Troy University Top Questions

A word of advice I would give myself as a highschool senior about to attend college would be to get involved and be open minded. The best way to meet new people is by getting involved in a club or organization that coincides with your hobbies and interests. Another word of advice I would offer is be open minded. You meet a variety of people in college from all different backgrounds. Many will differ greatly from you, but by being open minded, you can learn so much from another person. By getting involved and being open minded, my highschool self will be successful in college.

If I could go back and talk to my former self before attending college, I would say relax and be yourself. Everyone attends college anxious about making friends, finding their way around, and maintaining good grades. Personally, I became a nervous wreck as soon as I watched my parents leave without me. Being left alone in an unknown city by yourself can leave you with an unsettling feeling. Eventually, I realized that I was surrounded by helpful individuals who understood exactly what I was going through. Once I calmed down, I came to the conclusion that college is not as scary as some people claim it to be. I have really enjoyed my experience at college so far and I cannot wait to see what my remaining years will bring. I know many prospective college students main problem is ususally being anxious about what is to come. The most important advice I could give to my previous self and present seniors would be to relax and enjoy your college experience to the fullest.

Jamelle Brown March 17, 2013 Travel Back I often think of my younger self attending high school, my parents encouraged me to do my best, get good grades, and graduate. However, they never promoted a higher education and always considered it an unnecessary expense which discouraged me from attending college. If I could travel back in time and talk with myself as a senior in high school I would sit myself down and tell myself to focus more on school, take AP courses that could count toward college credits, study and take the ACT exam. Most importantly, I would teach the importance of visiting with my high school counselor to gain the knowledge and understanding of what options are available to high school students. I would also teach my younger self, that contrary to my parent’s belief, there are many opportunities for attending college without attaining tremendous debt. With hundreds of grants and scholarships available, if I apply myself I have the opportunity to attend college without acquiring large amounts of unnecessary debt. I wish I would have given more thought to college while I was younger, but since there is no going back, I can only move forward.

I would tell myself to predetermine the outcome and aspire to succeed. Motivate yourself to be exceptional beyond measure and to have a catalytical deamenor so that if failure is the aftermath of reaching things seemingly unobtainable, then strive for personal excellence. Along the way mistakes and are going to be made, but never give up. No one can motivate you like you can.

The first thing that I would tell my past self is to not stress. There are many opportunities for anyone that aspires to have a scholarly route: community college, state schools, and private colleges. If one does not receive a positive response from their dream school hope is not lost, there are still community colleges that will aid in a transition to a four year university. On the bright side, it's cheaper too! The key is to never give up no matter what the odds are. Another thing that I would consult to my past self would be to consider the importance of study skills. If one is to learn a certain topic (Math, English, History science, etcetera), make sure it's there to stay for keeps. One must not conform themselves to only the bare minimum. Remember, knowlwdge is power, especially now in this technology fast paced world. The future of a country depends on it's offspring, so the responsibility is actually quite high on today's youth. With great study skills, the general education part of college will be immmensely facilitated. It's better to work double now, than triple in the future.

My advice to myself would be to take advantage of any scholarships or financial aid I was able to. I received a full ride academic scholarship to several schools as a high school senior, and once I actually got to college I lost focus on school and ended up losing my scholarship. My poor decisions have caused me to take out student loans and put myself into debt at a young age. I am also working about 30 hours a week to help pay for school, and this makes it harder to focus solely on school. I threw away probably $50,000 worth of free money just because I wanted to party and have fun, and I realize now how big of a mistake that was. I am thankful that I learned from my mistakes and have managed to stay in school. I wish that I could give this advice to all high school seniors so that people won't make the same mistakes that I did.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself when I was a high school senior, I would tell myself to get prepared the best that I possibly could and to keep my chin up. Starting at a new school, especially college isn't easy and it is quite the transition. See, when I was a senior I didn't really have anyone there to support me in my decision to go to college. I was scared, nervous, and disappointed, wishing I could have did better than I did. But honestly? I wouldn't change a thing, because I made it. I'm doing my best and making a life for myself. That's all that really matters.

I would tell my high school senior self to take the ACT as many times as it takes to where I would get a scholarship for full tuition. I would also tell myself to be prepared for life without parents being around and how important it is to not go wild and stay dedicated to going to some kind of church or prayer group.

The best advice that would have greatly benefited me and provided a possible different outcome in my future, would be that I should have taken advantage of more AP classes. I would tell myself not to be intimidated about these upper level courses, because in the end they would have greatly helped me prepare for college. I would also tell myself to participate in more extracurricular activities as this would look good on my resume for college, but more importantly it would help to build character. Study more, and take your future more seriously because you could have had a different future from what you have now. A very important thing I would also advise would be to save for the future, and put all your hopes of receiving a scholarship. I think my future turned out very well, but there are things that I regret that I overlooked that could have boosted my chances at a higher job position. So I think the most imporant thing that I would like to say to my past self is to not be afraid of the future. Be outgoing and ferocious in your goal to learn everything and anything in this life.

Although things right now seem to be all about fun and there will be some fun in your future, do not be so quick to dismiss going to college soon. You will excell in the courses that you take because you are smarter than you believe you are. Your future will be great no matter when you begin attending a university, but you are going to be the sole provider for your child. At this moment in your life, your priorities are not in line. This is alright, because you are young. Your life will be full of wonderful experiences and the greatest love you will ever know on this eaerth, your child. I know that sometimes it seems that your mother and father are bothering you about education, but they are right. They are right about more things than you think, even though you will never admit to it. Also, more than anything, I want you to know that you are an intellegent, kind, beautiful person. This will reflect in your future friendships and these will be more important than anything you are involved in right now.