Augustana University Top Questions

Never reside with a housemate who is not on a lease. Even when unofficial subleasing was possible, no authority held the housemate accountable for paying bills, and great upheaval was needed to remove the unwanted guest. This became especially problematic when the aforementioned resident agitated friends and romantic relations and also purportedly used methamphetamine. Never lose faith in yourself. The world will constantly doubt your mettle. Explicit and implicit messages will daily remind you to give up. Find many reasons to defy them. Never lose sight of the big picture. There were days—even weeks—last year when I looked forward to nothing short-term. When my part time job scheduled me nearly 40 hours per week on top of a demanding, full-time academic course load, I wanted to drop out, quit my job, and never look back. I completed large swaths of tasks in dutiful fashion until I rekindled a zeal for working, studying, and daily living. Afterwards, the obligations no longer burdened me. I wish I wasted less time wracked with anxiety about all the commitments and enjoyed every day more. I have learned for the future, but could have avoided great drudgery.

Keep your head up and your eyes upon the Lord. This life is hard. People can be hurtful. One of the biggest obstacles you'll face is yourself and your own shortcomings. Everything can be a learning experience. As long as you're aware of and open to seeing your mistakes, you will continue to learn and grow from them, applying what you've learned to future experiences and situations. Be yourself, or rather, be who God created and called you to be. Many people are continually striving to be who society tells them they need to be. Stay true to yourself and the Lord though, and one day, people will start looking to you as a role-model and guide. You might feel like you don't measure up, or that you're not good enough. But just wait. Eventually they'll look up, and they'll see you for who you really are. They'll realize how beautiful you are, for you are God's child. They'll see how wonderful you are, but you know the truth - what they're seeing is really Jesus Himself living inside you.

As a current college student I would go back and tell myself to relax when first coming into college and not overextend myself in clubs and other excessive activities. I would also say to take some time and find who you sincerely are as a person and to associate with others that you find share a common characteristic you find in yourself and want in others. Along with that I would also encourage myself to stay focused on courses and also find others who are also involved in their learning, beacuse that is what going to college is all about. Also I would stress the fact not to get too stressed about your future, because the future always changes and to have something you think is concrete could one day turn to puddy. Lastly I would suggest to focus on your weakest subject while maintaining your strengths to become a overall better student and person.

I would advise my high school self to apply for more scholarships and save more money. College is more expensive than I originally thought. I would also tell myself to be completely honest when taking the survey for the roommate assignment. Another piece of advice I would give is to work harder on my people skills. Not only will I need it for making connections in college, but also in the line of work for which I am in training. I would also stress the fact that taking dual credit classes is a very good idea; those classes count as college credits and are easier in high school. My final piece of advice would be not to worry as much and try to have more fun. However, I know what I’m like so I doubt I would listen to myself on that last bit.

If I could go back and give myself any advice it would be to study, study, study and then study some more. When I was in high school, I never thought to schedule a time to study, I just expected my mom to tell me when I should study. I was doing myself a disservice by relying on my mom to keep me motivated. I realize now that it is all on me to decide when and how much I need to study. And now that I am in college, I need to study a lot more and study harder subjects as well. If I could give advice to myself as a high school student, or any high school student, it would be to study in any free time you have and do not depend on other people to make a schedule for you.

I would tell myself to listen to my mom, she really does know better. I would also tell myself to not be afraid to ask questions and there is no such thing as a stupid question. Most of all I would tell myself to enjoy every moment of college life, because it goes by way to fast and at one moment I will really have to grow up and enter the real world.

If I was able to go back in time and talk to myself, first I would tell myself that everything is going to work out. I remember the consuming fear I had about choosing the right college, making new friends, and moving away from home. Therefore, I would consolidate my past self and tell her to hold onto her confidence and patience. I would admit the transition is difficult, but she has strength still undiscovered that will help her adjust. Next, I would tell her to stay strong and open her mind to the oppertunities she is presented with. Being an undecided senior, I constantly had other people pushing me towards making the decision they expected me to make. The stress was overwhelming, and I let it overtake me. I missed a lot of scholarship oppertunities and never decided a major. I entered college as an comfortably undeclared major. I never took up the oppertunities to job shadow around my community, go to career fairs, and research possible careers. This decision is my greatest regret. I was left trying to set up these oppertunities myself while also balancing my work and class load. Lastly, I would say, "Never lose faith."

Lauren, as a college athlete, your time is going to be limited. People have been telling you for awhile that things get busier in college, but none of them balanced a sport with classes either. It will seem overwhelming at first, but you can make it. Just get your priorities straight as soon as you get there. You are there to get an education and track is a bonus. Get school work before you go hang out with friends, because they eat up time quickly. You need sleep as an athlete too, so don't stay up all hours of the night. You can't study the same way in college as you did in high school. It's ok to study a week before a test, and it is highly encouraged. Don't procrastinate. It will bite you in the butt.

If I were to travel back in time and have an insightful conversation with my high school self, I believe I'd have much advice to give myself. Someone going to college can choose a couple different paths, they can be 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} fully dedicated to their education and study 24/7, they can party all the time making many new friends but do extremely poorly in their classes, or they can get involved in the fun and safe activities taking place on campus as well as spending ample time with their studies. That is the best road to take. Get involved as much as you can, meet new people, do fun things, however do not spread yourself too thin, and make sure you still have ample time for your education. When I first started, I wanted to be involved in everything, musicals, clubs, etc. and I held down two jobs and pulled good grades. Although that was a blast and I loved it, I was absolutely exhausted and stressed out. Therefore, my official advice would be encouragement to get involved with campus activities, however still make ample time for education and to not try to do too many things.

If I could go back in time to when I was a senior in high school, I would give myself a few pieces of advice. First, I would tell myself to be prepared to study more than I think I should; college is a lot more challenging than high school so I need to do a lot more studying. My next bit of advice is to be a "social butterfly." In other words, I would encourage myself to meet as many new people as I could. The more friends I make will result in a more enjoyable college experience. Being outgoing and friendly in college will ultimately help in the future because it teaches me valuable social skills. The same goes for professors; the more I interact with them, the more likely they are to write a good Letter of Recommendation for me for graduate school. Also, I would tell myself to not be afraid to take risks. College is a time of exploration and finding who I am as an individual. Risks may lead to mistakes, but then I can learn from those mistakes. Lastly, enjoy every minute of it because it flies by fast.