Purdue University-Main Campus Top Questions

Study hard and keep your faith!

Good college courses aid you in thinking outside your comfort zone and analyzing the world around you in ways that you haven't ever tried. Therefore it is important to constantly push yourself in high school if you want to succeed in college. Also, advice that I didn't need but that others do would be to know what you want out of life and don't come to college unsure if you can help it. Too many spend time with no direction, while their life won't wait for them to figure it out. Time is going to pass, whether you are ready for it or not.

Time management. As a senior in high school, time was not that big of an issue. I was an active member in a couple clubs, I was in scouting, and I played sports year round. I managed to do just fine with all of those activities. College is way different. I thought freshman year was extremely tough and I thought I didn?t have time for ANYTHING. My sophomore year is tough too, but I?m learning how to get work done. I?m learning when to study for exams and I?m also learning how to balance my academic career with my social life. If you were to ask me to join one club during my freshman year, I would have said ?NO WAY.? I didn?t think I had enough time to breathe. Fortunately, my third semester has been a little better as far as managing time. It?s a skill that I had to learn, unfortunately, I didn?t learn it before college. As a sophomore in my third semester, I?m now the Vice President of Purdue Green Build and I am the Mountain Biking Consultant for the Purdue Outing Club. I can manage my time!

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to spend more time applying for scholarships and to apply to everything possible. I applied to many scholarships my senior year of high school, but not nearly as many as I should have. I was awarded one scholarship my senior year, so now I have a loan taken out and the rest of my college cost was covered by federal financial aid. College is very expensive, but the degree that you get in the end is worth the time and money. It helps a lot to have scholarship money awarded to you to help pay for the high costs of getting a much needed formal education.

Dear me, At least a month or two before you leave for college, make sure all of your financial things are worked out. Apply for as many scholarships and grants as you are eligible for, including the ones with essays. Once you get to school, do not worry about what your roommate is doing with her college life, you should get out there and get information on as many different organizations as you can. Join a few. Do not be afraid to join organizations or go to events alone, you are good at socializing. While classes are in session, make sure to prioritize as best as you can. I know it is your first semester of your freshman year and you want to party and meet new people. Make sure that you set aside time to put in work on classes, and actually utilize that time well.

You'll hear advice from everyone you know about what path you should follow after you finish high school, and no matter what you decide, some people will disagree with it. You're probably not ever going to know exactly what you want to do, so when you're faced with large decisions, it's a good idea to just weigh the options and then make a decision. Not every decision is perfect, so don't worry. If you aren't happy, then make a change. Don't live with something just because that's what you've always done in the past. Don't settle for things that don't make you happy, because life is too short to not enjoy every minute. Work hard, but remember to take breaks to have fun, or someday you'll regret it. Meet as many new people as you can, because friends make life much more enjoyable. Most of all, be yourself, and never give up. You can accomplish anything that you set your mind to, so move forward, and make all of your dreams come true.

I would tell myself to apply for any and every scholarship oppourtunity that arose. I've realized that paying for college is a difficult and draining experience when you do not have the funds.

When it comes to finding the right college the best thing to do is to find out as much information about the different campuses you are interested in as possible. As for making the most of the college experience I would say that it is definitely important that one studies a lot but it is also important to get a foot hold in the campus socially because otherwise it can be pretty daunting at times. It is always good to have people there that are willing to help you do your best and be there when you are having a hard time.

Don't skip any classes unless you're sick it can become habitual and even if it doesn't it can still put you behind in your classes.

Find a college that revolves around what you want to do with your life the most. Also, find one that you feel most comfortable in (makes you feel like you're at home). Make sure the campus is safe too and look towards being able to afford it.