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Senior year of high school is a cake walk compared to college. Enjoy it while it lasts

If I could go back and give myself advice I would encourage looking at scholarships mainly because I had no clue back then what was available for high school students. I would also find more ways to give back to the community and benefit other countries in volunteering. This would have made me feel that I'd had more purpose as a young adult and made a difference in improving someone else's life. Another is to educate myself in the many travels I have done so far and what it means to be more eco-friendly. I would press the issue of how our environment is quickly changing and the many species that are being affected. My hope is that I'd want my younger self to understand to be more mindful of our resources and the knowledge to pass to others. My goal of creating a traveling theatre company with diverse and handicapped actors would help benefit those in need. Each actor would introduce cultural stories or perspectives that will become performance pieces involving universal morals and multi-cultural choreography. Many productions would be performed where donations from audiences would be given to local children's hospitals.

If I could talk to me a year ago, I think I would tell myself to chill out and enjoy the ride. When I was a senior I was freaked out about choosing the right college but now that I'm in college I realize that the truth is it will all work out. At the end of the day you will be where you need to be.

I had always known I was going to attend a college or university, there was no doubt in my mind about that. The thing I didn't know was what school would be best for me. After some long deliberation, I decided to attend The Ohio State University and I was going to be a Mechanical Engineering student. Now the only thing left to decide on was where to live. I lived close enough to OSU that I could commute from home and save money on residency fees. So I went ahead and stayed at home for my first year here at OSU and as much as I love my family, I should've lived on campus my freshman year. I now live on campus in a fraternity house and I am getting to see all the fun things and great experiences I missed out on by living at home that first year. So if I could go back and give myself advice, I would tell myself to live on campus and get to really experience life and have no regrets. We only have one life to live so we should all live it to the fullest.

After completing one quarter of my college career, I have definitely learned lessons that I wish I could have learned before venturing off to college. I would go back and tell myself to really practice time management. I would tell myself that although it is such an important thing to make new friends and be open to the social aspects of college, the people you need to get to know, the friends in your dorm, will be there whenever you have the time. There is no need to give up studying on the weeknights to stay up making friends with the people on your floor because you are afriad if you don't they won't be there when you have the time. The friends and the people will always be there when you have the time to get to know them; don't completely ignore them, but they will be there. The test or quiz or homework, that has a due date. The school work has to be done by that certain time, and the grades can't afford to suffer because you are afraid new people will not still be there in your free time.

Freshman year was the most wonderful year where you encountered friends, classmates, teachers, and everything else about your high school. The work you established wasn’t as challenging as you thought it would be. Your studies and homework were approximately one hour the longest and not much effort was put into it. The best thing you could have done was get help from teachers and tutors but you chose not to. With all the time you had, four hours of homework and two hours of studying would have made an enormous outcome on your grades. The school also provided activities to do outside of your classrooms. Such activities involved sports, clubs, programs, and organizations. If you took more time to join some of them and be a part of your school, you'd expand a wider knowledge about yourself and find your best interest(s). That will lead you to your major or at least you have an idea of what you want. Most importantly, the effort you put in should have been your number one priority in school. Effort would have leaded you to a greater path where techniques you knew would have a better achievement towards your education.

The most important lesson I have learned thus far is to put school first. Studying is a four-year commitment, and to be successful it must be your top priority. Reading class material early and then rereading lecture notes after class makes studying for test the least time consuming in the long run. Also, having a distinctive study space also helps you to be the most efficient when it is time for getting work done. Lastly as soon as you realize you do not fully grasp a topic, ask for help. You are not alone on this journey through academia. There will be distractions, but with a high level of dedication, you will succeed.

My number one piece of advice would be to get more involved with school and the community. Being more involved makes life a lot more fun and easier once you get to college. It enables you to make many new friends because, more often than not, people go to college and rarely know many people. I would've told myself to be volunteer more because it helps you get recognized. I was always a good student so I didn't have to worry about that aspect, but I didn't have a good social life. Now the transition I will be taking to a university is hard on myself because I was never truely involved and didn't make a whole lot of friends. Things are a lot more stressful when I have to go about them by myself seeing as how I'm a first generation college student. I would also tell myself to talk to more advisors about important things to do and timelines to follow to be successful in college in the aspects of scholarships. Never let an opportunity slip away because you didn't want to be more involved.

Dear Katrinna, Congratulations you are almost there! Senior year will fly by and college will be right around the corner. I want you to stay focused and positive because the responsibilities of your future will be in your hands. You will be able to pick your own classes, join new clubs, and be on time for your classes because well, the option to go at noon is available. I'm going to tell you to start preparing now by getting organized, some professors don’t give you the chance to turn in your homework late because your dog ate it. The more you write down and remember the better you will feel. I know you are visual learners so let’s take the time to make calendars when things are due and stick to it. We can do this. I want you to keep an open mind and join as many clubs as you can and stay not only active with your school work but with your family and friends. Their colleges, if you don’t understand something now you maybe never will, ask questions. I know you can do it because I’m doing it for us!

Work. Work hard. Work harder than you ever have before. Drag through the nights and power through the mornings. Pour yourself into everything you do, because I promise it will pay off. It's going to come back to you, and you'll experience Karma in the best of ways. Work now, and it'll make things easier later. You won't be stressing over how to make ends meet or applying to every miniscule scholarship on earth. Work hard, and you'll be handed your education on a silver platter. You know you have the brains, you need the drive. And your education isn't something you can give up. You love learning. Without it, you'd be broken. But now, if you don't work hard, you'll have to be stressing all four years trying to figure out how to scrounge up the money. You won't be able to focus on the educatino or the things you love. Work right now, and you'll be able to spend the next four years having an education good enough for a pedestal, served on a platter. Work. Work, work, work.

If I had to advise my high school self as I am now, I would tell myself to branch out more in college. I came to college looking for a new experience and a new life full of new experiences and new friends, and I've yet to completely branch out on my own. To this day, I strive to reach out to other students to make some long-lasting relationships with people. Joining more clubs and going to more school-sponsored events is something I would definitely advise my high school senior self today. I also came in to college very anxious and scared, and I would tell myself now that if you just take things one step at a time and keep your head up, a great college experience is ahead.

I would quicky tell myself to push myself harder not just physically but also academically. I would say also, don't let life circumstances and other peoples expectatios constitute how you live. Enjoy every moment an learn from your mistakes; don't ignore them. If you get down on yourself, find someone who has it worse and help them. Never give up hope in the fact that life is what you make it and you have so much more potential than you realize. Don't live to get other peoples approvals because you are who you ae no matter what they think. Let them feel the weight of who you are and let them deal with it. There is a greater purpose in life than to just live, have some fun, hurt alot, and die. What you do matters. So whatever you do, do it with everything you've got.

As a high school senior, I was convinced that I would have no problem transitioning to college life. Many of my friends were already in college and they would offer me advice on what to do next year based on their experiences. I also had family members, teachers, and the occasional stranger sharing their college life lessons with me. Therefore, I entered my dorm room on the first day of college confident. But my allusion of knowledge was shattered fairly quickly, and I was left shocked by how little I really knew. It took me a while to recover from the shock. I had been so sure of myself, of the fact that I was ready for college, that I knew what college was all about, that this would be a smooth tranisition. If I could go back in time I would warn myself not to assume that the tranisition would be easy. I would tell myself that college is something everyone has to experience for himself or herself, something that no one can be truely prepared for. Of course I probably would not listen to myself and such a warning would be fruitless.

Dear Young Kaitlin, The differences between high school and college are extensive; the transition between the two will be trialing. You will be challenged every single day to maintain a balance between school, socializing, and maintaining good health. Keep on top of your schoolwork. Get ahead in the beginning of the quarter while you can. Stay organized and stay focused. Plan out each day well in advance; you will regret any time wasted due to poor planning. Take your vitamins every single day and sleep at least seven hours each night; college will be hard enough to battle without illness. You may forget some of this advice, or choose to ignore it, but there is one thing you need to remember: you create your own happiness, whatever that may be. If you are not happy in your career path, change it. If your roommate makes your life miserable, find a new one. If you are depressed, seek out professional help. Do not let anybody else's opinions get in the way of making such decisions. Happiness should be your top priority and if you have not achieved ultimate happiness yet, find ways to do so. Love always, The Older Kaitlin

Stop worrying! Yes, this college decision is going to affect the rest of your life. Yes, this college decision is going to change your life as you know it. Yes, your mom is going to miss you when you leave the state. But I will tell you one thing, you get it right. Follow your heart and your heart tells you Ohio State. The opportunities you will have and the times you will share will be priceless. Now I know money is an issue right now, and quite frankly it still is, but do you not understand what priceless means? The monetary situation will figure itself out: apply for scholarships, work your ass off, and keep looking for opportunities for advancement. You are going to meet a beautiful girl and she is going to change your life forever. The best four years of your life are right at your finger tips so stop stressing out about every little thing and follow your heart. O-H-I-O. Trust me, you'll look pretty good in that scarlet and grey.

I would tell myself not to let the hard times get me down, and not to get worried about the lengthy process of signing up for college or for scholarships. Staying focused and making sure to study each day would be great advice as well, as studying well would help performance in any class. i would tell myself to strive for the best out of every class and to stay focused on my ultimate goal of graduating college and becoming a journalist and ultimately becoming a novelist. I would be sure to tell myself to ask plenty of questions from teachers and to stay on top of financial aid and scholarships, because you can never go wrong with signing up for grants and scholarships. A strong minded college student can conquer anything.

I would have studied harder and not been so concerned with the juvenile social life.

I would tell myself to save more money for college. I would say to study harder and to learn as much as possible because it is very important. I would also tell myself to take another math class because college math is difficult. I would tell myself and any other prospective college student to never be afraid to ask questions because if you don't, you will not get anywhere in life.

I would give myself a lot of advice. My first piece of advice would be to open up more; to get out of the shell I was in as an underclassman. Making friends isn't easy, but making friends makes it easier to get along through college. I would tell myself to take the course labeled EPL 259 my freshman year. It would have made it easier to obtain the grades I'm getting now, and give myself confidence that I can do it. I would also tell myself that no matter what happens in college, don't get discouraged. I would also tell myself to focus on my studies more instead of working, getting scholarships makes it so I don't have to work. Due to my grades slipping my first year I had to get a job working 30 hours every weekend, making it hard to focus on my studies sometime. My most important piece of advice I would give myself though, would be to never lose sight of my family. Family has been the most important part of my journey thus far, and I wouldn't be anywhere without them.

I wish I would have been more prepared for college life while in high school. I wish I would have known about all of the expenses that I would need to pay and would have saved much more money than I did. Also I wish i could have attended the local community college and participated in the P.S.E.O program, a program designed for high school juniors and seniors to take classes that would double as H.S. credit, at the college for free . I could have earned 2 years worth of credit hours to transfer to my current college and graduated earlier than most others in my graduating class. It also would have saved me alot of money to only have to attend school for 2 or 3 years after high school. There isn't anything I can do now to change the past and I am going to work hard towards my future.