Oregon State University Top Questions

The most important thing I would tell myself is to not only do my homework, learn the material. It is remarkably important to know how to retain the information teachers and the homework are trying to get through to you. As a high schooler, that was something I didn't understand; I thought I could slide by doing it at the last second, or not at all. While in high school you can get by on not studying or not doing the homework, that does not fly in college. You have to really engage in what you're learning. And because you're paying thousands of dollars to attend college, you might as well get your money's worth. I would also tell myself to stop caring what other people think. It's cliche, but I didn't realize how little other people's opinions matter until I got to college. In high school people will judge you no matter what you do, so why not have fun and do well academically? College is a place where you can be whoever you want to be, and who you were in high school doesn't matter anymore.

If I was able to go back in time to my senior year, I would tell myself to let loose and enjoy the last year of free education. I would tell myself to learn how to read textbooks efficiently, learn how to study without study guides, and to not stress to much over every assignment or test because that would become a constant state of stress in college. I would, also, tell myself when you get to college to have fun, meet new people, and enjoy the new found freedom away from your parents, but to not forget the reason you are in college in the first place, which is education. College is a time to learn, widen your horizons, and have fun, but also to learn responsibility and to use your freedom and time judiciously.

I would go back and tell my highschool self to not join to the military until after I completed my degree. I would have told him to take his studies more seriously, and to not take education for granted. Since being in the military, I've really gained a newfound appreciation for the importance of a quality education.

I would tell myself to embrace fear. There are so many people who make decisions based in fear and I would never want to live my life that way. Once you overcome the discomfort of doing things you fear the most you will be truly free. There is nothing in your life that you cannot accomplish if you stare your fears in the face and challenge them. If you fail, great. It will show you that you can fail and still live to learn and grow from it. In short, high school self, do what you fear.

I would say don't stress on big projects, but get a head start on the work and chip away at it. That will minimize the stress and let you spread your work out so that you can take on more responsibilities and activities. Make sure that you put all of the due dates for assignment and dates for midterms and finals on your calendar and never skip class. EVER. Get involved on campus as soon as possible, be nice to your RAs, and have fun. Just not too much that your grades start to suffer.

Don't be afraid of new experiences in college. Be involved in the community, make new friends and get involved in clubs. Your best friends will be through marching band and don't be afraid to join Kappa Kappa Psi. Be proactive in your learning and stay on top of your studies. However, don't miss out on the social aspects of college. Take the time to figure who you are and what you love. Don't feel bad about giving up on something that you've burnt out on and pursue your passions with no shame. Allow yourself to cry and stress out, and be kind to yourself and give yourself a break once in a while. Don't let your depression hinder your academic performance and allow yourself to be vulnerable towards your friends. Call your mom often and let her know how much you love her. And lastly, keep perusing your dream of studying abroad; it will happen and it will be amazing.

College is a time of learning in and outside the classroom. As talking to my high school senior self, I would highlight three key points. The first and most important advice would be to meet with your professors during the first week of every term. In the long run they will be able to help you with academics and teach you professionalism. In addition, it will be the beginning of networking with successful men and women. Secondly, sit in front of every class because this will keep you focused and reinforce a relationship with the professor. As you become more recognized by the professor, they will learn your name and be more interested in who you are. The third key point I would tell my high school senior self would be to expect college to be difficult. By expecting college to be difficult and to be ready to spend long hours in the library. This will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed by the large amount of homework given that is much different than high school. These three things are not everything a student needs to know going into college as a freshman but it is vital to being successful.

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If I could go back to high school I would tell myself to prepare and be diligent in my studies, and how college really is a whole new ball game! There is now no one to neither expect anything of you nor really care how much effort you exonerate. In college you waist your own time and money or you make the most of it! I would make sure I stressed the kind of college student I want to be and how important it is to be the kind of student that elaborates on the material stretching the knowledge and gain from each class. I would emphasis to myself that not only is it your own responsibility to make useful the resources I supplement such as my time and money but that it is also my responsibility to get the most out of every classes. I would make this the largest theme of the conversation, because being a year into school I realize not only how relatable the information I am learning is to my everyday life, but by knowing this information inside and out I can excel in the related classes and build on my previous knowledge.

When I was in high school, I was a high acheiving student and my self image was based on this. I entered Oregon State as a member of the University Honors College. Early in my college career, I was often stressed as I compared myself to other honors students rather than average students. This stress was especially acute during times when challenges outside of school (my own health and my father's battle with cancer and death). It took me until the end of college to realize how much I had acheived (multiple internships and undergraduate research in Food Science as well as Industrial Engineering) compared to many of my classmates. I would tell myself that there is no value in comparing myself to others. Worrying is a distraction and will not help you suceed. Focus on getting good grades but the most important thing you can do is to build relationships. Every opportunity I have had in college has resulted not from competing with others but from asking a professor for help. Opportunities will come to you through hard work and asking for help in pursuing your interests. You will be fine.

I would tell Nate to get moving on the countless scholarship opportunities and to boost his resume by joining more clubs and adding more community service. In high school Nate didn’t worry too much about the future he knew that he could get into the college he wanted due to his 3.7 GPA but didn’t spend too much time figuring out how to pay for it. Yes he put work into athletics, academics, community service, and work but he missed several big opportunities. One of the best scholarship options out there is that provided by your university for incoming freshmen. Nate missed these deadlines and consequently several thousands of dollars. But even when things don’t go perfect I would tell Nate that the biggest key is to stick with it. Yes you may have missed opportunities but the wonderful thing about college is that it’s all made up of opportunities. Every turn there will be another. So the key to success in college is to keep your head up and your eyes open and with a little luck and determination all the pieces will fall into place.

Going back to 2009, and looking at how worried I was about the cost of going to school, and the opportunities that I thought I would have to pass up, "for now" because of my financial burdens I would have wished that I would have just followed my dreams and aspirations no matter what. Joining the military was always my goal, but I was encouraged to go to college first before making that big of a decision. I thought it necessary to stress my need for finances, and chose to go to a community college that did not have a care in the world whether or not I attended classes with them. Unfortunately after wasting almost two years of time that could have been focussed on my aspirations of becoming a helicopter pilot, I found out that these financial burdens could have been easily taken care of by simply going to the school that I wanted to and enlisting in the military off the bat, like I ended up doing in the long run. Do what you think is right for you, and go with it. Do not hesitate based on finances or the influence of others.

Dear Senior High School Kelsey, I know you are so excited to be graduating high school and don’t want to look back – don’t! There’s no need, everything is ahead of you. This transition you are embarking on is just as exciting as you are anticipating it to be. The most important things I have to tell you are: people are going to continue to doubt you and that is their problem, it is not yours. Do not let their doubt affect your view of yourself. Secondly, you need to know that this is your time to learn yourself! So take as many classes as you can about your multiple interests, don’t be afraid to make friends and get involved in new activities, this is your time! You can change your plan as many times as your need to, as long as you keep moving forward and keep your drive to change and better the world. You will be great. Kelsey.

Dear High-school-senior Gillian, Hi, it's me. Junior-in-college Gillian. I know you're anxious about college and what it will be like. One reason you chose OSU over the University of Oregon was because your siblings went to the UO and you didn't want to just copy them; it'd be a real let-down if it turns out that OSU is exactly like the UO. Don't worry--it isn't. College is a really fun time. You don't need to "re-invent" yourself like a lot of people do, though of course you will change after living in the dorms, being an RA, and experiencing life without Mom and Dad. Yes, a lot of people from our high school will go to OSU, but you will hardly ever see them (and when you do, it's super easy to avert your eyes and pretend like you don't know them). So relax and be yourself: that's the hardest part of the transition. Don't be afraid to show what makes you excited in life. People appreciate passion. With love and the utmost sincerity, Junior-in-college Gillian

I would tell my senior self to make more of an effort to study and make a good habit of it. Just because you can coast through high school it doesn't mean you can do the same thing in college. Also, I would've told myself to not pick a major for the first few years of school, just take general courses that you'll need for higher classes until you're settled into the person you become after you leave high school and you really know what you want from life. Learning that money doesn't grow on trees and that you should focus more on your classes then trying to work a full time job would be a lot easier if you paid attention to the amount of school debt you're accruing. Just because you don't see that number doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And if you take some courses and you still don't know what you want to do, it's ok to take a step back and take a break so that you can straighten yourself out. Because it's your life and it's your choices.

Dont be stuck with who you were in highschool. Branch out and explore your interests there are so many new activities and clubs that most highschools dont have. College is a chance to not only to study what you wish, but also to improve,reinvent, or expand yourself.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to apply for as many scholarships as I can, because college is even more expensive than it already appears to be. I would also start getting rid of unnecessary possesions during senior year to make the move easier at the end of the summer before your freshman year at college. Also very important is to go shopping for college supplies in the winter of your senior year- beat the rush of the summer college dorm room and supplies sales, when prices go way up.

Dear Courtney Rae, Please do not be concerned about who is writing this letter because yes, it is your future self. No, I will not tell you who you will be with in the future or which friends will stay and go. I will not tell you when grandma dies or what you got on your IB assessments, but I need to change our future. I regret not applying for scholarships early. I didn't realize we could apply for scholarships before high school, and now that you are in high school, please make it more likely for us to attend our dream school without the worry of student loans and finding a job before school starts in three months. Oh, please also do not play with your hands while Stephanie is interviewing you for Cafe Aroma; she gave us a weird look. If you find this too late, atleast try to give this letter to our little sister Brittany to prevent her from regrets about affording college life. Hopefully, I can afford laundry detergent and a study abroad trip to Australia (not just for the accents, the animals). Stay focused in school and scholarship. Love you, Courtney Rae Gruesbeck.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a senior, the first thing I would tell myself is to not set my mind on one college and to worry about tuition cost more. I would inform myself to apply to many colleges, even the smaller ones too. I also would have said that I need to do more research on the colleges I am interested in, and to consider the many options I have for which college I choose. This way I would have multiple options to decide which college is most affordable and offers more money to help with tuition.

My advice could be summed up in a single phrase, "get comfortable with being uncomfortable". My first year of college I had just gotten back from a long trip walking 600 miles across Spain and had learned a lot about independence. I joined during winter term and was met with little infrastructure to help me get acclimated to college life. The social branching of fall term had come to an end and most people were now comfortable staying within their unique cliques. Coming in winter term taught me how to overcome my social anxiety and become much more open to pursuing new relationships with people. Relationships are ultimately the most valuable thing to be gained from college. Developing relationships with friends, mentors and future professional peers will aid you in your success far more than a high GPA (of course the high GPA doesn't hurt!). Also don't be afraid of biting off more than you can chew. Being busy with work, school and volunteering has actually helped me become a much more succesful student than just focusing on school alone. Don't let fear stop you from meeting new people, and remember, everything becomes easier with practice.