and it will no doubt be hard for the first few times you go grocery shopping by yourself, or see the price of just merely renting a text book. But, even though it'll be hard, you CAN do it. Don't stay up as late, enjoy sporting events and please go to your prom. Make stories in high school that you can tell to your college friends, and make stories at college you can tell to your high school friends. Be yourself, because out of the hundreds of people you'll encounter a day, at least one will want to befriend you. Don't try and be someone else - highschool is known to change a person in that sense, but please believe me, my past self, when I say that who you are in highschool is irrelevant to the name you'll make for yourself at university.

I see you are nervous. It seems impossible to survive four more years sitting in classes! Instead, tasting uninhibited freedom and roaming the world is what entices you. You question how college can accomodate such a restless spirit. Those worries can be debunked! My first semester taught me the anthem of college is actually freedom to achieve fascinating opportunities. The road is open to fashion your learning environment into what you need. For instance, just take a walk to the study abroad office. I can now proudly inform you I will be studying abroad in South Korea this summer! I also see you are unsure about being noticed amidst the sea of undergraduates. My advice, simply be genuine. When you write papers, engage in conversations, and make decisions, do it with an honest interest and effort. In a very natural way, I found like-minded people because I fully engaged in my major's courses and clubs. It is there that I am met with a constant source of inspiration and support. Rest assured, you will find a million ways to celebrate your incredible new phase in life! In fact, college is just the beginning of a lifetime of adventure.

The advise I would give to my high school senior self is keep looking for scholarships. When I was a senior I was very lazy when it came to research. My mom would always scold me about searching for scholarships because she knew we didnt have the money to afford college. I was very slow about things being a senior; I was always procrastinating on it. The financial issues didn't really hit me till I went to freshman orientation at Northern Kentucky University. During one of the session the faculty talk about money and how much everything was going to cost. At that point I realize I messed up. Now that I finished my first semeter with a 3.5 GPA, I learned some valuable lessons. The lessons I learned throughout out my first sesmeter I would love to tell my high school senior self. For one, I would stress the fact of keep looking for scholarships to help pay for college. Two, I would tell myself to dont give up, keep pushing. Last but not least, I would tell my self tokeep praying, believing and always continue have faith. Miracles will come just in time.