Washington University in St Louis Top Questions

As I have stated before, I come from a low income family who has lived paycheck to paycheck. This was very stressful for my family and I didn't want my future children to live in such an environment so I pursued a career that had a bit of stability in the current job market. As I have progressed through my program, I have come to wonder if I really should have pursued what I felt was my dream and what I feel is my true talent and strength. If there was something I could say to my high school senior self, it would be do not worry about money, do what you really love. Pursue art, pursue what makes you feel accomplished and do it so you can be proud of your work and know that what you do is what you do best and that if you are truly talented in this area you can and will go far.

Dear Me,Making the transition from high school to college is easier than they tell you. There are advisors, RAs, and plenty of other confused freshmen to guide you into the start of your college journey. However, the one thing you aren’t told enough is to hold on to your passion once it reveals itself to you. Most people spend their entire life searching for their passion. Switching from job to job, going back to school, experimenting with new hobbies—it’s all in an effort to find the place where you can thrive. Save years of your life and relentless stress by trusting your gut. It doesn’t lie. When yours passion reveals itself to you, listen! Most people search for so long because they refused to pay attention the first time. Whether the path was too difficult or wasn’t financially promising, they found a reason to let it go. It may be a bit of a cliché, but clichés are repeated so often because of their importance. You have a strong idea of what you want in life, so find the courage to pursue it.Sincerely,Future You

The most important thing I could tell my younger self would be to take time and enjoy the experience. I spent so much time worrying about every little detail the first time around that I burned out and ended up dropping out. I have since learned patience and time management, but I think that is something that truly comes with age. I would tell myself that it is ok to take some time off to catch a breath or catch up with family because it's these little breaks that will save your sanity. I would remind myself that the library is my friend and not to waste this opportunity because there are plenty of people out there who would love to be in my spot. Education is a gift and a priveledge; for those who get the chance to persue it have the obligation to do something amazing with it.

The first piece of advice I would give myself is that I need to learn to stop procrastinating. Studying or doing an assignment the night before it's due may have worked in high school but it rarely works in college. And even when it does it just creates a lot of undue stress. The second thing I would advise is that when I get to college to take chances. Don't be afraid of what others think or what will happen if I fail. If you want to try out for acapella, do it! If you want to run for student council, then go for it! College is the time for you to grow and discover who you really are. You can't do that if you're afraid to try new things. So be fearless and you'll be amazed at the kind of person you become. The last piece of advice I would give myself is to try to make several very good friends while I'm in college. They'll see me through some tough times and they'll be there for me even after college ends.

“Here, you’ll be spending late nights, early mornings, and moments when you’re too tired to know what time it is”, the college tour guide quipped, pointing to the library. As we moved on to the gym, and she warned us “Make a good schedule now, with time for sleeping, eating healthy, and working out, thereby helping you maintain one in college,” I thought about my late nights texting friends and procrastinating homework, and the many breakfasts missed as I ran late to school. Next, at the activities fair, she suggested, “Pursue your outside interests during high school- continuing a hobby you love can help college be less stressful.” The tour ended at the classrooms- “Here,” she reminisced, “I remember wishing I’d paid more attention my senior year- my supposed prior knowledge of calculus, chemistry, etc., was needed in college classes.” Her words faded away as a bell rang, waking me up; I was startled to find myself in my high school physics class. Seeing the chalkboard of formulas and theorems I had missed, I knew the tour guide had given me valuable advice for my senior year…the first of which was to stop napping during class.

Coversation would go like this: “Hey, you look exactly like me? Did my mom have a twin I didn’t know about?” “I’m you from the future and I’m going to give you college advice.” “You’re from the future? Ok. Why are you giving me college advice? Wouldn’t it be better to give me advice about something later in life? I’m sure there’s some major decision after college that would be good to know. “I couldn’t choose when to give you advice! Now listen. Don’t go to college because you are not going to make it there. You should use your time wisely and get a 9 to 5 job. “What!” “Ha-ha. I’m just messing with you.” “Hey, that wasn’t funny. Well, it was I admit.” “Listen. My advice is to do as you will. I could tell you ways to prevent some tough setbacks in college, but I believe those mistakes made me the person I am today. I’m committed to helping myself and others in important ways. It is this growth that is more important than the person I would have been had college gone perfectly."

Congratulations! I know you haven’t finished high school yet, but you will! Do that pre-freshman year program! You will make a lasting group of friends. You’ll have more time in college, yet classes will be more difficult and will require you to study. Create study groups! Find your own study area! And understand that you aren’t a failure if you get a grade lower than expected. Many of your beginning exams will be on a curve, meaning that your grade will depend on everyone else. Therefore, even if you think you did terrible on an exam, in reality, you could be better than most! And try new activities! However, don’t let them interfere with your studies. Especially as a pre-medical student, you need to keep grades in mind. Learn to schedule everything and allot time for studying. And most importantly, you can do it! I mean, I came back and talked with you, and I’ve been pretty successful. My advice here is to make your life, and therefore my life, easier and more productive. Now go, finish your last days of high school and get ready for the best time of your life!

My transition to college as a high school senior was full of anxiety. Applying to college made me doubt everything about myself and thinking of how much my life would change was debilitatingly terrifying. I spent a lot of time making myself physically sick with the thoughts that college was going to be an insurmountable challenge because I relied so heavily on the experiences told by my recent college graduate sister. With one full semester under my belt at this point, I know I'm not too far in to be judging all of the college experience, but I know at least a few crucial things I would have told my senior self. 1) Make your own opinions. My reliance on others' thoughts of college colored my views so much that I was unable to appreciate the gift of unknown possibilities. 2) Don't be afraid to redefine your educational identity. Going into college I was so sure that I knew how to be a student because I had found a rhythm in high school that allowed me to do well. I was reluctant to change my patterns. College is completely new; allow your learning style to be new too.

If I could advice my high school self I would recommend her to be confident in who she is as person and student. In high school, especially during the college application process, I was intimidated by the great number of selective schools and the competitive nature of the admission process. It compelled me to question who I was as a student and whether I was "good enough" for the schools that I was applying to. I grew increasingly insecure of my abilities but because of the support of my family, I decided to apply to the selective universities. Now that I have completed a semester at Washington University in St. Louis, I have learned that one must be confident in his/her abilities in order to achieve success. Although Washington University is filled with intelligent thinkers, I realized that once I started to acknowledge my strengths and weaknesses, my academic performance improved. Therefore, to my high school self, you are talented and smart, and do not let anything make you feel differently.

Running was always my biggest stress release. I cleaned my mind of negative thoughts by listening to the rhythmic thumps of my shoes hitting the pavement or to the quick yet steady breathing of the other girls who were running with me. Once my run was done I was refreshed, and any problems I was experiencing seemed more manageable. Adjusting to the new room, amount of workload, and friends at college took time though, and I found myself skipping my daily runs. I never found a new way to de-stress, so I became lethargic and was always sick. After eight weeks of not running I decided to give it a try again, and I immediately remembered the love for running I once had. Since then, I have run everyday and feel healthier than ever. Overall, I would tell my past self to not stop running. I would let myself know that I have to make time to run even my busiest days because it keeps me mentally healthy. I feel that I missed out on experiences during those weeks of lethargy, and I could have avoided these regrets simply by running for a quick twenty minutes.