St. John’s College-Santa Fe Top Questions

Don't drop out of school unless you have very good reasons to, and if you have to switch schools, don't wait five years to do it. Get back in school and get on with your life.

Dear Senior in Highschool Self, If I could tell you one thing which is the most important: you must try your very best and not only give your everything, but also forgive yourself if you are not perfect. Work hard and never stop learning, but also love yourself if you do not succeed. You are sure to fail and also sure to win if you put your heart into all you do. When you search for colleges and think about the future, remember what your soul hungers for. Follow your passions and they will lead you to strange but wonderful places. Forgive yourself for fallen opportunities, because if you are determined to work with what you have you will succeed at what you truly desire. Remember to take the right kind of chances and follow the spirit of the voice of freedom which speaks to you from within. A degree is a tool to be gained through learning and education. And an education will bring truth into your life and destroy every sophistry, like a lighthouse on your homeland's shores.

I would tell myself this: The transition in store for you is going to be full of new challenges, doubts and experiences that you need to accept openly. Don't be afraid to talk to people about your fears because you'll be surprised at how you?re not alone. Plus, being open really allows you to make connections with people that you probably wouldn't have made in your tiny little comfort zone. This kind of openness will build up in you a spirit of honesty and happiness without which no one can succeed not only in college but also at life in general. Once you have become open to these new challenges and your confidence and motivation is overflowing- this is the opportunity to find out who you really are and why you are here, so don't let it pass you, but don't worry you won't!

As a high school senior I made little effort in my classes to really learn the material. I made sure that I knew what was necessary to do well on tests and quizzes, but I never pushed myself to take much meaning from the assignments or to study for the sake of actually learning. My college experience so far has been quite the opposite by necessity. I now understand how to make time for studying because I want to and to ask questions of the texts we read in order to have a connection and a relationship with them. It took a few months of adjusting to the work load and time management, and I regret having taken so long to gain this understanding. If I had taken the time to learn some of these skills in high school, the transition would have been easier and shorter. The experience was valuable though because of the results and college life is much easier now. But the time it took to learn these lessons could have been spent better understanding the material we covered while I was struggling.

Dear Senior Self, You know that promise you made to stay single for a while in college? Keep it. The first few months are incredibly busy. Filling up your time with a relationship inhibits your ability to make new friends, adjust to the campus setting, and prepare for the new nature of your classes. And all those new changes you were talking about? Cutting your hair, dying it a different color, changing your apparel? Not the best way to utilize your clean slate. Although college is a great opportunity to start over and erase your past, piercings and tatoos are permanent, and you will start to get sick of them. Stay true to yourself and the idenity you've established, and keep the changes gradual. On the other hand, if you've got a monkey on your back, college is the perfect place to shed that beast once and for all. Most importantly, don't cause yourself needless stress over the transition to higher education. No matter what ends up happening, college will be a positive turn in your life. Go where you want to go, do what you want to do, and enjoy your new opportinties and freedom!

The delphic oracle was, in antiquity, the oldest and most revered religious site. Ignoring whether or not prophecy and the gods exist, one must amire the two most famous delphic dicta: 'know thyself' and 'nothing to excess.' Look deep into yourself, and ask the most basic questions a high schooler can ask: 'what am I going to do?' 'what will I enjoy doing?' 'what are my goals?' and 'how can I best accomplish my goals?' Thereby, one can truly 'know thyself.' Next, moderation is key. Excitement may have benefits in and of itself, but it is usually a calm mind and a clear head that ends up in the best situations. It is acceptable to have a beer, but not to have twenty. One should hang out with friends, but one must also study. Keep the delphic wisdom always in mind and close to the heart, and you cannot go wrong.

What tools would I need to become my best self. As a teen who did not know what he wanted to do in his life I would suggest I learn how to really think. Not just to think about one single career path or one single educational path, but how to think about all the different things that brought western culture to where it is today. People say to have an open mind. It's too easy to have an open mind and be passive at the same time. Instead, I say, be progressive by learning how to think about anything that may cross your path. Learn how to talk to people about anything they may want to talk to you about. The transition is going to be difficult. But, in the end, you are one person in over 6 billion. You can do anything you want, be anyone you want, think any way you want. You will find friendly people anywhere you go if you are a thinker. Thinking and asking questions is the key to any transitional period. Your mind will choose the right path for you if you let it engage over and over and over again.

Drop all the AP classes and just concentrate on learning what you can without stressing yourself. Enjoy being a senior in high school while you still have the lack of responsibilities. Love life, don't worry about someone else's standards. Live in a way that you're satisfied. Eat fewer microwaveable foods and start learning how to cook!