Rockhurst University Top Questions

Given the chance to hop in the Delorean with Doc and head back to 2008, when I was a high school senior, I would have a chat with myself about location, campus size, and course difficulty. First, I would want to let young Samantha know that it's okay to leave home. It's okay to be more than a few hours away from your family because college is the adventure of a lifetime and your family will always be there no matter how far you travel. I would also tell myself that I don't have to go to a small university to get the attention I want from proffesors. Small universities don't always have the research opportunities, facility equipment, or student diversity you want. Many students want small class sizes and close contact with professors because they are nervous that college level coursework will be difficult and intimidating. It's not as hard as it looks! The course work is not as difficult as it seems and many campuses offer tutors or other help if you get in over your head. I promise you will be fine so go have an adventure!

I would tell myself to be ready to face challenges to my faith, my beliefs, and my morals. I would tell myself to be ready to trust God when my time is crunched and my money is spent and to step out of my comfort zone to explore opportunities. But, I would also advise myself to pursue scholarships and work opportunities in earnest and to attempt to obtain at least a few, as it will become extremely important when I leave Running Start. I would also encourage myself to not even try to do my scheduling alone and to seek out the help of an advisor after the first quarter of Running Start so that I can pursue my AA more directly. Besides that, I would simply advise myself to press on towards the goal to win the prize for whish God has called me, heavenward in Christ Jesus and to keep my eyes focused on Him as I purse my future career in computer graphics and animation through college.

If I could go back and talk to my high school self, I would tell myself to trust myslef more and not second guess my actions. I would tell myself to have faith and trust my decisions, because they had gotten me as far as I had gotten then and they would continue to help me succeed in the future. I would tell myself to not be as hard on myself and to learn to find the balance between pushing myself to work hard, and expecting the impossible. I would also make sure to tell myself that it is not about being perfect, it is about being happy, and that all things happen for a reason. I would tell myself to not be upset about staying close to home for college, because there will be days where you are happy that you can drive home for the weekend as oppossed to have to fly or drive ten hours. Finally, I would tell myself that, as long as I know I worked as hard as I could, then I should be proud of myself becasue that is all I can do, whether it produces the outcome I hoped for or not.

The advice that I would give myself is, I need to stay focused an to study study study.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to be more easygoing, to go with the flow more, and to learn to take myself a little bit less seriously. I would remind myself that a meaningful life is one in which you find happiness and not necessarily worldly success, and I would try to emphasize the fact that even when things conspire against you and you think your life is over, it isn't. I have learned that life is about finding balance, about learning to work hard AND play hard, about being willing to try almost everything once, and about not being afraid to take risks, to meet people, and to put myself out there and make myself vulnerable. But most of all, I would tell myself to stop worrying so much and try to find some inner peace, because after all, we already know that it all worked out in the end.

I think about this question all the time. When I graduated from high school, my intentions were to attend Ohio University in Athens, Ohio because at the time they had the best Journalism program. Thereafter, my dream was to attend law school. Secretly, my career path was supposed to be the same as Star Jones. Whenever I would see her on the View, I always believed that she had my job. However, when I told my father about my decision, he told me that he did not want me to go to Ohio University, but first attend the local community college and we will consider after the first year. If I could be transported back into time, I would either attend the community college and transferred to Ohio University or alternatively, attended Ohio University without my father's permission . It is important to follow your dreams and not listen to what anyone else has to say about. it I have learned that It is important to follow your heart, your vision and do not let any road blocks stand in your way. In the words of Nike, "Just Do It."

I would tell myself to relax. College is an exciting time. Moving away from home is a great experience, but going back home for breaks are just as enjoyable. I would also tell myself that I do not change as a person, and the relationships that I want to work will. It takes some extra effort, but the experiences and memories are worth every extra effort. I would also tell myself to get involved but not to stretch myself too thin. It is really easy to want to do everything, but sleep is necessary and people are ok with you taking naps. Just get out and get invovled. It makes the transition process so much easier. I would also suggest to enjoy every minute of it and to not take anything for granted. Before you know it, the semester is over. Enjoy the late nights in the lobby and with friends. They make some of the best memories, and they create friendships that will last a lifetime.

If I got to meet myself at the beginning of senior year, I would tell myself to start visiting as many colleges as possible. I would want to open up my options and find the perfect school. I also woud have let myself know that applying for scholarships and grants is very important to help pay for school. College life is going to be hard to get in to but if you work for it, you can finish and begin your career.

If I could go back in time to talk to my high school senior self, I would tell myself to have more fun! Knowing that I'd always be a studious person, working hard in school would not be the issue. To have a healthy social life is just as equally important as doing well in classes. I would've told myself to speak to more people! That would have made the loud girls in the dorms a little less annoying because I would've been a part of that laughter. I would've told myself to not procrastinate! That opens the doors for regrets! I would say that the high school me should talk to people about classes to take and teachers to avoid. I would've said to look harder for those scholarships! If you don't have enough funds, you have to pay out of pocket, stupid! "You don't have that kind of money!" High school was a breeze compared to college. They trick you because there's less work given but the still needs to be aced! The high school me thought she could do it all without studying much. Think again!!

Looking back at my college experience, I wish I would have taken more initiative in learning the daily tasks and activities that my mother had always done for me. My mom washed my laundry, cleaned my room, payed my car payment and insurance, made my doctor/dentist appointments, and prepared most of my meals. I had it made easy. Unfortunately she could not go to college with me. Had I taken that initiative before setting out on my own on campus I feel that I would have done a better job of managing my finances, I wouldn't have ruined as many clothing items as I had, and would have been able to avoid "the Freshman 15" (I actually gained 25 pounds my first year). So if I could go back in time I would tell myself to take notes and listen while my mom shopped, payed bills, and washed clothes so that I could do so for myself with ease. The most valuable lesson I learned was that a mother's wisdom is priceless.

Aside from the obvious givens, (stress less, stock up on pre-packaged meals, become an avid coupon-clipper, and please, please, please, color code your folders, so you don't show up for a speech in religion, with only a handful of packets on evolution!) I suppose, out of order of importance, I would narrow it down to "learn the value of sleep quickly, so when your coffee coupons run out, you don't have a mental breakdown". Now, that seems like a good habit I should have established well before the time I graduated high school. Wrong. I don't believe getting adequate sleep ever really becomes a habit, but rather, is a necessity we try to keep consistent. There's a difference, and the key word is "try". It's much easier to bargain with something you can trick yourself into thinking you can skimp on for "just one night". And coffee! Oh, the miracle concoction for a sleepy head, and yet, also a sneaky little thief who's got hold of my wallet. Once I put an end to the bargaining, I learned regulated sleep really does yield more than just a health benefit. Money; focus; happiness.

If I had the opportunity to talk to myself as a senior in high school knowing what I know now about college life and the changes it entails, the most important advice I would give myself is to not procrastinate. In high school, I would allow myself many times to hold off doing something until last minute. It would get done, but it wouldn?t be to the best of my ability. Although my grades were still average, I knew they could have been better if I had taken the more then enough time allotted by the teachers to do the assignment more throughly. College has quickly became a wake up call. Everything for the course is given to you at one time. It is then your decision on whether or not you will apply yourself and do everything outlined, or allow yourself to get behind having to cram last minute. I have chosen to apply myself, and it has relieved me of so much stress come exams and finals time. With the first semester of my college career under my belt, and with the grades I have received, I know now that applying yourself is the key to success.

I would tell myself to not pick a place just because of its location. I might not want to go to school far from home but I should not base my decision on that. Another thing that I would tell myself is to not let others whether it was my family or my friends weigh my decision one way or another. I would also say to visit the school more than once or maybe stay in the dorms with a student there to get a good feel of the school and to get a better idea on whether I would be happy there or not.

Stay focused on school and the coursework because making up classes is going to waste the time you're there and possibly delay your graduation time.

Finding the right college is a process that is worth taking some time to research. I suggest visiting the schools you think you are interested in and actually staying with one of the attenending freshman for a night. This experience might make or brake whether you think the school will be a right fit for you. I would advise new and incoming college students to stay open minded. You dont have to already know what you want to do in college and where you will fit in, just let everything go with the flow. Dont be afraid to try new things, be open to change, and you will eventually fit in where you are most comfortable. Dont forget that if the school you pick turns out to be the wrong one, its okay. Tranfering happens all the time, making new friends and enduring new experiences is what life is all about. Stay confident in yourself and everything will eventually fall into place.

I would tell every student to look at every school he or she is interested in. To go on visits to those schools so he gets a feel for the personality of the school. Get to know as many students and faculty at each school as she can, because that is what he will deal with every day. Most importantly make sure that the school the student is really interested in has a few majors that she are interested in, in case he ends up changing his or her major. If he is an athlete, she needs to make sure that he is going for the education, not the sport. To make the college experience the best it can be, he needs to go out of his comfort zone, join clubs or organizations the interest her, and realize that you can only have two of the following three things; sleep, good grades, and a social life. Sometimes sleep is a little price to pay for the best experience and making life long friends and getting ready for her career.

Make sure you know what you want out of a college. I never visited my college campus and ended up hating the small classes, and small community. Remember that you are not stuck with the choice you make, so try new things out. Anything is possible.

Find the place that feels most like home and go with your heart!

Be thourough and take as many personality assessments prior to researching colleges.

Go to a university that fits you as a person. do extensive research before applying and finally choosing the school you desire. because if you dont , you may end up in an overpriced institution with a really bad social atmosphere such as rockhurst university.