St. Mary’s University Top Questions

I would tell myself as a senior to get more involved with community service because I did go volunteer in my community but I could have made a better effort. If I was more involved it would have gave me a better edge when I was applying for scholarships. I would have also made more of an effort to apply to more scholarships than I did. In addition, I would have told myself not to put so much stress but enjoy my senior year with friends and have fun in the many activities instead of stressing from organization them. In my decision to work mid high school year to start saving money for college, I would have told myself to start since the summer of junior and it would have been possible for me to manage with all my activities and school work. Perhaps, if I knew this information I could have helped myself out more in preparing for college.

I wish that I could of continued with my nursing career, because now i would be married with 2 kids and having a stable life. I still have no kids but im 30yrs. old and healthy and almost married. My job is a medical assistant for right now but i waited awhile before i went back to school. I'm in school to become an Ultrasound tech, i work during the day so i can only go at night and i do not receive financial aid, so everything is coming out off pocket and it is not easy at all. I justhope and pray someday i will be able tp get some financial help or win money some how. But my life would have totally been different if i had continue with nursing school but i was only 18 when i went to a nursing not even college, it was to become an LPN, so it was a quicker way to become a nurse and the first few month of this class was extremely hard. So i just wish i woul have went to a real college and took it one day at a time.

SAVE! Save some spending money. You can’t bring everything to college. I moved out of state; when I moved to Texas I had to consolidate everything several times. So don't waste your money on things you don't need. In addition to saving ENJOY it! When I was in high school I couldn’t wait to go to college, move out, and become a legacy by pledging a sorority. Live any enjoy your senior year, enjoy the time you have at your home in your bed, because time will go by ridiculously fast. Not only should you save and enjoy your senior year, you should also GIVE BACK! You have so many opportunities in high school and throughout college to participate in service learning or community service. Take advantage of those opportunities it will help you build your character and give you some real life experience! Remember to save, enjoy, give back, and lastly RESEACRH! Research is vital research colleges, majors, scholarships, and professors. If you do your research properly you will love the college you attend, your major will be something you are passionate about, you will make tuition more affordable, and you will enjoy your professors.

I would never have started my first job during the school year. It made me tired and I found out the hard way just how valuable sleep can be. Time management wasn't such a big deal during high school but upon entering college it was the only way to survive a day.

The advice I would give myself is not to empty out your closet at home because you don't even use all of the clothes!

As a first generation college student is very difficult to get any good advice regarding college. We enter into the college world with limited knowledge about our surrounding, as well as, little or no support from our families. Our families with no experience have no knowledge of the work college requires. If I had the ability of going back in time I would suggest to myself to quit the part time job I held during my senior year. I would tell myself to not be embarass to ask for guidance and help towards the correct path. use the resources school offers. Maintain a balance between school, family and social life its very important to have a schedule. Live my life in a slow pace there will be plenty of time to do what your heart desires. Perseverance, and hard work will keep you in the rigth path.

If I could go back in time and tell myself some good advice about college life I would definitely say I would need to understand the value of a dollar. In high school that first job was great for me. My pay checks was just an additional income to my parent’s allowance I was receiving. On the weekends, I will blow all my money on miscellaneous things. By the time Mondays came around it was a cycle all over again. College was a big welcome mat for me to reality. No more parents, no more money, and no more relax days. McChickens at McDonalds started appearing expensive and my bank statements remained the same number 0. Car pooling here and there were the price of a half of tank of gas, while school itself was still costly. Tuition, books, housing, and school fees was like signing a contract to be in permanent debt for life. Especially if you were like me, someone who always stayed broke. I would of definitely encourage myself to start saving money from a freshman to a senior. Seriously! Five dollars here and ten dollars there every pay check definitely adds up.

The first thing to do when arriving and recieving the schedule for classes is to organize all the information in the proper manner. I need to have a set plan in order to attack each day with the best of my abilities. My priorities need to be set straight and goals need to be layed out. This way I know what I need to do for each day and I do not have to worry about missing an assignment or meeting that I was supposed to attend. I would also tell myself that studying everyday is more helpful than cramming the night before. I now study for about 4 hours each day in the library rather than studing all night before a test. Parties come and go, but the future starts today. That is why everyday counts. What you do or dont accomplish using your time wiely can affect you later. That being said I still have to have my fun. Playing soccer is always the best way to relieve stress and take my mind of doing work when I feel overworked.

Knowing what I know now, I would try more things that the campus has to offer. College is such a big change from high school and keeping busy helps you manage your time. Deadlines are everywhere, and they're no joke. When you are invoved in various organizations is really the best thing to help you get your priorities straight, set aside times for fun and times for study, and get things done. I would also say that things don't come as easy as they were in high school. Yes, you will lose sleep some nights and no, you might not do as well on a test as you want, but hard work is the best feeling in the world. Don't get discouraged because it takes a try or two to get into the swing of things, but it will happen. Lastly, enjoy your time here because I can honestly say it is the best time of your life.

I would tell high school seniors to pay attention in class and try there best now, so when college comes around it will be alot easier. I would also adviced them to prepare for the SAT's on time. Most importantly let them know that college is a life changing experience and brings out the best of you and it allows your to express your self to levels you didn't know you had.

Dear Mighty Maya,Wow! Can you believe that college is just a page turn away? To assuage your worries let me assure you this is the best chapter yet! Promise me that you will do the following when you head off to St. Mary's. Be Bold, stay true to your convictions. Anticipate a myriad of situations that will test your values. Continue being a social butterfly, but do not allow people to take advantage of your kindness. Do not study in your dorm because you will choose to take a nap over studying. The best place to study is the law library; dead silence will give you the focus to be unstoppable! When it comes to College Algebra do not be too proud to go tutoring you will be pleasantly surprised. Find something you are passionate about in each class. Lastly, when creating a goal poster put “ Think Dean’s List,” you will make it a reality. Sincerely, A wiser version of yourselfP.S. Do not let your roommate teach you how to long board. If you do, ask about using the janitor’s elevator to go to class instead of crutching up two flights of stairs

I would say, Yohvani prepare yourself because you are about to make disasterous choices, that is until you listen to me now. When you accept living with an international student make sure to meet her first and her friends and all her clothes. When you attend orientation, make sure to ask what the entrance exam is about and don't think that its a survey. When you are taking the Biology and Chemistry courses remember to make time for both classes and don't try to figure them out at the same time. Make sure to attend tutoring sessions for each and to carry an individual spiral for each. It's best to have a spiral for in class lecture notes and a spiral for when you read alone and take notes for yourself. Make sure to keep your classes balanced by making yourself an agenda for each week, believe me this helped me most in the Spring. When you get invited to Frat parties, make sure you have all your work completed because you are probably not going to get back till 6 or 7 in the morning. Lastly, make sure to have all your notes for Finals week.

Knowing what I know about college life and making the transition from home / high school to college, I would advise myself to practice socializing and learning how to meet new people. It was difficult for me to make new friends my first year of college because I was painfully shy. I would encourage myself to join more organizations that first year of college so that I did not feel so lonely, homesick and out of place with my peers. Looking back now, I realize that I caused myself unnecessary hardship, pain and stress because of that shyness and inability to put myself out there. Had I had the courage to push myself to go outside of my comfort zone and become more involved in the campus community or organizations, I would had a more positive first year; I would not have been so unhappy as to contemplate quiting school and going back home. Thankfully, I was finally able to find the courage to participate in oranziations, meet some fantastic people and form friendships that will last a lifetime. Knowing this, I would not of hesitated in joining those organizations and started forming those friendships much sooner.

As a high school student I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to become in the future. But after a little while of high school, things became much easier to me. I say that because I first was planning to become a teacher. I chose a teacher because teachers must know all of the answers to every question asked. I said that because once you become a professor, you must always know the answer to a question asked. After a little while, I decided to become a construction worker. I chose that one because over the passed years of life, I've been doing construction work on the outside of homes. the type of work that I did was siding, roofing, paneling, carpeting, etc... My final major that I chose and will stay with is called an Interior Designer. I chose that career because for the pass seven years, I've learned so much in those classes. I also chosh to become an Interior Designer because I'm a great designing student. So that's the reasons why I chose to become an Interior Designer. I think that becoming a great Interior Designer is right for me.

I would tell myself that school isn't a joke like I thought it was at the time. The more work you do now, and the effort you put in could definitely save you later in the end. Instead of goofing off and spending time with friends, buckle down and save your self from having to do more work in the end. It is easier and cheaper now then it will be in college.

Dear Rebecca, Congratulations for being accepted to Grand Valley State University. DON’T GO! I see that you are shocked and a bit dismayed. Let me explain why you should wait. You are not mature enough for the journey. Here is a list of tasks that you need to accomplish before you attend a university. First you need to grow up. The world does not revolve around you, so get over yourself. Second it wouldn’t hurt to take a full time job in layaway at Wal-Mart while you volunteer part time at church teaching Sunday school or helping the homebound elderly. Next, you need to get your finances in order. Part of what you do over the next year might be to save up some money, study up on how best to invest your savings, and research all of the scholarships that you could earn money from by simply writing out a few breathtaking essays. The last thing that you need to know is that you might want to start at a community college. You can attend half time for four years, save up for the four year university, and not go into debt. Good Luck! Sincerely, You.

School is in the morning so you need to stop staying up most of the night, otherwise you'll feel like falling asleep through class. You don't learn anything from class if your not awake for it or if your too busy trying to stay awake to pay attention.

The advice I would give myself would be to study, and to advantage of the help the school is willing to give you, and also be smart with your time managment.

I would definitely tell High School Senior (HSS) self about the importance of AP and Dual-Credit classes. I can save time and money each semester if I get a head start on classes in high school that I will need in college. Most of the basic courses do not directly apply to my Psychology major, so I could focus more on my Psychology curriculum if I get a majority of other credits completed in high school.

Hello 17 year-old Helga, How are you? You are most likely sitting in first period history class wondering what time you are going to skip out of school. You do have that math test 4th period, and you haven't really been doing so hot in that area so you might want to go but what the heck what does it matter it's senior year anyway and it's not like you have put in your full effort anyway since the end of freshman year...why start now? Because you should! STOP BEING SO INTROVERTED, STOP HATING HIGH SCHOOL, OPEN YOUR MIND AND REALIZE THAT IT ISN'T ABOUT THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU IT IS ABOUT YOU!!! Think about the bigger picture what you truly want from life. In a few years you will be on a path that your probably never thought you would end up in, your a senior in high school after this YOU are going to have to determine your path. Why not start now? Why not begin setting stage now? You are reflection of your work, your going to class shows reliability and dedication. So skipping out, no longer an option.