Baylor University Top Questions

During my senior year of high school, I was completely neurotic. It seemed like I constantly had something to do. Apply for colleges, make straight A's, pass AP exams, etc--my existence revolved around academics. It was so intense that, more often than not, I had bad dreams about failing high school or not getting scholarships. In the end, though, I stressed over nothing. If I could go back to that year and give myself some advice about the huge transition that I was about to make, I would tell myself to relax a little and enjoy the excitement of starting the newest chapter in my life. I would tell myself to enjoy that last summer with my friends, and then enjoy the wonderful new people that I would meet at Baylor, instead of worrying about money and grades all of the time. Yes, those things are important; ultimately, however, college is about so much more than making A's. It's about enjoying your youth. It's about making lifelong friends. It's about growing as a person --both spiritually and academically-- and finding out who you want to be for the rest of your life.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would encourage myself to apply for colleges sooner. After graduating from high school, I took a year off from school to work multiple full-time jobs and help out with family bills. While I like to help out my family, I put my own life on hold. I pushed school and art aside and I regret not putting myself first for once. Art has always been a passion of mine and something I have a natural talent for. I have never had a lot of confidence in myself and am afraid of failure, because of this I hold myself back sometimes. One of my favorite quotes is, "You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take". Since graduating high school I have come to realize what this means. I don't want to look back on my life and wonder what could of been and remember all the opportunities I let pass me bye because I was afraid to try. So if I could go back in time, I would tell myself to pursue my ambitions right away.

College life is difficult. I think almost everyone knows that. But you know what? Don't be afraid to move forward. College is going to be great. You're going to learn new things: i.e., how to live on your own, how to survive on cheap meals, how to deal with new professors and really intense classes, etc. But most importantly, you're going to meet new people, some of which you'll be able to call "friends" for a long time. You're going to have people who'll help you, who'll care for you so much you'll wonder why they do. They won't just be your classmates. They'd also be your professors. Think about this: a few years from now, you're going to have a professor who'll serve as your mentor, counselor, and friend and you'll be grateful for him. Also, think about this: the beauty of college is discovering yourself. During high school, you always wondered about what you want to do in life. Guess what? You'll be able to answer that soon. All you have to do is discover it for yourself. Stay amazing. Go for it.

I have a younger sister who is a senior in high school and I imagine the advice I've been giving to her is the same I would give myself. First is to buy rainboots and shower shoes. It's ridiculous how in handy they come. The second is that college is what you make of it. If you stay in your room the whole day, you know exactly what will come of your experience. I have learned that being involved on campus and introducing yourself to new experiences and people is exactly what college is all about. Making yourself vulnerable and willing to challenge set beliefs- this is where you learn what truly matters in life. People say that college is an unforgettable experience. I think it's unforgettable because you learn to forget your inhibitions and become the person you were always meant to be. As a junior, I am getting to that point when my time here is almost at its end and that would have scared me three years ago because college was always the end goal. My third piece of advice is to remember that college is not the end. It's only the beginning.

If I had the chance to go back in time and talk to myself, I would better prepare myself for the hard transition of moving two thousand miles away right after graduating high school. The transition from living with my family to living on my own in a complete different state has been a difficult one and it takes a lot of time to get adjusted. Sometimes I even consider transferring back home just to be with my family and friends. I would also tell myself to better prepare for college financially; saving up and understanding all the costs of living on your own. Had I been better prepared, it would have made the transition to college a lot easier and I wish I would have taken saving for college more seriously. Baylor is a great school but had I known how hard it would be, I would have considered staying home for a couple years to better prepare myself for the transition of moving away as well as balancing working and going to school. It would have made affording Baylor easier and would have reduce home sickness both of which can affect my productivity in school.

The college that I'm currently attending wasn't my first choice, but rather a last result. I never really gave Baylor a chances. In high school, I was deadset on attending a school in a differnt state than Texas, but that didn't happen. Needless to say, I was less than happy to only be 3 1/2 hours away from home. I never really gave the school much of a chance. When I arrived, my sadness grew as I looked around and notice how 'boring' everything looked, but I was proven wrong. As classes started and the days went by, Baylor offered so many opportunities for students to get know one another and learn about different clubs and organizations. Slowly and surely, I started to warm up to the school and unleashed the Baylor Bear within me. I attened football games, joined clubs and met some amazing people. Knowing all this, the advice I would give myself is to not judge something until you're experienced what it has to offer. I judged Baylor before I even gave it a chance, but now that I'm here, I love it. All I can say is Sic'Em Bears!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that time management is key to a successful college career. I would also tell myself not to stress over classes and to take it one day at a time. College is a wonderful oppurtunity to meet new people and get out of your comfort zone. It's an oppurtunity that shouldn't be passed up on or missed.

I know you're eager to start college. There are a few things you should know. While you are in high school take as many advanced placement classes as possible. This will allow you to graduate early from college. When you take your SAT, try to at least get a score of 1400. Many colleges required a high SAT score. This score also helps financially when applying to colleges. As soon as your senior year begins start applying for scholarships. My mom has struggled to help me pay for college. She would tell me, "the more money you can get for college, the more money I can help you with." I didn't apply for many scholarship just because I didn't believe I would get them. Always believe in yourself. Regardless to what happens, always believe that tomorrow will be better than to today. Make it happen.

In retrospect, I would've told my senior high school self to do more research on the cost of schools at which I had applied. I chose Baylor on a whim decision after a campus tour, and while I am extremely pleased with the selection, I'm not so sure that it was the thriftiest choice. I think one of the hardest parts of the transition has been the financial struggle. I wanted to get involved on campus, but as such, I sacrificed an income from a job. I didn't prepare for the expenses that Baylor would burden my family with, and it would have done me a lot of good to have realized the cost at an earlier time. I should've applied for scholarships earlier (starting as early as freshmen year), taken the SAT again to try to increase my university endowed scholarship, and should've changed my spending habits and saved more before coming to Baylor. I now realize the strain that this decision to not prepare financially has put on me and my family. I am working hard to reverse this adversity and hope that I will be considered as a recipient of this scholarship.

I would tell my high school self to start out your first semester strong. I would also tell him to study in the library and also to buy some dry erase markers. I would also tell him to start using the dry erase boards in the basement of the library.