Texas A & M University-College Station Top Questions

If I could tell myself advice as a high school senior I would give myself a few major pieces of advice. The first would be to hunt down scholarships and apply for them as soon as possible, because I found actually getting a scholarship is rather difficult. In addition, I would stress that I should enjoy my last year of high school because it is my last year of having true childhood. While I would have had a hard time explaining this to my senior self who couldn't wait to be an adult, the transition to adulthood and taking hold of adult responsibilities can be confusing and stressful. I never realized how often I would need my social security number or how confusing the world of banking, credit cards, and finance could be. The last piece of advice I would give would be to enjoy the time you have with your family because in a few months you will only see them a few times a month at best.

Don't be afraid to be yourself. Give yourself as a gift to other people and allow them to see joy.

The transition from high school to college is no easy task. College life brings new friends, new environments, and parental freedom, the most sought after desire of every high-school student. I made a lot of mistakes my freshman year of college. And given the second chance, knowing what I know now there are many things I would have done differently, but the most important lesson I should have learned earlier was the separation of work and play. The key components to the successful college student are prioritization and self-discipline. Entering your first year of college armed with these two characters already mastered makes the transition almost a cinch. Friends will be magnets to you, demanding you teach them your ways, professors will showcase you as a model student, your parents will be proud of you, and you will have the satisfaction of hard work paid off. Always remember the two most important phrases walking out the door. The first one is from your parents, “work now, play later,” and the second from Dave Ramsey, “Live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else.” Those are the keys to a successful first year.

Now having been in college for two years, going on three, I have learned many things that I wish I would have known as a senior. Perhaps the most important is to enjoy myself. I have learned that I have the rest of my life to be an adult, and I will never be as young as I am at this exact moment. Instead of staying in, I should have gone to watch that movie, gone to that game or on that date. Those chances will not present themselves again, not in the same way or with the same people. Which brings me to the next thing I wish I would have known, not all your friends will stay. All those misadventures and late night conversations will not last forever and neither will these friendships, so enjoy them. Things happen and people change, we choose different paths and grow into the people we will become. You will never have these friendships again, the people you will meet in the coming years cannot replace them and the adventures you had together. So enjoy the time you have together and don’t try to grow up to fast, you have time.

Relax! College is a great experience as long as you are yourself. Don't pretend to be somewone you're not even if it is to make new friends. You will never be happy, and you will eventually find friends who will like you for who you are. On another note GPA is not everything. If I had to choose between getting a 4.0 while being a social outcast and getting a 3.0 while having somewhat of a social life I would choose the latter any day. You are only in college once. While this is not an excuse to party every day it is a reason to get out and enjoy the college life every once and a while. Lastly, relax! College may appear to be a scary new place, but it is truly not. You will likely make some of the best memories of your life and forge lifelong friendships that will follow you for many years to come.

Be open to new experiences. Respect others' opinions. Everyone has unique perspectives, and each perspective has validity in some way. Relax. Focus in class. Stay on top of your work. You'll be fine.

Dear Ben, I'm writing this letter because you are about to experience something you aren't ready for. You have planned and prepared for college but there are conspicuous holes in your preparation. They can't be filled with material objects, so you must listen take this to heart. I know that you are friendly and patient, you have a lot of friends and you get along with a lot of people that you don't agree with. You are about to embark on a four-year journey on which you will learn a lot about the world, but even more about yourself. Next year you will live with a roommate for the first time. You will share a lot of time and a small amount of space. My advice applies to this circumstance but also to life. You can't go through life believing you are tolerant. You have to be accepting. Tolerance is too impersonal. You will hate peoples' actions and decisions. They will be different from you, but you are different to them too. The world can only advance if we work together. Attitude is the first step in your ambassadorship to the world. Patiently, Ben

I would advice myself to balance my extracurricular activities with my schoolwork and not overload myself. Furthermore I would tell myself to take my housing situation with more seriousness and abstain from making rash decisions.

I wish I could go back in time and tell my high school self, "Travis, believe or not, but everything you have been learning in religion class and during Church services about God and what brings people real happiness is true. I know your teachers and school counselor have you worried to death about applying to colleges, and the most important thing in the world to you is making good grades. However, I can promise you that if you depend on those things to make you happy, they will always leave you empty and dissatisfied. The only way you will ever feel that wholesome fulfillment as a person is through self-less love. Set asides your own selfish desires, and put the needs of others before your own. God created us to be loved and to love others. The more you resist what God created us for by refusing to give of yourself, the more discontent you will become. Yes, planning for your future success is extremely important. Indeed, God created us with a longing to achieve great things; however, academic and financial success will not complete you as a person.

This is the advice that I would give to myself: When rough times come in the future keep up a good attitude and do not get discouraged. Rough times are bound to happen and it is not in your control when they happen, but it is in your control what your attitude is during the tough times and going forward. If you let a bad situation cause you to have a poor attitude you will not improve the situation, but you will allow it to compound into a worse situation. When times are tough, keeping a good attitude will help you make the most of the situation, and it will be an encouragement to others. Do not let mistakes get you down because mistakes happen to everyone, and we are not defined by our mistakes but we can learn a lot from them. Remember that hard work is key for success. Love others always. Remain strong, keep a positive attitude, persevere, and hold onto your faith.