Olivet College Top Questions

I would tell all high school seniors how important it is to prepare for college. College is not like high school at all. You actually have to study and go to class in order to pass your classes. Cramming the night before an exam won't cut it, you need to start studying as soon as you know when the exam is. Also, skipping class is unacceptable. Most professors take attendance and make attendence part of your participation grade. If you don't go to class, it's your loss. Balancing time is very important. You're on your own in college and you have to be able to balance your time. Going to class, studying and balancing your time, are three things that I recommend to all high school seniors that plan on attending college.

The advice I would give to myself is, make sure you make your own decision. Let no one not even your parents talk you into something. Take more campus tours and really research the college. Stay on track to your dreams and ask yourself is this really the place that could make me a better person?

If I could go back and talk to myself, my first request would be to quit being so lazy. Your high school teachers weren't kidding, college is hard work. There's no more floating along and still manage decent grades. In college, you have to do the work. College is different from high school in so many ways, primarily you get to pay for it, even if you don't do well. I would give my younger self a verbal kick in the butt to learn excellent study habits and how to read text that isn't exciting. I know I would rather watch television every day of the week, but working hard is the only way to succeed. I wish I had known that I wouldn't be able to coast through college like I had in high school. In college I had to learn to not only show up to class, but also pay attention and take notes. The best thing I would tell my younger self is to give college everything you've got because if you don't work hard the first time, four years can turn into five or six or maybe even seven.

Dear Megan, No matter how hard it may seem you need to reach outside your comfort zone and do some serious soul searching before you commit yourself to a school for the next four years. Just because it is close to home and your best friend has fallen in love with the campus, it does not mean that it is your dream school. You will graduate first in your class and the possibilities are endless so don't be afraid to apply to large universities simply because they present new challenges that may scare you now. Do not let yourself settle! You do have time to fill out all of those applications, and just because your counselor lost all of your application fee checks does not mean that you should just give up on those schools! Also, that boy you think you are madly in love with (you know the one), you can do better so never let another person influence a decision as important as this. Do not let your emotions override what your analytical side is telling you. Dream big because sometimes one chance is all that you've got, sometimes its now or never! Good Luck, Megan

If I could go back in time and tell myself the things I know now my first pointer would be to save my money. I worked all through high school and never expected graduation to come so fast, so i wasted my money away on hanging out with my friends or on something that was not significant. If I would have saved more money in high school, I believe that college would not be as stressful as it is for me. I always have to worry about making my work schedule fit in with my school schedule. I would not have to be making payments whenever I could on my loans that are gaining interest as I type. If I would have saved my money, I could have probably paid for a large chunk of my education already. The second most important thing that I would tell myself would be to never procrastinate and always be organized. If I would have followed this through out my freshmen year I would have never had to do as much stressing out as I did. I could of had a social life as well. I would tell myself to just have fun.

The most important thing in college is to always speak up. Ask questions when you don?t understand something (even if you think you?ll silly). Don?t let fear keep you from getting answers. If you?re sitting next to a stranger, say hello. Even if you do not strike up a conversation, introducing yourself is polite and friendly. And, by introducing yourself first, you are more likely to be spoken to, and consequently, more likely to make new friends and connections. Finally, always give your honest opinion. There are no wrong answers in college; be true to yourself.

I would tell myself not to go to community college, to go straight into a four year university because community colleges are confusing places to be. The advisers constantly change degree requirements, and don't know exactly what courses tranfer to what school, and don't steer you in the correct direction. The advising I have had at Olivet College has been excellent to say the least. I have a sense of direction, and know exactly where I stand in my progress.

If I could go back and talk to myself about college when i was in high school I would tell myself that a good way to prepare for college is to learn how to be independent. Once you are in college you are pretty much on your own. Your mom is not there to help you and wake you up for school and etc. You have to be prepared for that if you do not know how to be independent it is going to be hard for you to flourish in college. You need to learn time management skills. The quickest way to succed in college is to learn how to manage your time and be orgainized. You can never be off task or lose track of your school work is you are very orgainized. I feel like college is is hard as you make it out to be. If you come into college you a "party" attitude you are not going to last very long. You have to be focus on what you are going to college for and that is to gain more education so you can begin your career

If I could give myself advice about college as a high school senior, I would tell myself to stick to my gut feeling on anything. I would tell myself to never give in to peer pressure and cling to what I know is right. I would also let myself know that if life is hard, I'm living it right. I would also advise myself to attend as many campus events as possible right off the bat, to give everything an equal try before I get too busy with school and swimming. I would also tell myself that everyone wants to feel wanted, so don't be afraid to talk to people I've never met.

Going back in time, i would give myself the advice to get ahead on buying school books and supplies. The book store was almost empty when i got to school and the books i needed were pretty much gone.