West Chester University of Pennsylvania Top Questions

The best advice I could give to high school Olivia would be to learn for myself rather than the grade. I am an "eager to learn" individual but I also know what I need to do and the amount of time necessary to get a good grade. The past 4 years, before I had a passion for Chemistry, I studied the material I knew would land me a solid grade in the least amount of time. I regret nothing more than working for a grade rather than the knowledge itself. I would advise high school Olivia to teach and preach the new material she would come across in order to process it in a resourceful way. Do not completely procrastinate to the point where the knowledge flows through your working memory and evades you immediately after its needed. I would encourage my high school self to make friends in my area of study. None of my friends in college had a science background so all of my discussions regarding science were with me, myself, and I. I realized how important discussing new material is in comprehension and application of new information. I can, however, and will still take my advice.

If I could go back and speak with my high school senior self I would tell myself to never loose sight of my dreams. College is the period for learning, growing, maturing, and finding oneself. It is easy to slip away into the social scene and forget about the most important thing that college is for – fulfilling a lifelong dream, the dream of a career that you will love forever. I understand as a senior in college how easy it is to loose sight of the most important things in life even for a moment. The smallest mistakes, even accidents, can tarnish your reputation and make that dream harder, even impossible to obtain. College can be so much fun, and a great experience as an independent person finding their way into the real world. It is always necessary though to remember in every situation what your true goal in college is, and to never loose sight of that dream. I think these are wise words to tell any high school senior.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that college is much different than high school. In high school, teachers are required to make sure that you do your homework and that you stay on top of you school work. In college, it is up to you to make sure that you take care of your responsibilites. In college, the professors do not call your parents when you do not do your assignments or you misbehave in class, instead they tell you to leave, and never return. Also, I would tell myself to save money and to make sure that I am aware of my spending. College is very expensive, so it is important to save money and not waiste it. So, the advice that I would go back and give myself would be to stay on top of my school work, to take responsibility for my own actions, stay focused, eliminate all distractions, and save money.

I would tell myself not to worry. I entered college filled with fears of the changes that might come. My first semester was spent alone in my dorm room afraid to submerge myself in the West Chester community. I would tell myself to break out of my shell more and to not be afraid to meet all kinds of people and develop meaningful relationships. I would also encourage myself to work harder the first two years and take my studies seriosuly. So many students party too much and drop the ball the first two years and lower their GPA. I was fortunate enough to work hard the last two and raise my GPA to an acceptable level. I would tell myself to get involved with more clubs and to not judge a book by its cover. West Chester provided many opportunities to join many kinds of clubs and get involved. I would tell myself not to worry so much and enjoy the next four years to the best of your ability because they fly by in the blink of an eye.

Relax. College is a whole new and amazing experience that will open your eyes to so many different opportunities and experiences. It's going to be tough, as it should be, but it is nothing that you can't handle. You will find an amazing group of friends that will support you through the transition, as they are going through the same struggles. It will be frightening at first, but be patient because you will quickly find that this is a place you can call home and you will actually start to miss it when you are not there. It may be scary to think about the fact that you are starting a whole new chapter in your life, but it will be one of your best, so do not waste your time worrying. Make the best of every second and do not wish the time away. Give your best in everything you do and never be afraid to try new things. You never know where things will end up taking you.

I would tell myself to just be confident. Confidence is very important in college as the classes and trying to meet new people can be intimidating at first. Also I would tell myself to just enjoy the experience and learn as much as you can. And the cool thing is you aren't just learning from your classes, I mean obviously I've learned a lot from them. But in college you can learn so much about how important time management is and planning for yourself. No one is there to hold your hand in college so it's good and important to learn the skill of scheduling out your day and how you can be most productive. Like I said before about confidence, I would tell myself to just meet as many new people as I can. You never know who may end up becoming one of your best friends. College is a once in a lifetime thing that you need to take full advantage of, you will never get this time back.

You are so much more capable than you lead yourself to think. I would give this advice to not only my younger self, but anyone facing the upcoming challenges of high school and college. We are a generation that has been plagued by aid, handouts, and the assumption that we cannot work for anything. While I may not be able to speak for everyone in my age group, it is fair to say we are easily discouraged. If given the opportunity, I would heavily stress that to myself that the next 4-8 years will most likely be the most difficult faced so far, but they can be conquered. Stress and doubt are natural, but if other people can surmount these tasks than so can I (you). Investing in yourself always pays off ten-fold, and frankly it is the best thing you can do with your time. In closing, I would reiterate, “take your time, do things right the first time. Step back so you can put things in perspective, and set goals.”

I would tell myself to save and no be so irresponsible with money. Also I would tell myself everything is going to be ok and everything will work out if I just don't give up. I need to go for what I want with more confidence.

I would advise myself to save more money intead of buying things I didn't need. I'll be paying huge amounts of student loans and the financial burden is one that I couldn't have even imagined before actually dealing with it. I would also advise myself to apply for as many scholarships as I could because any amount would help. I was stressed in high school, but taking the time to at least try to get something would be better than not trying at all. I would also advise myself to pack earlier, as funny as that seems, and I would advise myself to take time to breathe, make a priority list, and get everything I had to get done, completed so I wouldn't be so stressed.

Well Julie, your almost finished high school! This is an exciting time in your life but there are a few things I want you to remember as you go to college. Any action you make in life has a reaction. Now that reaction can be positive or negative but that’s for you to decide. Go out and be active on campus. Do something meaningful, impactful, something that leaves a legacy in the community of people you’re surrounded with. Be positive and uplifting in the words that come out of your mouth and the words that you think to yourself . Also, surround yourself with people who do the same. Always be honest, even if honesty might be hard. Remember that if your living environment is thriving your academics will as well. Know that college is not what it seems like in the movies. You do not have to be best friends with your roommate but as long as you live respectfully you will succeed. Lastly, remember that you are at college for your academics, focus on what is truly important. Most of all, know that your family will always be there to support and love you no matter what.