Northwest Missouri State University Top Questions

Honey, get your head out of your ass it's not a hat. You aren't the center of the world, and your boyfriend isn't that fantastic. You're about to become a college freshman, where there are plenty of boys, and a bigger world full of amazing people. You're about to enter "a whole new world" where there is plenty of fish in the sea. Opens your eyes and enjoy you last few days at the high school because you're about to grow up, get new responsibilities and see the world in a whole new light.

As a second semester freshman in a new environment, I would go back and tell my high school senior self to stay friends with your old friends from high school that are on campus with you. I made the mistake of trying to just focus on making new friends and completely shut out my old friends. I was completely miserable. I was not making any friends and was seeing my old friends with new friends and I hated it. I was so homesick. I was ready to go home and not come back. Then classes started, I still had no new friends, but started talking to my old friends. My main friend group are high school friends, but I don't see that as a bad thing. Through them I had made more friends than I would have if I tried by myself. As long as you enjoy being around the old friends, the new friends will come piling in through them with a little help from yourself.

If I could go back and advise my high school self, I would definitely have to warn me about a lot! I honestly, don't think I could have prepared myself for the transition for college. But, I would tell myself to make sure what I did the next 4 years counted, because it will effect the rest of my life. My first year of college would be the most important, If you let your grades slip then you might be playing catch up for the next 3 years. I would tell myself to have fun, but make sure school is top priority. Mom definitely won't be waking me up for class. And i would also remind myself of who I am and what I stand for. A lot of people go off to college to find themselves. But I know who I am and don't let other people make you feel like you dont fit in or you don't belong here. Lastly, I would tell myself to remember the goal, I want to succeed in life, so I have to fight for it, work for it, and achieve it.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would first tell myself stop rushing. If i thought the wait for graduation was long, try the wait to go off to college. The anticipation itself could drive you mad. The most important thing I would have told myself is enjoy my adolescense. Not that I dont enjoy my life as a growing adult, but I feel like I sat my entire senior year anticipating the next move, that I wasn't living in the moment. As I sit here as a college student, I cant help but miss the small things in highschool, the easy reading assignments, reasearch essays, pre-calc, weight training, and varsity cheer. I would just tell myself to live life day by day. Don't think about the next day because, like some of my close classmates what if there was no tomorrow? As long as I sat there wishing I was older, I could have been living in the moment and enjoying myself. Being an adult and having a lot more accountability is fun at first, but it can get overwhelming.

If I could go back and redo my senior year I would take advantage of the AP classes my high school offered. I wish I would have challenged myself more my senior year and taken more classes for college credit. I came in with no credits and it really affected my ablility to register for spring classes. It was also a huge change from high school to college because it had been a year since I had taken challenging courses. I also wish I would have taken classes from a local community college for credit. It would have been nice to come into college with some of my general education classes already completed. Taking more classes for college credit in high school would have given me a great advantage in college. I wish I had taken advantage of that oportunity.

I would advice myself to sharpen my study skills. College is much more challenging than high school, and one should work to prepare themself for this drastic change.

I would advise myself to try harder in high school because grades really do matter a lot, especially if you are trying to join a sorority or fraternity.

Life is hard. Suck it up and deal with it. Put in the work now and it will pay off later.

Look forward to your studies. At times it will be a challenge and it will be easy to blow off your studies for the social aspect. Learn as much as you can from everyone that you meet. Take part in all the activites that come your way. Enjoy the learning experience that has been placed at your fingertips.

The advice I would give myself is to not let the problems at my house and my personal life disturb my grades and my life as a high school senior. If I was organized enough in my life I can be able to handle my school, all the activities I was involved in, and I would be able to manage everyday life problems better.

Apply for as many scholarships as you can! Good grades don't buy a full ride at every college or even enough to cover most of it. You need to actively hunt for local and online scholarships and apply for all of them! Start as soon as you can. Also, volunteer more at the animal shelter or find another non-profit place to help out at. Network with people and get more experience in the real world. College is VERY different from high school. The sooner you work on transitioning to the real world, the easier it will be to walk onto that campus in the fall. There are NO parents there to nag you about your habits. Start getting healthier habits now so you'll have them when you're on your own as well.

Find time to study. Dont get invovled with so much that you lose focus on why you are here in the first place.

Dont blow off math. That anything that you did learn will help you make a better transition. That you may have senioritis but you still feel like you dont want to do anything when you get to college. But you will have to work,go to school,be involved, and find time to sleep. Highschool was piece of cake compared to what you will face when you go to college. Dont rush trying to get out. Enjoy being a kid for one more year. Because come graduation everything will change.

You may think you're an adult now, but you're still a kid. Legally, you can make your own decisions, but mentally and physically, you're incapable of surviving in the real world without help and guidance. College will give you that opportunity to mature and grow. Partcipate in clubs and organizations and meet people whom you can form lifetime friendships with. That is a great way to learn social networking. Excel in all your classes, because when employers and colleges start asking for your transcripts, those classes you failed will show up and define a part of you. Pay all your school fees up front, because making payments will help develop bad habits that can put you in debt later in life. Last but not least, make your classes your number one priority, because you don't want to still be in college six years later.

Growing up means becoming independent. Independence means finding your own way through life. One would say that college means finally being free from the scrutinization of parental figures. However, once you enter college, you are no longer a child and will never be treated the same. I used to dream of the day I could finally pack my tiny Honda with all of my newly bought college supplies and drive away from the only place I have ever known as home, but once I parked my car, the nervousness swam through my veins. I realized that there was no going back to the laid back girl who loved spending all her time reading fantasy books. The advice I would give my high school self is too cherish the time with family. College changes relationships. I miss my mother dearly and I still call her every day to detail the events of my day. My mom is my best friend and I would not have realized how close we are without going to college. I also realized how I am becoming an adult. As an adult, I am responsible for my own future and no one can plan it for me.

Everyone always says, "College is the best time of your life, so enjoy it." Even though that’s so cliché, it’s definitely true. College is the last time that you can live a life for yourself and not take on the responsibilities of having a job and family to take care of, so enjoy the college life. Don't worry about other people and what they have to say about you because in reality you are living your life for you and God, nobody else. You know what the best path to take is, so be confident and don't let others influence your decisions because if they are your true friends they will support you on every decision you make. Also, enjoy the time you have with your friends, new and old, because you never know what tomorrow brings. Keep the future in mind, but don't worry about it. You're young; you'll have plenty of time to worry about that stuff once you graduate. In the end, the best advice I could ever give myself is to enjoy having the freedoms and the friends you have and never take them for granted.

As a high school senior I was naïve, excited to move, start school with my friends, and be a “grown up”. If I could go back and tell myself what I know now, I would share three things: friends come and go but family is forever, long distant relationships do not work but it is not the end of the world, and no matter what keep your head up. Through my years at college I have learned my family will always have my back. No matter what the problem my mom and dad were there helping and supporting me along the way, even if my friends bailed on me. Coming into school I was in a relationship I thought would last forever. I quickly learned people grow a lot while in college and distance puts too much strain on relationships, and I learned I could survive without it. The third lesson I’ve learned is to keep my head up. Things were hard transitioning to a new place and new people. No matter how bad the situation good things still happen. If I could share my wisdom with myself, my first two years of college would have been great.

If I were to go back to my senior year in high school, my advice to myself would be; to be organized, get enough sleep, and stay focused on school. I think organization is very important in college life, because professors will ask you to look at a spicific day of lecture notes or a specific assignment and you'll need to find it right away. It is also easier when your reading lecture notes and studying. Sometimes life gets to be challenging but you still need to find time to rest. If your up all night studying chances are your test score could have been a little bit better if you got some sleep and had a good breakfast. I never knew sleep was so important before a big test! Finally, it is very important to stay focused on school. If you're paying to go to school you want to be there. You need to be there to take notes and learn the material. It is very important to be active in the classroom. I also would suggest to myself to talk to the teacher if you dont understand something completely or need help on something in class.

to stay focused in school.

Maria Robinson once said, "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I wish I could have told myself that. In high school I made a lot of mistakes like not taking my parents advice, not studying as much as a should have, and even taking advantage of my teachers. I would tell myself that instead of dwelling on the past, you should start acting on the things that you wish you could have changed. To start listening to my parents before disagreeing with them, to work harder on homework assignments, and to show my teachers how much I appreciate their help. I would also tell myself that every mistake I make happens for a reason, so just learn from it and grow. The final, perhaps even the most important thing I would tell myself is to make amends with the people I love because once your heart is mended then your future can only become brighter, and possibly even better than you could have imagined with the help of your loved ones.