West Chester University of Pennsylvania Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that college is absolutely nothing like high school. I would tell myself that although I may not have had to try in high school to get good grades, college is completely different. You need to try as hard as you possibly can, because getting off of academic probation is not the easiest thing to do. I would also tell myself to talk to more people during freshman year or else the year is going to drag on and you will think that you are never going to get out of there. Other than that I would tell myself not to worry because college can be a lot of fun as long as you make sure to apply more time with schoolwork than spending time with your friends.

If I were to give myself advice when I was a senior I would most likely tell myself not everything in life is going to be easy, you’re not going to be able to put the bare minimum in and slid through the cracks any longer. Now is the time in your life were you need to start getting serious and preparing yourself for the real world. I know you want to have fun but you have all summer you need to start taking pride in your studies and training yourself how to be and impendent student. I would also tell myself to do things as you’re ready for them and do the things in life you enjoy and want to spend the rest of your life doing not just the things your mom, dad, or teaches “think” you should be doing. You know yourself best you know what’s going to make yourself happy you need to do what you want in order to be successful in life.

TRUST YOURSELF and GO FOR IT!!!! You always accomplish what you set out to do. Have the courage to know yourself, stand up for what you feel and take risks that bring you to your dreams. You are worth it!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high schoool senior, I would write myself this letter: Dear Ally, You are about to embark on a journey of the unknown. It's astounding that we as a nation ask 18 year olds to choose what they want to do for the rest of their lives and make a commitment to an institution for four years when you don't even really know yourself. So, my best advice to you would be to get to know yourself before you make this huge commitment. Take a few trips, even if they're just road trips, to see what else is out there. Take up a new hobby, work a few jobs, and save some money. If you spend only one year on a journey of self-discovery, I believe that you will be pleasantly surprised at what you find out about yourself. The more you know about yourself, the better you will do in college with the challenges, struggles, adventures, and opportunities come your way. Best wishes for an amazing future! Ally

Don't be in such a hurry to grow up. Take time to learn things and enjoy your youth. Life is like a roll of toilet paper.... the closer to the end you get, the faster it goes. Life will wait on you. Don't marry too young...you have the rest of your life to find love. Education is very important. It will determine how much you are worth in the business world. Follow your dreams. If you don't, you'll end up hating what you do. At 30, you will find yourself ready for a change. Remember, mom and dad aren't as dumb as you think they are now. You will find they will be your best friends once you get over yourself. As you age, you will be able to count your true friends on one hand, if you are lucky.

College has been such an amazing experience for me and has forced me to grow and mature in ways I never knew possible. As these passed three semesters have come and gone I have learned how to balance my social and academic life very well. I am a very organized individual and constantly in search of ways to get involved in the community. If I could go back in time and give myself as a high school senior any advice, it would be to not get caught up in the future and to believe in yourself. The important part about college is to harvest your dreams and any school you attend will allow you to meet amazing people and discover more about yourself you could never predict. My dream is to continue enjoying school for all that it has to offer. In the second semester of my junior year, I hope to study abroad in Scotland and someday incorporate my love of travel into a career. This scholarship would help me achieve my dreams and help inspire new ones. This scholarship would keep me focused on my studies instead of the cost of school. Thank you for your consideration.

If I could go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would give myself the advice that regardless of where the college is located, no matter what activities it offers, and regardless of the classes you take; there is no reason to be apprehensive about making the college transition because college is what you make of it. By saying, "college is what you make of it," I mean that as long as you study hard, connect with your professors, and become involved in extracurricular activities you can successfully make a smooth transition to college life. College is a time to reinvent yourself. Even though it can be confusing when figuring out what your beliefs are separate from your parents, when living on your own, you grow into the person you want to be. The ability to discover new traits and characteristics about yourself without judgement is an opportunity every young adult should experience. If I could give current high school seniors advice about making the transition, I would simply say take a deep breath, and no matter what college you choose, you can succeed as long as you have the desire to do so.

Knowing what I know about college life and making the transition, the advice I would give myself would be to always stay true to myself and be open to other people’s lifestyles. I would say that throughout the first two years of my college experience, I was so concentrated on making friends and “fitting-in” that I lost what i standed for. I found myself to be very unhappy and disappointed in myself at times. It wasn’t until after my sophomore year when I moved off-campus, that I realized that I did not need to try so hard for people to like me. Now as a senior, I have built relationships with my professors, mentors, and friends that I truly will treasure forever because I have remained truthful to whom I am in the last two years. Secondly, I came from a very small high school and I was very oblivious to how this small atmosphere would affect me attending a faily large college. I regret being closed-minded at times because I believe some of the most lasting and influential memories I have in college center around the times when I was open-minded to others.

I wouldn't change a thing about what I've learned or what I've done. The bottom line is respect, though. I would tell myself to live with respect and friendliness to others, because they probably felt as alone and insecure as I did when I started college. No matter our backgrounds or pasts, we all need love and compassion, and those values begin with respect.

I would tell myself to start thinking about what it is I want have for a career. It's taken me four years to finally figure out what I want to do with my life, I only wish I had figured it out sooner.