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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.