Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

Ashley, As you grow up I realize that you are trying to speed up life. You need to take a step back, and live life as it is given, one day at a time. Life is a journey, it?s all important. Every step informs the rest. The goal is to enjoy it, live it to its fullest, do your best, live respectfully and with joy. And when you make mistakes ? and you do make them ? pick yourself up, apologize and keep going. Not only that, but make sure you work as hard and efficient as you can. Study until you can?t study any longer because when you get to college, the workload triples and you DO NOT want it to come as a surprise. And have fun because the college you will be going to, you will be hitting the books and sleeping if you want to do well. Oh, and Ashley leave the boys alone, they will be of no importance once you go to college; trust me! Also, don?t worry because you?re an intelligent, motivated young women and will do great but be ready for the challenge!!!

Dear self, Please know that in college, the life is completely different - though the newfound freedom is exhilirating at first, it is only a matter of time before the real work sets in. Don't think that just because your parents aren't there that you can let yourself go. Even in freshman year, your GPA is important; the people you associate yourself with are crucial as well. These are perhaps the friends who will attend your wedding, take you to the emergency room after you fall down the stairs, or even plan your funeral. Also, in choosing that single college, do not pick the one your best friend, boyfriend, or enemy is going. Decide for yourself, which school you want to start anew at. And most importantly, do not settle. If money is the issue, talk to the financial aid office - more often than not, they will help. Never let anyone deter you from your dreams, even your parents. Because though they tried to hinder my dream of going to Washington University, my dream school helped me more than one can imagine. And always, be grateful to wherever you get accepted to. Sincerely, Christine

Read more and always follow what yourt parents say about life because theyt know more than you and are jusdt trying to keep you from making the same mistakes that they made. understand that knowledge is power and it WILL give you a better life. Keep a good reputation and gain a lot of good experience while you are young so it will pay off when you are old. Do not hang out wiith the worng and remember that what you do today effect your tomorrow .

When I look back at myself as a high school senior, I consider my personality to be extremely carefree. This never proved to be a problem in high school, as my workload was light and manageable, and my family was always there to encourage/pester me. In college, the situation is drastically different. My mother and father live hours away, and I have only myself to depend on. If I choose to slack off instead of getting a head start on a research paper, it is entirely my decision. I had some trouble with this concept my first semester of college, and struggled frequently. The advice I would give myself as a high school senior would be to start being more responsible and self-reliant. I would tell myself never to merely take the easy way out, because giving minimum effort becomes a habit nearly impossible to break. I think by following that advice, my transition into college would have been much easier.

You can do well at any college

I know you're nervous about classes and grades. I also know you won't believe me when I tell you this, but calm down. You'll be fine. You won't always be the top student anymore, but you also aren't going to be the worst. I'm sure you'll want to spend all your time studying and before your first exams you'll have read your books and notes until you've memorized each line. But keep in mind that classes, while always important, should not be your only focus. Hard as this will be for you to believe, the library isn't the only place on campus worth spending time. Hang out with the people on your floor. Join clubs. Try new things. Meet new people. While you're at it, explore the city and check out some parties. I'm not trying to make your college experience comparable to John Belushi's in ?Animal House,? but we both know you would never let yourself do that. I'm confident you'll figure out how to handle the work load. Just don't forget to have fun. Life isn't only about class.

College is a blessing, and the most important thing to know going into school is never to waste the blessings we receive in life. There is nothing wrong with having fun, and college should be fun inside and outside of the classroom, but always remember why you are there. Always finish school work first, and then move on to the other parts of your life. Always remain open to growth and give to the surrounding community, as you never know what you may learn or receive while giving of yourself. Regardless of what you know now, you do not know everything. Yet, despite the fact that you do not, this does not mean you cannot succeed abundantly. If you stay true to yourself, your faith, and the dedication to academics I described earlier, you will succeed. Know that success is not about material prizes or defeating others, but about bettering yourself and knowing that at the end of the day you gave everything you had. This is what school is about. Do not waste it.

College is an entirely different world than highschool. You will deal with more stress and work than you ever thought you could, all while socializing more than you ever thought you would ever want to. Your health is the most important thing. You may thing you are invincible to all the micro germs that cling to a peice of food the instant it hits the ground, pick it up to continue eating, but you are not. Universities are disease factories. You can handle anything, from the all nighters in architecture studio the night before a final review, to hanging out with your floor until four in the mornng, only to get up four hours later to go to an all day dance rehearsal. You can do all of this, so long as you are healthy. Remember: Eat, Sleep and Exercise! Create as regular a schedule for yourself as possible. And, most importantly of all, enjoy yourself and remember that age-old song, "Make new friends, but keep the old."

As you get ready to go to college think about a few things. Who are you as a person? Are you more social or more studious? I know that I was more of a serious student who worked hard and didn't spend as much time with friends. That may have hurt me as I transitioned to college. Back home I had a small steady group of people I was comfortable being around, and when I got to college it was shocking to get thrown in without the support of the people I had gotten familiar with over my past twelve years of school. I think that the ability to work with and socialize with others is essential to ensuring that you will have a satisfying college experience. You need to be able to relax and work with others. While academics are obviously important, I would remind myself that being a friend, a teammate, and a classmate is important as well. I would tell myself to focus on being there for people as well as staying focused on my schoolwork.

Before coming to college, I wasn't really stressed about anything except what to pack and that I would inevitably grow apart from my friends at home. In fact, on my last night a couple of my best friends and I cried about this fear, only to video chat with each other the second we got to our new respective homes. What actually surprised me about college is how keeping in touch with some people from home, actually brought me closer to them than when we saw each other daily! Regarding the transition, I tend to be a person that needs to know information in advance to plan but I quickly realized here that I just needed to go with the flow and make connections with people naturally by being yourself. Finally, the last piece of advice I would give the senior version of myself is... 2nd semester senior year must come to an end and so does the work ethic that was lost with it. College is time to kick it in to high gear because your education is completely in your hands now so be the best you can be to make your family proud.