Northern Kentucky University Top Questions

Don't worry so much about the career you can get as much as studying what you love. When choosing a degree you may be focused on career paths it can yield--instead, go towards your passions, do well in those, and you will succeed in ways you could not have foreseen.

I would tell myself to be brave enough to stand up and be myself. I walked in to my first day of college unsure of whether or not I would fit in and now as I look back, I wonder why I ever cared. My university showed me that it was okay to be different and that my intelligence was nothing to be ashamed of. If I could tell myself what I know now, I would have walked in with my head held high and a smile on my face.

The college process seems scary and intimidating, but it's not nearly as bad as you think. Don't be afraid to ask questions and it's important to apply for every scholarship and financial aid form available to you. You never know what will pull through and what you will need later down the road to help pay for your education. Also, you will get offered federal loans. Try to do your best to not take one out, but if you must, go for the subsidized loan before the unsubsidized loan. With a subsidized loan, you won't be charged interest while you're still in school. Additionally, try to take as many college credit classes as you can while still in High School. It will save you thousands of dollars in the long run and could potentially help you graduate from college early. Even adding one college credit class to your schedule as a Senior can save you one to two thousand dollars. Just take a deep breath and remember that you aren't alone in this journey from High School to College.

The advice I would give myself I would tell myself to really think hard about what you want to be in a life and who you want to be. College is going to teach you so much about who you are and who you want to be. You arte going to meet some amazing friends and teachers along the way. However, it is important to have direction and focus. This is very important because it would save you time and money. If you loose your focus on school it can make you fail classes which you will have to retake and pay for all over again. So it would help if you get entusiatic in the begining and know what you want to be so you can stay on your path. Also believe in yourself and know you can do whatever you set your mind to. You may come up on some struggles but you will overcome them. Diana, just believe in yourself because you will graduate from Northern Kentucky Universtity in 2015!

Dear Megan, You received a full ride scholarship and you can consider me the ghost of education future. Everyone is created equally, and you have been given an amazing opportunity that many people your age don't receive in their lifetime. Don't spoil it. Take what you've earned in stride and use it to your advantage. Right now, you're going through life learning who you are but truth is, you'll never fully know who you are; you will always continue to learn and grow as long as you allow that process to continue. Never stop dreaming, never stop reaching for your goals, and never under ANY circumstances stop believing in yourself. Doubt will kill your dreams more than anything ever could. NEVER let anyone tell you that you aren't good enough or that you need to give up on your dreams. Not even someone you love. You're beautiful, and worth every star in the sky, every grain of sand on this Earth, and every atom of this universe. Never forget your worth and potential, princess. I will always be standing in your corner cheering you on. You're beautiful. Love always, future Megan <3

NKU has so much to offer and is a growing college! The opportunities moving forward are yours to be obtained with much hard work and determination. Living on campus at least the first year,provides great chances to meet new people, experience college life to the full, while eliminating travel time on the road back and forth from home to school so you can focus on studies and homework.

I know you're probably expecting that I'll give you all of the answers and secrets to success, but I'm afraid I don't have any advice or secrets that I'm going to tell you. I really don't believe that you can teach anyone (even yourself) how to make such a major life transition successfully; it's just something you have to experience for yourself. I know that you will make that transition and find your way, because I did, and I wouldn't change a thing. I suppose the only thing I would feel safe saying is that sometimes, if things don't work out the way you expect them to, it's okay. You'll get to exactly where you need to be, perhaps just not in the way you expect, and you'll also learn to be great both inside the classroom and outside it.

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self I would beg myself to stay in school. When I was younger I thought the world was wide open to me and that I didn't need a degree to prove that I was worthy. While I still don't think the world is a horrible place I realize how much easier my life could have been if I had given myself every advantage that I could. Instead I am now a 31 year old woman, with a full time job, who dreams of being a biologist. When I started my schooling last year I was honestly a bit embarrassed, I felt like the mom of the class. Even though I am not nearly old enough to be any of my fellow students mother, I have so much more life experience , and it makes me feel a bit awkward. I could have avoided all this and enjoyed student life as a kid should if I had only started sooner. The last thing I would tell my ounger self is that you are smart enough, worthy enough to do whatever you want in life.

Dear Brandon Holstein high school senior class of 2011, I know you think now you're prepared for anything college can throw at you and for the most part you are, but there are some things you should know. First, for the love of god don’t just pick the major mom tells you to you have to do what you love or you'll hate it. Second, you're not as good at chemistry as you think you are and these classes are fast paced so ask for help before you get too far behind and can't catch up. Third, and most importantly regardless of what mom tells you can't handle an over full course load; 18 credit houses a semester is too much for you, stick to 14 or 15 you won't graduate in four years but it's worth the extra time so you can do your best in all your classes. I hope you'll take my advice it will help you succeed; I should know I had to get thru without it. With very best wishes, Brandon Holstein college junior from the year 2014

The advice I would give my high school self would be to develop study skills & to apply myself. In high school, I only had to study for foreign language classes, and I could get average grades in everything else without studying. If I had actually applied myself, I would have most likely gotten better grades, scored higher on my ACT and may have received more scholarships & grants to help pay for tuition as I am working full time while attending.