Wartburg College Top Questions

Being a high school senior the advice I would give myself is to keep working hard in school, and just because it is senior year and there are exciting things happening. To keep focused on school and trying for scholarships, along with working hard in school. Work hard in the workplace and start saving money, once in college necessary items start to feel more and more expensive. The biggest word of advice I would've given to my high school self is to be yourself, embrace new experiences and new ideas and enjoy life. Don't let anybody stop you from following your own dreams.

Now being a junior at Wartburg College, if I could go back in time and give myself some advice there are a few things that I would say. The first being trying to save as much money as possible throughout my high school career. There are many different expenses that one must afford while attending college such as groceries, rent, and tuition; every little penny I believe that I could have saved would have helped tremendously. The next piece of advice I would give myself would be to not take high school for granted. There were several missed opportunities, such as taking more college credited classes, that I didn't take advantage of that could have helped me out further down the road. The last little advice I would give myself would be to continue to be who I am. Don't forget about all the people who were supporting me throughout my high school career because they will continue to support you throughout your college career as well. Enjoy life as it is and don't take the life that has been give to you for granted!

Dear younger self,

Since I did not do all that well in High School, I would tell myself to get out more. Then take ONE year to work, explore, and live some. Finally I would tell myself to go to college when I was younger and had more energy.

If I could go back and give my high school self some advice it would be, "Don't worry so much." Don't worry about what you are going to major in, whether or not you will make friends, will you like your roomate, how many times will I get lost. Yes, all of those things matter but I think that they will just fall into place. You don't need to have any special skills or knowledge. I've learned that things happen if and when they are supposed to. Don't force something to happen if it isn't ready to happen. All of your decisions will be made in the right time and manner for you and only you. Don't wory about what the guide books or stupid pamphlets tell you, they help, but do what is right for you.

As a high school student I was very worried about the transition to high school. If I could give myself some advice on how to transition into college I would have a lot to say. First of all, I would say get to know people. Meet the people on your floor and get to know them, since you will be living with them all year long. Get to know the people in your classes because it will be helpful when you need help on your homework. Next, I would say don't stress too much over your homework, its a transition from high school to college, but in the end it will turn out okay. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it and when you need to--call home!!

The first thing I would be sure to express to myself is that college is immensely better and easier than high school. For someone like me who hated high school and the drama that came with it, college was a breath of fresh air that I had been longing for. I'm not going to lie, the first three days were the hardest, but there's a lot of support that first week of freshmen orientation. My college purposely put me in a group of students who were like me which made making friends a breeze. I've also noticed that college students tend to be more open minded and accepting. It's the first time in your life when you can actually form your own opinion and voice it without feeling judged by your peers. I'd also recommend taking a light course load that first semester since the first months can be overwhelming and you're still trying to adjust to this new lifestyle. There will always be a time when balance will be hard, but if you pick the right people your group of friends will be there to support you during the bad and the good.

As a high school I always tried to stay on task with my work, and maintaining a high GPA as well as having good grades. But from experiencing college I learned that in order to get something you must do it on time and by yourself, you cannot expect and wait for someone to do your tasks. I would give myself the advice of focusing on school a little bit more because as a senior I let a lot of my grades dropped for not focusing , now that I am in college I am far more focused and it is paying off because seeing good grades satisfies me and my mom. In high school there is no pressure of bills; those years are mainly to learn and get good grades now in college is more difficult because school is a big expense.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself about how college really is, I would make sure to emphasize to stop stressing about which college and major to choose. For me, I believe any private college would have sufficed for my education. Taking the introductory courses in college really help decipher what you want to do with your life. I also would have told myself to take more college classes during my senior year to save money, and prepare for the science classes by taking Advanced and AP courses. On a different sort of note, I would have made sure that my past self used alternate ways to buy textbooks. Buying used books online would have saved me a lot of money that I could have used for other things. Lastly, one of the most important things I wish I could have told myself was that the transition to college is the hardest one that you will encounter at this point in your life. When homesickness sets in and you wish you could go home, just take a breath and relax. Enjoy the new experience as it comes, and let your mind adjust itself. Calm down.

I would advise myself to not graduate early, and enjoy the last year of high school, because it is a lot harder of a transition than i thought. It would have been nice to get the summer to prepare for college. Even though i passed all of my classes going straight into Elgin Community College 3 days after I finished my last finals in high school. I would also encouage myself to join more clubs, such as the Honors Society or student council. I would advise to focus more on after school activities over working. Since i was working so much my senior year I didn't get to go to any of the athletic games and support my school by attending. I would want to go to more of the games and cheer on my school and show more school spirit, as I did when I was a cheerleader my freshman ans sophomore year. I guess the best advise I could give myself my senior year before transitioning to college would be to enjoy all the things high school has to offer while I still can.