Saint Louis University Top Questions

Be fair and just. You will frequently work in chaotic conditions, which makes it all the more imperative that you be able to depend on a sense of order. A commitment to a system of justice will enable you to prevent and resolve disputes encountered from time to time. Exercise sound judgment. Even the most sophisticated plan will fail if it is based on bad judgment. As you take on positions of increasing responsibility, you will gain wisdom through experience and judgment you may rely on for a lifetime. It's impossible to lead from the front if you're falling behind. Continue on when others quit, digging deep to endure - and achieve - more than most think is possible. Endurance is more than finding the will within. It's convincing those around you that they, too, have more to give. Integrity is the cornerstone of character. Nothing you can learn about leadership is as important as earning trust. To lead is to follow principles, acting with honor when all eyes are on you, or when no one is watching. Great leaders must first be great men and women, accountable to the mission and to those who follow.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, the most important thing I would tell myself is to learn how to properly study and retain information. I never really needed to in high school, so I never really gained that skill. That has definitely come back to bite me in college. I don't have any issues with homework assignments or papers, I routinely get high marks on those. But when it comes to tests that is rarely the case. I study for hours and hours but I can't get the information to stick, or it leaves my head as soon as I'm faced with the actual exam. It is very difficult to remedy this at this point in my academic career. My biggest regret is that I didn't force myself to gain these skills when I didn't need them, so that I could have them to fall back on now.

In high school, my peers fostered an incredibly competitive environment. While friendly competition has always pushed me to do my best in any situation, it didn’t allow me to make wise decisions during my college application process. The majority of my class was primarily concerned with prestigious schools that were known for being highly selective. Of course there was nothing wrong with showing interest in those schools, but I failed to realize that there were more colleges and universities out there that may have been able to better tend to my needs than the favored universities. If able to go back in time, I would tell myself to be open-minded to all universities that I came across and not pick a university for its name. While it may be the perfect fit for someone else, it wouldn’t necessarily be my perfect fit. While it’s okay to shoot for the stars and apply to highly selective schools, it is equally as important to have a back up plan. Lastly I would tell myself not to let rejection bruise my confidence. Every student is intelligent in many different ways and a rejection letter does not imply otherwise.

Looking back on my senior year, I was a bit of a slacker. That is not to say i was not smart or did not get decent grrades. But in retrospect, I definitely could have pushed myself harder. Due to arrogance, and no small bit of laziness, I assumed that my grades were "good enough" to get me with whatever scholarship I wanted. When i graduated, I left school with a 3.23 GPA, .02 points away from qualifying for the bulk of the major scholarships that I should have been able to easily recieve. And that leads to basically what I would tell myself. Now, I am not one to take advice from many people, including myself, but here's how I would try to get the point across. I would basically warn myself that intelligence can only get you so far; putting in the extra effort, beacuse sometimes all the effort necessary to make many problems disappear is just a tiny bit.

I would tell myself that while swimming at SLU is a great experience, I should really get involved in other extracirricular activities earlier. It wasn't until my junior year that I began doing research, volunteering, and working. While I have much less time on my hands than most students, I have found that my involvement has made me more rounded as a person, and allowed me to branch out and meet people I wouldn't have without being more involved. It is these experiences that have shaped me and created lasting impressions on both myself and my community. I am proud to call myself a Saint Louis Billiken because of what it represents.

Some advice that I would give to my high school senior self would be to stop being so anxious about everything because everything is going to work out the way that it should. I would tell myself to be more confident in the decisions that I am making because, in the end, I am the only one who can decide what I do. I would tell myself that I can really do anything that I set my mind to. Looking back at high school now, I feel like I have come so much further than I ever thought I could.

Emily, don't be scared that you are the first in your family to go to college, you will do fine, as long as you work as hard as I know you can. Don't worry about what others say or think, you will prove them all wrong and you will reach your dream of becoming a great physician. You will have roommate issues but don't run from the problems, face them and stand strong for what you believe in. This one altercation should not determine your feelings towards the school or your fellow students; there will be plenty more friends to make and your time at school will be full of great memories. Always believe in yourself and the greatness you can achieve, everyone back at home is proud of you, and so am I. I love you and have full faith in us and all we do.

I wish I had become a better person that was more independent in my senior year and talk to people who I would normaly never have a conversation with. Although high school was a difficult time there is so much to look forward to in life. In all truth be told I would not change a thing about my past becuase I cant however, I would suggest being more socialble. Remembering this idea that when you meet a person for the first time, they may not remeber who you were or what you said but they will remember how they felt after they meet you which is important. So get out into the world and continue to explore your surroundings.

I think the main thing I would tell myself is to stop using "senior-itis" as an excuse to not do anything. College is a lot of hard work, and slacking off senior year just made it that much harder. If you put in the effort senior year of high school and work hard, college will not be such a difficult transition. It is hard being away from home, but if you are willing to make the effort to succeed, you will do great. The transition is difficult no matter what, but using your resources wisely, putting in the extra effort before the transition, and takin all work seirously will make it that much easier. You may think that senior year is supposed to be the time of your life, but college is even better. Do your work senior year, and you will be well prepared to have a balanced life of school and social life in college. it doesn't get any better than that.

-Don't slack on studying. Find what study habits work best for you- highlighting, notes on computers/paper, visual rep., etc. -Learn to use your free time to your advantage. You will have a LOT of it in college. -Get over others and don't be afraid that your question is stupid. I promise; stupider things have been said. -Don't let anyone (even your friends) copy your work and vise versa. It'll only make it harder in the long run. -It's okay not to know what you want to study &/or do for the rest of your life. Get some ideas but don't stress over it. -Never give up because of the money. There will always be scholarships, grants, and worst case; you can sign away your life on loans. -Don't let others decide for you. Study what you want to study. Go where you want to go. It's your life; not theirs.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to relax. I was quite anxious about starting school. I did not know what to expect as neither of my parents had ever been away to a four-year university. It has been the best three years of my life so far and I was so worried that I was going to absolutely hate it. I would also tell myself that I should not be so dead set on my life plan. I had everything completely mapped out. I was going to be a biology major, pre-med, graduating with at least a 3.7 and go to medical school to become a pediatric oncologist. I was convinced that my life would turn out exactly how I had imagined. However, I fell in love with psychology and now I am on track to become a Marriage and Family Therapist and I am happier now than ever. Finally, I would tell myself to make sure I had rainboots, a rain jacket, and an umbrella because they do not cancel classes due to rain and you never want to turn in a soggy paper.

Coming into college I think the best piece of advice that I could offer to myself is to remember to work hard and to work harder than I was used to, because college is a whole new level of education. Highschool may seem like fun and a good time, but college will be even more fun than you could imagine. The opportunities that are available and the people that you will meet, will just alone make college some of the best years of your life. But with all of the wonderful opportunites that will come to you, remember to always get your schoolwork done before you enjoy the good times that college has to offer. Because in college you will have alot of free time, and I mean there are times that there is so much free time that you will not know what to do with yourself. Just remember to get your work done early and first. Also find something that you love to do or would like to get to do , and do that in your free time to help have a good time. Above all have fun in college and dont let the time slip away.

My advice to my high school self would be that “you are not hot stuff.” Coming out of high school, I was arrogant and pompous towards my studies. I was so worried about making friends and having the “college experience” that I completely forgot the main reason why I was there in the first place which was to study. I would tell myself: to get my act together early, realize how to study and what I want to study. There’s no need to be preoccupied on making friends because that will come naturally when I find interests either through clubs or shared major interests. College is going to be one of the best experiences of your life, but you have to make it a priority to study and figure out what you want to do after you are done with college.

Dear Self It is very important to take all academics very seriously early on in life as these important decisions pave the way for our future. You must enter all new endeavors with an open mind and be receptive to all criticism that comes your way. If a challenge presents itself, go at it head on and don't shy away. Trust the skill set you bring to the table. Do what makes you happy. Advocate for yourself more often. Do not settle for less. Do not let negative attitudes infiltrate your goals and dreams. Never be complacent and aspire for greatness. Good Luck, Future you

If i would go back in my high school. I would give this kind of advise, be positive, and more focus in my studies, because we live once and we have to make our dream come true and get the major we want eventhough it will be very difficult. Nothing is impossible in this life, everything is possible if you will want to do it, no matter how hard it is. So i won't regret in the future by saying why i didn't study and i didn't get the major i want, abd why i didn't make my dream come true and be happy doing the work that you were going for after i get graduate the University. If i won't risk it now, i won't get the right major in the future. This kind of advise i would give to myself if i would go back in my past.

Do as much as you can in high school. College is attainable through scholarships and student loans. Don't pass up all the opportunties offered to you. Don't drop out of your AP classes just because no one has told you the reasons for taking them. They will help your future. Take your free time to volunteer. Not only will you help the community but many available scholarships require it and you won't have time between classes and work. Beleive in yourself. You have the drive, the strength, and the ability. You just need the encouragement. So what if you don't know what you're going to major in. College allows for general studies so that you can adjust and decide on your future. It's you're future, so you have to be the one to start it. Therefore you might as well start now, in high school, so that your success is all the closer to reality. I wish I had done more and I spend every moment with high schoolers explaining the importance school, grades, and attending college. I tell them everything I wish someone had told me to help make my future better.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself not to get overwhelmed. Welcome Week and the first week of classes are very busy and can be a little scary, but just step back, take a minute, and breathe. Four years later you will be a senior at SLU and one year closer to getting to work in the field that you have wanted to since the eighth grade. Sometimes it feels like things are not going to work out, but in the end it all does and you will be glad that you chose to go to SLU.

The advice that I would give myself is to study harder. When I was a high school senior, I wasn't really looking at college as the big deal that it is. I slacked off. However, if I went back in time, I would study for everything in my classes no matter what. If there were parties, or hanging out with friends, I would ignore it to get my grades to be A's. In high school I also underestimated myself and took college prep. classes, when instead I held myself back from taking honors and A.P. classes that I know I could have done well in. All in all, the slacking off was my downfall. Doing it over, I would study harder, take those A.P. classes and show my true potential.

Today is the day to make the changes you want. Today is the day to create the life you want. Do not let fear of the unknown stop you. You CAN do it! You have more strength and ability inside of you than you know. Trust that. An education is going to give you the tools you need to help the people you are supposed to be helping. Those people need you so don't let anything stop you from realizing your dream! Ask questions when you need to ask them and seek out information at every turn.