Appalachian State University Top Questions

If I could go back to high school to give my former self any advice, I would tell myself to push myself more academically and extra-curricularly. I was always an above-average student; however, with the work schedule I was unable to participate in extra-curricular activities and sports as I would have liked to. I believed that it was important to work and make money, both of which helped me learn to budget and manage my time; however, I should have enjoyed myself a bit more than I did. I also would have told myself to apply for more scholarships and grants to pay for school. More than anything, I would have advised myself to begin dancing earlier than I did because I learned that dance is my passion and I intend to positively impact others through my dance, and if I had begun earlier, I would be further along as far as talent, understanding, self confidence, and physical fitness. Although I would like to give myself advice, I am happy with the way that things turned out, so I would urge myself to attend Appalachian State University for undergrad. -Joshua M Carr

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself not to stress out about where I went to college because I'm sure that wherever I chose, would end up being a good match for me. I would also tell myself that going into college with an open mind and putting myself out there to make friends is the ideal outlook to have when first starting college. If you aren't willing to be open-minded, no one is going to want to be your friend, or at least you won't make the friend you truly want.

Many people feel like they need to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives, but they don't. I stressed out about it and that ended up being for no reason because Nursing just kind of fell into my lap. Bottom line, my advice to myself would be: Enjoy today, don't stress out about tomorrow.

If I were able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would give myself a couple words of advice. If I could go back I would tell myself to make my college choice decision based solely on myself. When deciding where to attend college, it is the individual that is most important. One should not base their decision on their friends or family. With this advice I would be sure to make the right decision on where to attend college and know that my choice would lead me to a wonderful four years in college getting my education. If I told myself to make my decision on just myself then I would know that the school I chose would be everything that I wanted and lead me to a brighter future.

If i came back in time I would tell my self right away to start early on applying for colleges and sign up for the SAT or ACT because it is going to be a lot of stress for you if you sign up or apply to colleges in the end of your senior year. It will be difficult and maybe to much to handle in your senior year. Right away when you are as senior or even a jumior start ahead.

I would tell myself that I do not have to decide that very moment what I want to do for the rest of my life and not to be in such a rush to grow up. I would tell my teenaged self to stop being so hard on herself and to really explore the world and her interests. The general education requirements and the variety of courses available for electives is a great opportunity to try things on for size, so to speak. I would encourage her to dabble in these electives, to try something completely new that she may not have originally tried as it just might become something she loves! I would tell her its ok to be undecided on a major at 18 years of age. The world wasn't created in a day and neither does her lifelong career decision have to be made in a day. I would also let her know that its ok if she doesn't rush right into college. I am a non-traditional student now and I think my life experience is a tremendous asset in the classroom. I would encourage her to take her time with the whole process.

I would tell myself to stay focused, and be aware of all the opportunities that await during my entrance to college. The weather is one thing to ponder on and enjoy. Club sports and other athletics take a lot of time in a very hectic schedule, so don't believe it's do or die on days when you may be able to get exercise. Always choose to study and do homework over having fun with video games, TV, or doing some sort of physical activity. Friends are in abundance, so make sure you take the time to speak with them, hang out, outside of class and group meetings. Try to plan mealtimes for the week, so you're not constantly on your own improvisation and end up eating alone. Speaking of food, the meal plan has already been paid for. It's a lot of money, and a lot of good food to go along with it; therefore, resist as many times as you can the sugar cravings, because you don't need dessert at every meal. Lastly, make sure God is the top priority, from sunup to sundown.

Dear Self,You are now a senior in high school and are doing well. I am your future self from the summer before your sophomore year of college. This has not happened to you yet, but this summer you will re-connect with the handsome guy you met at church years ago and have lost touch with since. He has a significant age difference and your family will not appreciate this. After dating for one short month, he will decide to follow you to college. Your family will give you much grievance about his quick decision to move away to college with you, where they cannot watch over you. Just try to remember that everything they do is truly because they love you. Even though what they will do will hurt your feelings, do not let them break you. Use this anger to feed your intense will to succeed. Remain strong and prove them wrong about his presence affecting your grades and college experience. However, you should also empathize with them. They love you very much and just want you to be successful in life. Show them the potential that you have to become a mature and independent college student.

I would volunteer or shadow at a variety of different places, so that I could get a better idea of what I wanted to go to school for. Learn about all the options out there, and don't just go for what you already know about. If you know what you want to do in life as a high school senior, then it will save time and money in your college years. Never give up on your dreams. If you need to get a tutor, or ask someone for help, DO IT, because you won't be less of a person for it, and it will help in the long run. Believe in yourself that you can accomplish whatever you want in life, no matter what your background.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself not to be scared to ask for help. Sometimes your going to fail and that's ok because it only makes you stronger. I would also tell myself that money should not be you're major concern, and school should always come first. I have always had the motivation to succeed in life, but was always afraid I would be held back because my family wasn't financially stable. I had a job at a young age so I could save my pennies for my future. College costs thousands of dollars and my stomach would hurt just thinking about it. Today I know that if you put school first and try you're hardest to receive good grades, there are programs and scholarships out there to help students like me, reach their goals of becoming a nurse. I must be doing something right because I just received my Associates of Arts degree and still have the motivation, and support I need to make it through the nursing program.