Virginia Commonwealth University Top Questions

I would tell myself to not stress on not knowing. It will all work out. In high school I did not know which direction I wanted to go. But knowing the outcome, just enjoy everything that will come your way. You will find your way.

College is an exciting time. The best advice I can give you is to branch out and make new friends. The friends you make in this point in your life will be the ones you hold dearest to your heart. Also, listen to your mother. She might be “insane” or controlling, but she is only trying to do what is best for you, believe me, you will thank her in the end. The last piece of advice I want to give you is to be yourself! Don’t change who you are to impress boys or others. College is where you discover who YOU are. So Tori, be yourself and love who you are, and others will follow your lead.

Dear high school Cassie, For goodness' sake, take some time to slow down and smell the roses. Your senior year is flying by, and your time as a high school student will soon be done forever. Think about all the lessons you have learned and friends you have made. Stop and cherish these memories, and then smile. Because there are many, many more happy, fulfilling moments to come. In college, you will need discipline in all areas of your life. Mom will not be there to help with time management, or deciding when to go to bed, or what to eat at the buffet-style dining hall. All these decisions are your own, and the consequences are your own too. But you will learn that hard work has its rewards, and when you see that "A" in Quantitative Physiology, it will be the proudest moment of your academic career to date. So Cass, prepare to find out who you are on your own and who you want to be in your future career. Prepare to grab life by the horns as a VCU Ram! With love, College Freshman Cassie

If I could go back into time while in high school, knowing what I know now about college life. I would tell myself to start at a community college and then transfer to a University.

As a freshman coming into VCU I would say one thing you need to know is that you will see so many different things on campus especially when it comes to the students. So i would say have an open mind, you don't necessarily have to agree with everyone but be open to seeing people dress weird, come to class in pajamas, flamboyant gays, girls dressed like dudes, students in all black, Muslims etc.

Don't procrastinate. In order to properly study, don't just reread or review the material. Actually test your knowledge, flash cards may seem elementary but they are your best friend. If you really want to succeed, do the readings that are assigned to you. They will help you store the information in your long term memory, and then going to class and talking about these subjects and listening to lecture gives you connection in your brain. Simply doing everything at the last minute, staying in the library for the rest of your life won't do anything. Divide your time wisely for studying and review. This is how most people in college have failed, and will continue to fail. You'll become an A student by doing this. Video games are a waste of time.

If I had the opportunity to go back to talk to my high school self I would say, number one, be confident. Don't be afraid to push yourself farther. You can do anything you put your mind to and you will succeed. I would also say that we are the people we have been waiting for. As a high school senior, you are on the brink of conquering the world and I believe that the reassurance and self esteem building can be one of the greatest assest to inspire us to be the best self we can be. Sometimes one of the greatest words can be simply, I believe in you, to show that people often may see the confidence in ourselves that takes a second look for us to see.

I would tell myself to work hard. In highschool, I did not try a lot of things due to lack of confidance in my ability to succeed. Now, that I have realized that the only way to succeed it to try, I regret my somewhat apathetic mindset. I would start the year off by applying for scholarships and financial aid, and end the year with atleast a 3.8 gpa. I would advise myself to strive to be the best I can be, no matter if I feel inadequate compared to the valedictorian or if I have doubts. The only person who can make me feel inferior is myself, and not even I know my limits. I would ask myself if the issues going on in my life would matter two years from now, and I would encourage myself to take advantage of every opportunity given to me. Carpe Deim, cease the day!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition, I would tell myself to start working on a better work ethic.

I don't have any advice to give myself. I'm happy with who I am now, and I wouldn't do anything to go back and change myself. It ceratinly would have been wise to work harder in school, in order to receive academic scholarships and what have you, but how do I know I'd even take my own advice, if I were do go back. Sure it would have been great to learn the hard lessons sooner, but I have learned them, and changing negative aspects of the past may change positibve aspects of my present, so I'm fine with the course my life has taken, for better or worse.