Texas A & M University-College Station Top Questions

Leaving the comfort of your house, your family, and your familiar hometown is terrifying; but while this huge change in your life is like jumping off the edge of a cliff into the unknown, that experience of falling will change your life in ways that you cannot imagine. Don’t let yourself be inhibited by fear; take chances in college. Do things that you’ve always dreamed of, because now you have the chance to do them. Learn how to make genuine friends in all of your classes. Having someone to share the high and low points of the semester with makes all of the experiences more memorable. Focus on your studies and get excited to learn new things! Take time to find a few things that bring you pure, unadulterated enjoyment, and use those to keep your sanity in the coming years. Look at college as a brand new start. A fresh, crisp, clean page where you can write whatever you want. And the beauty of that thought is in the knowledge that all the people you meet and become friends with in college will know who you are—not what you were, but who you choose to be.

Dear Jordyn Kilgore of 2009, You were right! College is amazing. Although life was difficult in high school your focus and drive to get off Maui and explore created an incredible future. Things to remember: don’t let other people decide your destiny. Everyone has their own experiences whether good or bad; you have to get out there and decide your own. Find friends that are on the same proactive plan as you. Friends you come across that are lost take time to help them out. You may be focused on your dream, however the only way to create a better world is to make sure others can accomplish theirs as well. Jordyn, I know college seems impossible with only your mom to support you, but get up and do scholarships, because there is bound to be someone out there willing to help you out. Keep following your dreams and the support will come. You can do it! Love, Jordyn of 2012

"Never give up! Do not ever lose hope in fulfilling your career dreams! Start preparing today for the future you want tomorrow!" I would stand up on a desk and deliver my speech with as much confidence and vibrato I could muster to get the message to really sink in. College is such a different playground from high school. "You must persistently apply yourself and stay disciplined in your studies." It's just too easy to get caught up in the social joys of your newfound freedom. However, I would also reassert my beliefs. "College is about finding out who you are as an individual. Don't be afraid to pursue your interests and try other things. This is all part of the learning experience." No one told me that college was going to be like a punch in the face. Yes, it woke me up and motivated me to excel in my college career, but it hurt! College is the place of opportunities. "You will need to pace yourself. Use critical thinking in making life changing decisions, but keep an open mind to possibilities. Don't let personal insecurities hold you back. The world is yours!"

If I could go back in time and give myself some advice I would say, "Will, at the beginning of college everyone tries to meet everyone and it is great to be outgoing. But after awhile, people begin to settle. They become comfortable with who they are and the friends they have and by the middle of the first semester it will be easy to settle into the routine and the friend group that you have. Instead of settling keep on meeting people and keep on sitting with random people just to get to know them because that is how you will continue to build great relationships that you would otherwise miss out on if you settled into your routine. College is going to be awesome man and you are going to meet some incredible people. Stay strong in the Lord and stay true to yourself so you can hang on and enjoy the ride."

Going back in time I would be such an interesting experience because I could tell myself how important it is to get involved. I have learned through that by getting involved with organizations on campus I am able to meet people within all these different organizations instead of having a general group of friends in high school. Another thing I would tell myself is how pivitol it is to have time management. In college there are countless ways to get distracted and being able to have self-control and focus is definintely very important in order to do well in my classes.

If you don't know what you want to do start the with the basic classes. Learn how to save money and not use it on unneccessary items. If you have a roommate set up ground rules and have a contract that everyone signs. If they do not abided by the contract go to the office and find out how they can help. Allow yourself to go home but not every weekend. Go out and don't stay at home all the time.

Lose the TV. There are many ways to get involved, have fun, and meet new people during your college years. There is going to be a lot of work to be done, yes, but there is also going to be a good amount of down time. Do not waste it! Join some clubs. Get out and volunteer. Make time to spend with God and in fellowship with others praising the Lord.Pick up that hobby that you have never had time for and make time for it, because for the first time in your life you decide, all the time, what you are going to do that day. Carpe the heck of that diem and every diem, and college is sure to be the best time of your life. Nothing is wrong with a little TV or video games, but what ever you do, do with friends. Make many friends, but remember that one good friend is worth more than 20 people you know. Live everyday with no regrets, especially when it comes to packing up and going on that road trip or doing that project last minute. You will never forget the memories that you make here.

Try your hardest in high school. The choices and work ethics you start now will determine your future. What you do in high school open doors for and during your freshman year in college. Once you get to college, your freshman year opens doors and determines the rest of you college career. Your college career then determines your first job. Although you will not have a single thing from high school on your resume by your second year of college, it is the root which has shaped where you are in college and where you will go.

The number one thing I would tell myself would be to work super hard when I got into college. I would tell myself to study hard and put in a huge amount of effort into my classes. The second thing I would tell myself as a senior would be to apply for more scholarships. When I was a senior I started the scholarship process late and therefor did not get to apply for as many as I wanted to. The third thing I would tell myself would be to join more organizations. I am currently in one organization but I wish i would have joined at least one other, but because I decided not to I regret that decision. The last piece of advice I would give myself is to make plenty of friends in my classes and make study groups. Friends in classes and study groups have been one of the best things of my college career.

There are so many great opportunities for you out there Sandra. Right now, it may seem like the small things are the end of the world and you may doubt how far you can go sometimes but don't worry. Soon enough you will be surrounded by friends who love you and will be there for you no matter what. You'll have the opportunity to meet all kinds of people and, most importantly, learn something from every single one of them. You will have the ability to be a leader in your community and to impact the lives of everyone around you. Whenever you think that you're at a standstill, you should know that you're going to go far. You're going to get an education that most dream of and you're going to do good in this world with what you learn. Keep your head up, because it's all going to be worth it.