Southeast Missouri State University Top Questions

What should every freshman at Southeast Missouri State University know before they start?

Kristin

High School Kristin, I want you to know that procrastintion is not the key. Stop putting things off until the last minute, use your time wisely. Get involved with your peers throughout your school years. Make lasting friends and memories that you will never forget. If there is something you have always dreamed of trying, do it. You do not want to live with the 'what ifs' all your life. Take risks in all aspects of your life. You cannot achieve big things unless you take risks. You may fail but you may also succeed. You will never know which one until you try. Count your blessings everyday and never take a moment for granted. Appreciate all the little things in life because they can be taken from you in an instant. Cherish the moments you have with your family and friends even if you do not want to be there. When those people are gone, you will wish you had said or done something much differently before they left this world. Start a budget now! Stop eating out so much and start saving money to pay bills and student loans in the future. Money does not grow on trees.

Alyssa

Plan ahead. Make sure you know exactly what career field you are interested in and want to continue your education in. Plan each semester so that you build a foundation for what will come next. Include any class that could potentially inspire you or provoke thoughts and new views. Always take notes in class even if the teacher states that the information will not be on the test. Get plenty of sleep and don't eat the bean soup...it is not real bean soup!!

Seth

Seth, I know that college is the next big step in life and you are a little nervous and shy at times, but you have nothing to worry about. Working for your engineering degree will be difficult at times, especially since you will work through college, but its nothing you can not handle. Pursuing this path will be the best choice you make and you will know it soon enough. SEMO has many friendly people and you will hardly ever feel out of place. Plus, SEMO has a beautiful campus and most of the faculty is amazing. Just be confident and try your best to achieve a high GPA while still making time to hang out with your girlfriend and best friends. Life at SEMO turns out to be a lot better than you expect and after three semesters you will be accepted into Missouri S&T just like you planned. Do not worry about going out of your way to make new friends or joining a social club. The classes are small and you will form friendships without even realizing it. Stay determined and understand that the information you learn is most important and the experience is wonderful.

Kirstin

I would tell senior self to branch out more and join clubs, even if I don't know anyone in them because they can be benificial and fun. I would also tell myself to talk to my classmates and make friends with them since I see them in a lot of my classes. I would reassure myself that college is going to be ok and that it's not as scary as I thought it was. Professors are helpful and don't actually want you to fail their classes so they will work with you to help you learn.

chris

If I was able to go back in time and was able to give some nuggets of wisdom to my younger self. I would have to tell him what college to go to right out of highschool. Work harder to make more money and don't blow it all on useless junk. Get in a deeper relationship with God becuase once you get out of your comfort zone religion usually is what takes the back seat. And also try a lot harder in school to get the GPA up. I never knew how important that was until it was too late. But besides that I would tell him keep everything the same and tell him we are going to have an amazing life.

Kelly

If you know where you want to be in the next five years work backwards. Research what you need to get there and plan your life accordingly. When things don’t go as planned and they never do it is ok. There is always plan B. When you really want something there are no excuses. Do the work; you will be happy you did. On the other hand, it is ok if you don’t know what you are going to do in the next 5 years. Live in the now and enjoy it because it is never too late to get what you want. You are going to make mistakes and that is ok. Learn from them.

Gloria

There are three things you need to know to make college life easier. One, remember when you were debating between going to Texas A&M University and University of North Texas? In your heart you really wanted to go to UNT, but you decided to go to Texas A&M University because of someone else’s decision. Go with your heart. It makes the college experience that much better. Two, apply for financial aid and as many scholarships as you can. There will be financial troubles in the future. Three, you must get your seizures under control or this will be your first and final semester at a four year university. Be strong. Go with your heart. You can do it.

Danielle

Since I have been in college, I have become a lot wiser, and mature than I was in high school. If I could travel back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have a lot to say to myself. The first thing being that grades really do matter. You reap more benefits when you keep your grades up. Not only that, but if you would have done a lot better on your ACT that would have helped you as well, because you could have received more money in financial aid. Don't let how others perceive you affect your school work. Sure others may talk about you, but at the end of the day you're at school to learn, and get an edcuation not for people to like you or be your friend. Friends come and go, the quality of your friends is more important than the quantity of friends you have. You never know who can enter your life, and be of a huge blessing to you. I have learned a lot while being away at school, and I feel like I am molding into the person I want to be.

Kelsey

I am a transfer student, and knowing what I know now about the way that my credits have transferred from the community college to the four-year university, I would have advised my senior self to have more communication with advisors from my four year college about how the transferring process actually works. I also would advise my senior self to get involved! Getting involved in clubs and organizations is how I have made most of my friends in college. It's very rare that you meet people who are interested in the same things as you in GenED classes, but joining a special club, you will meet tons of people who like the same things as you! And lastly, I would advise my senoir self to remember that even though college is a fun time, it's about learning. Go to class, do your homework, and study for tests. Remember not to beat yourself up for making mistakes, and always reach out for help when you need it. Every mistake is a chance to learn.

Kevandre

If I could go back in time I would tell myself many things. The first would be dont get distracted you senior year, do the best you could possibly do and reach for the stars. Upon finishing highschool not to mention while your in high school fill out as many scholarships as possible , and if you need help dont be afraid to ask. Learn to be mature and independent before going to college because it is nothing like high school. The teacher isn't there to hold your hand , or might not even care if you do you r homework for that matter. Lastly start researching what ever it is you want to do in life , try to do an internship even if it is free just to get experience to see if you would like it or not. Life is what you make it stay positive and never give up !

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Amy

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self I would have so much advice. Firstly,I would tell myself to take college credit classes in high school because it is cheaper and would put me ahead. I would go back and get a 4.0 in high school so I could have received more scholarships. I would have told myself to apply for scholarships too! I would tell my high school self to take advantage of the time I have left at home and with my friends. I did not realize how much I would miss everyone. I would also tell myself to keep working out and be careful of the freshmen 15 once you get to SEMO. Just because there is a buffet doesn’t mean you need to go back for seconds. I would also tell my high school self to get involved with intermural sports my first semester. I also would tell myself to not pack so much when I was packing for college. Lastly, I would tell myself to stay confident and make friends but realize I can’t forget about all the ones I have at home.

Jennifer

Dear Jen, You're about to go to college and I know you really don't want to leave your group of friends or your family, but you will not regret it. Have fun your senior year but stick to studying hard and making note cards (those will become very helpful) Also, get involved in college. You will like it a lot more. College takes a lot more responsibility so you won't be relying on Mom to wake you up in the morning anymore. It's all on you to get up and get your butt to class so DO NOT SLACK. I know you'll do fine but dont let little things get in your way of becoming something great. You can do it! Sincerely, Older you :)

Stephanie

I would tell myself to be more prepared. I could have tried just a little harder when looking for scholarships. I would tell myself to check out this website because it is very helpful. I wish I had known about it my senior year of highschool

Chanze

There are many paths in life that you can take and each path will lead you in a different direction. Inside, you know the path you must take; do not sway from it and do not ignore it, for it is the path to your foundation, your willpower, and your intellect. Your faith is your greatest strength, rely upon it in times of doubt and look upon family in times of need. Heed my warnings and absorb my knowledge as it will benefit you greatly in the future.

Rebekah

Do not let any boyfriend stand in the way of continuing your education. Bettering yourself should come first and anyone worthwhile will support that. You have a scholarship now, but if you wait and go back later you will pay out of pocket for your education.

Rebekah

Go to class, pay attention, and take detailed notes. Do that and you'll be just fine.

Whitney

High school is the perfect place for finding out who your are and senior year is no exception. If anything, now is the time to try everything you've always wanted to do before you graduate, make some mistakes,learn from them and surround yourself with good, honest people who want the best for you. The year is short, so make the most of it because it will never happen again. The freedom of college can be overwhelming, but the same principles apply. Make smart decisions, maker dumb mistakes but most of all learn from everything! And one more thing-there is definitely better cafeteria food in college.

Kathryn

Thinking back to my senior year of high school the thing I would like to change is I wish I would have taken a little bit of harder classes. For my senior year I decided to take easy classes because I didn't know what I wanted to do when I got to college. But then after figuring out what I wanted to do I regreted not taking classes that would of helped me out in college. One last thing is learning how to really study. In high school I never really needed to study but in college you do and I really didn't know how to study which is sad but it was just difficult to figure out what was important and what information wasn't. Those are the things that I would of liked to change when I was in high school.

Rachel

Going away to college has not been the easiest process for me. Adapting to everything took about a semester. But i think that is part of the experience. Getting away from what your used to is going to be hard. Being away at college is helping me grow up and become my own person. I'm suddenly making my own decisions and having all the freedom I have never had. I think if i would have stayed at home, or close to home, i wouldn't get an experience like I am now, it would be harder for me to force myself to grow up and become an adult. I think being involved and busy is also very valuable. You meet awesome people just like yourself, and they say the friends you meet in college are your friends for the rest of your life. Basically I have learned a lot about my self and become way more responsible and adult like being away at college. I think that is a very valuable experience.