Spelman College Top Questions

When I returned home for winter break after completing my first semester of college I was asked many times the same questions that became almost expected upon reuniting with someone. How do you enjoyed being on your own? What are your grades projected to be? How do you like Spelman College? Knowing they would be asked I did not hesitate to answer. Then a family- friend approached me and from the look in her eyes I could tell she had one question that would answer all of those questions. She asks, " so Ciara, I have a question that may require some thought, don't worry I was stumpped when I was asked it too. Being on your own now, what is one thing you learned about yourself that you didn't know going off to school?" My answer, as she warned took some time to articulate, but my answer nontheless was this. I realized that my family is my best friend. With that understanding I would advise my highschool self to really step outside of the box I occupied for those four years and get to know people. Becuase in getting to know others, I get to know myself.

Bill Cosby said, “There is a time and place for everything and it is called college.” If there is any place where one will have a life changing experience it is college. If I had the chance to coach myself back in high school, with my current knowledge, I would provide three pieces of advice. It would be about funding, eliminating procrastination and valuable study habits. Anxiety arises and receiving acceptance letters from dream schools is overwhelming. For me, nothing mattered besides getting in. All I thought about was friends, shopping, and college life out of state. If I could give myself advice, I would’ve begged myself to apply for scholarships. I would urge myself to stay away from student loans; actually I would suggest books, and extensive online research. Also, contacting a financial aid officer at the school to find other sources of funding would be helpful. Between classes and extracurricular activities, life is consuming. I would suggest a planner to avoid procrastination. Staying organized is key to success. I would tell myself to find good study habits such as reading over notes and resources. With all of these tools, college would have been a piece of cake.

There are a lot of things going on currently in your life but don't worry about, things will get easier. Right now college may not seem like the right choice for you or even financially possible but you’re wrong, keep trying. You probably won't believe me but you chose Spelman. Now listen up because I have some advice for you. Commence scholarship applications today! Michelle is struggling attempting to pay for all of it out of pocket without your parents help. She is your sister, she shouldn’t even have to do this. Your roommate will become your best friends within a month. It won’t seem plausible at first. Your neighbors are going to be a monumental blessing to you, they'll force you break out of your shell a and actually experience college. Your first semester will be hard. Particularly being a Computer Science major without a computer. Your friends will joke about it. It's okay because you'll manage in your classes without it. When it come to First Year Composition remember: YOU ARE NOT AN ENGLISH MAJOR! It will be over soon and it won't have been all bad. Good Luck!

The advice I would give my self is to find a balance. Find a balance between school, work, extra-curricular activities, and your social life. Make connections, be more outgoing. Take advantage of every opportunity and person that comes your way, you never know how they can help you in the long run. SAVE MONEY. Spelman is more expensive than you think lol. Also be aware of fake friends and appreciate your real ones. Leave the long distance relationship alone. Find time for yourself, stop always trying to please others. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!! You were successful at it in high school, it hurts you a lot more in college lol. Oh yeah get used to paying for laundry, sharing your personal space (bathroom, room, etc.) with others, cafe food, no Wi-Fi or AC, & basic cable lol. But most importantly love yourself. Stay true to who you are. It may be hard when there is so much going on but you can do it.

Hello High School self! You are about to start your first year of college just some quick tips.... Have a blast! don't sweat the small stuff and always study first you might miss out on some of the events but there will always be another one. Stay active when you eat right and stay active you tend to have a better day and can focus more in school. Make new friends there are a billion people at your school be social and get involved. Don't worry about a relationship right now focus on school if you get the grades you get the gpa which in turn you will get the scholarships! Always look out for yourself because at the end of the day it's just you and no one else you need to do what is best for you :) p.s make sure your second home is the financial aid office! GOOD LUCK!!! :) You'll do great!

I would have told myself to take classes and studying seriously. I would tell myself not to worry about having a social life because that's not what you're paying to go to school for. I would also recommend befriending people who have similar goals that you do, and that want to be successful. The last piece of advice I would give to myself would be not to lose my faith even when times get hard.

Do better. Try harder and don't get too caught up with parties

Taylor, although you were a very involved student and will make the honor roll every year of your high school career, push yourself even more to do even better. The work you are doing in high school is nothing in comparison to what you will do in college. Spend more time writing now because once you get to college, you will be surprised how many essays you will write on a weekly basis. Also, have fun and don't take the kids you meet in high school so seriously.

I would make sure I tell my high school self not to let others (even professors) influence my choice in major. I would have went with my orginial plan and majored in Psychology instead of beinginfluenced to switch to Biology because I had a desire to go t Veterinarian school. I would tell my high school self to follow my passion and make sure I keep my close relationship with God.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to really learn how to balance school and a social life as soon as possible. Knowing what I already know about college life at Spelman, I feel like this is one of the hardest things to adjust to while at school. The longer you wait to really learn the skills you need in order to know how to balance these two things, the harder it will be in the future. The coursework only gets longer and the time limits only get shorter. I would also tell myself to be involved in as many organizations as possible. The more organizations you are apart of the more exposure you get to companies and opportunities that could help you in the future.