University of St Thomas-Saint Paul Top Questions

Ashley, Remember a few statements mom would always say, "Will it really matter in ten years? Remember your high school friends might not be your friends for life. It's the friendships you form in college who will be your life long friends and will always be there for you. You might not like someone, but you always have to be polite." Those statement will help you through your senior year in high school and your college life . Don't let the trival things bother you. Learn to work through them and use the expierence to grow who you are as a person. Mature and grow in your faith and in yourself. Remember to bring your light to the world and touch the lives of the people you meet each day. Let your light and smile shine. Most importantly live your life with exclamation points! God's Blessings to you. Love you so much, Ashley.

If I could go back to my senior year in high school i would have done a lot of things different and a lot of things the same way. Some advice i would give myself would be to have better study habits, to take the hardest classes possible, set more goals, read more books, get a job, and have more fun outside of school because I won't see 75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my classmates ever again. Highschool does get you prepared for college, but they are two very different institutions and nothing can fully prepare you for what college has in store. If i would have had better english classes in highschool i would have been better off in college. If i would have taken calculus my senior year it would have helped me my freshman year of college. Taking harder classes pays off and hard work pays off even more. If i could go back to my senior year i would want to be there for a long time because getting anxious and wanting to go to college can hurt you in the long run. I missed out on oppurtunities, but i learned from my mistakes.

It is fundamental that you identify what you are passionate about and where you want to see yourself in the future. From there, determine what academic field it would be and take as many classes as you can in that field. Learn as much as you can. If possible, try taking advance placement tests to receive college credit. In addition to grades and test scores, extracurricular activities are taken into account when applying for colleges. Though they are good for demonstrating a student?s outside commitments and interests, be wary not to participate in more than you can manage. Decide what kind of school you want to attend. Think about location, size, academics and offered extracurricular activities. After researching prospective colleges, take campus tours. This is a valuable tool to experience firsthand the character and atmosphere of the campus. Imagine yourself as a student on each tour and get a feel for what suits you. Know the application deadlines of any school that interests you. If teacher recommendations are required, be sure to request them well in advance. Completing a college application is a production and you should keep track of all information during the application process.

First of all, you are not alone. As scared, lonely and confused you are, there are 10 people on your dorm floor that are just as worried, if not more. It's okay not to have close friends and inside jokes the first weeks of college. It takes time! There is no perfect way of finding your niche. Just get out there and meet people. It doesn't have to be scary if you remember the person you go up to probably wants to find friends just as bad. It's the first step in many that will bring toward the friends you'll remember forever. Second, get involved early. I know you aren't sure what your major is and not even comfortable committing to a "favorite song" but visit the clubs on campus and get a feel for what they do and what they'll do for you. The earlier you make those connects and weed out the ones that don't fit you, the better you are in the long run. You'll never know what your likes and dislikes are if you don't try out new things to develop your preferences. Have fun with it!

If I could go back and tell myself what I know now, I would have many things to tell myself about college life and making the transition. First, I would tell myself not to stress out about adjusting and making new friends. I spent a lot of time worrying whether I would make as good as friends at school as I have at home. What I did not think of is that everyone else is feeling the same way, so making friends would be a lot easier than what I expected. I would also tell myself to make sure that I do not only take the quality of the school into consideration when deciding what college to attend, but to also factor in the environment that I would live in. While the classes may be exactly what I want, the city in which i would live might not fit me as well. Finally, I would tell myself that the adjusting period and feeling homesick is normal. Everyone feels that way at some point, so don't let that ruin your experience at school because I have now seen many friends ruin their experience of college.

Everyone says college is supposed to be the "best four years of your life." That's a lot of pressure to put on a small fraction of your life. It makes you feel like you have to balance schoolwork, deciding what you want to do with your life, working off your loans, building relationships, intellectual growth, and being involved on campus, all while having the time of your life. Here's what I want to tell you: you don't have to do it all. Sometimes it will be fun and exciting, but other times its just going to be hard work. Don't go to college expecting it to be the most amazing years of your life, and that its all downhill afterwards. Instead, go in expecting it to be both good and bad, stressful and rewarding, up and down. It doesn't have to be the best four years of your life to make it a worthwhile experience.

I would tell myself to wait to jump into a serious relationship. I am expecting and it is one of the biggest challenges I am facing now in my life and if i waited I would not be in this situation. How ever it has taught me the great value of my education and how important it is to me to do well and to graduate with a degree. I would also tell myself to no matter what strive for greatness and not to let anyone else including family hold me back from what I really want to do. The professors are so helpful and want to see their students reach greatness, so never worry about asking them for help.

Going back in time and talking to myself as a senior in high school, I would tell myself to start looking for scholarships to college in the early fall rather than waiting until the spring when I will be stressing over graduation. I would, however, congratulate myself on choosing to do early decision in applying for my choice of schools. This was a smart move since I knew whether or not I was accepted to certain schools by October or November, and I would have had the rest of the fall to look for scholarships if I had not procrastinated it until the spring. I would tell myself to relax and not worry about not making friends or fitting in, because I knew then and now that the atmosphere at the University of St. Thomas is extremely friendly and welcoming. Finally I would tell myself to remember to be sure I got seven to eight hours of sleep every night. This would mean working out my time between friends, classes, and studying. Overall, I would say to enjoy the final days of being in high school and to look forward to recieving a great education and having tons of fun.

If I were able to go back in time as a high school senior I would apply for more scholarships, submit college applications earlier to ensure a great financial aid package, and not procrastinate as much as I did.

"Party everyday, pa-pa-pa-party everday," is the message that many potential students are always thinking about, as well as something that our modern society discusses often. College visits often inform prospective students of the college or universites academics, athletics and clubs, but they do not address the issue that always finds its way into most students minds- parties. Not being a partier myself I was very apprehensive about the pressures that college might bring. After having my first semester under my belt, I would tell myself to just be myself and not to avoid going out just because I did not want to drink. I would say that it is possible and not all that abnormal to go out and stay sober, still providing a great social experience. As the cliche illustrates well, lifes too short, live without regrets. So, I would also tell myself not to live in fear and just experience college, exploring all opportunities that may come my way.