Appalachian State University Top Questions

I attended an expensive private school my parents had picked out for me for two years and all I did was party. I left and lived for a year on my own in Pittsburgh, working as a homeless shelter monitor and trying to figure out what I actually wanted. When I lived and worked in the "real world," I realized the incredible potential a university can offer. You have incredibly valuable, not to mention free, services available to you including a gym membership, camera rentals, and health and counseling services. There are hundreds of cool people with pHDs in fields that they enjoy and love all within a 5-mile radius, willing to talk to you and share their experiences and advice. In college, social networking is priceless. You are taking classes with future lawyers, doctors, congressmen, artists, and CEOs. If I were to go back in time and give myself advice, I would tell myself to enjoy and take advantage of every minute of it. Sure, getting drunk on weekends can allow you to escape from the doldrums of work, but don't miss out on these invaluable opportunities. Believe me, they'll be gone before you know it.

College life is as great as you make it. When I was entering college, I was the first in my family to pursue a bachelor's degree. Given the chance to tell myself a little about college, I would tell myself that it is up to you to succeed in college. In secondary education, instructor's comment on how college is going to be difficult. Usually something to the effect of "you know in college, they are going to be rough. They won't accept that." What they do not tell their students is that if you spend time dedicated to your school work, there is plenty of time to enjoy the perks of college life, ample opportunities for extra-curricular activities. One should not spend their time worrying about the future. Enjoy what you have while you have it. Each new phase will bring new challenges and pleasures. In the words of my Ms. Swofford "don't anticipate, participate."

The only advice I would give my self was to safe a little more money from my job. I was a great student in high school and my high school prepared me very well for college. This is a fantastic school and I have already learned so much. I would not change a thing.

If I could go back and talk to myself when I was a high school senior I would tell myself to take my time making friends. I would advise not meeting the first group of people I thought were friendship material and hanging out with them exclusively. I would say it?s important to try and meet a lot of different people, hang out with them, and get to know them. I would tell myself how important it is to have a diverse group of friends that accept me for who I truly am. Along with that I would tell myself to just be myself and not try to impress people, because there are a lot of people that will like me for who I am. I would stress to myself the importance of just being true to myself and finding friends that make me comfortable. I would also tell myself not to be ashamed to get a tutor and that I need an academic coach to help me manage my time better, as well as teaching me better study skills.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I wouldn't give myself any advice. I think one of the things that I have loved so much about college is all the new experiences that I have gained. I feel that if i were to go back I would just be shorting the experience. It would be like giving away part of a movie that you've never seen before. Even though college is a heavy load of work, the thing that keeps it from being too overwhelming is the new things that you encounter and the fun that you have meeting new people and accomplishing new things. The only thing I could possibly say would be enjoy it because its the best way to live a college lifestyle in my opinion.

Alexis there's so much to tell you about Appalachian! First you are going to college for a reason. So go out there and make new friends because first impressions are key. Don't worry about the summer reading so much because the author pretty much sums the whole thing up in his speech. Oh and break the ice with your room mate its not fun at all living with someone you hardley know. In the first few weeks of school I lost sight of why I was here and did not see why I was wasting my time in college. Talk to someone because it helped alot and will get you back on track. When it comes to frieds Sam , yes the guy you just broke up with, and Kelsey will help alot because you know its easier to meet people with people you already know. Sam will definitely bring you out of your shell and Kelsey will become your best friend over the next year. The key thing is don't take anything to seriously and for the first few weeks get out there and be sociable. You won't regret it.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would have loved to tell myself to STUDY hard, C's are not good enough, work harder to get those A's and B's, keep a GPA of 3.5 and above, stop goofing off in class, stay focused and be more involved in school functions. I would tell myself to be more outgoing, active, social and that being shy prevents you from achieving goals. I would have told myself to be confident . I deserve to be the best that I can be. I would have also said that maintaining really good grades in high school allows you to be accepted by the best schools in the nation, which means less time building yourself at a community college. Most importantly I would have told myself to pursue a college and major in Dance/Choreography (at that time I was passionate about that). I would have loved to tell myself these things because noone else did. PREPARATION IS THE KEY!!!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself, I would tell myself to spend more time with my friends and family. I personally was too excited to finally get out and be on my own, but I never knew it would be as hard as it has been. I've always been independent, so I figured going away to college would be a breeze. I didn't appreciate the time I had left with my friends in high school and wished it all away. I couldn't tell you one good memory I had from my senior year of high school because I sat in the classroom daydreaming the day away. I couldn't wait to graduate and get out of there, but now I wish I could go back to just relive the experience. Don't get me wrong, I had an awesome four years of high school, but it didn't prepare me for going off to college.

The first thing I would tell myself, in my senior year of high school, would be that you need to push yourself even though you practically done. I did well my senior year, but I could have done better. I would also make sure I knew the importance of filling out scholarships and working as many hours as possible.; though I worked a sufficent amount and filled a number of scholarship applications, I feel I only gave 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} not the full 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. I would have wanted myself to be more confident and just overall prepared for my great future.

The best advice that I could give myself as a high school senior would involve participation in college level courses during high school. I took several Advanced Placement courses to prepare myself for college, however, chose not to be tested for college credit. I now know that these credits are very valuable to my success as a student. Had I participated in the testing for the courses, I could be further along in my General Education requirements. This would mean being able to take more classes required for my special education major. I could potentially graduate earlier, or take more beneficial electives during my time spent in school. I would tell myself the importance of these credits. The testing fees, time spent studying, and actual test taking are a small sacrifice to make when I could potentially have placed out of many classes in my freshman year. I highly underestimated the value of these college preperation classes offered. I would tell myself to take advantage of their presence in my high school. I would remind myself of the benefits of the bonus preparation for a new life in college, as well as the potential credits.