Baylor University Top Questions

Dear Senior Kendra, I have three clear and important pieces advice for you to excel throughout your senior year. 1. Apply for scholarships until you are blue in the face. Use your writing bone to sculpt the perfect pieces. Just be your charming self. 2. Choose dual credit classes over AP courses. AP courses may boost your GPA, but the class is pointless if you're unable to pass the AP test at the end of the year. Save time and get guaranteed credits. 3. Think about where you aspire to go to college ahead of time: it will save you time, money, and energy. Have fun! I know I did. Signed, Sophomore College Kendra

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to go to a community college in the transition from high school to college. It is a really rough transition, especially from where I went to high school, and things are just a thousand times harder now that I am in college. I do love Baylor, but I wish I would have been more prepared coming in at the beginning of last year. I also wish that everything didn't go so rough for me, so I would make sure that I would either pick another school, or I would make sure that I have someone to help me with all of my studying (an instructor, etc.) I would also tell myself that living at home and just going to community college at first is the way to go, so this way I can transition to being without my parents all of the time and having them cook for me and my mom always cleaning up after everyone. There are a lot of things I would go back in time and change, but here are just a few of them.

I would tell myself to go to my prospective campus with my schedule and walk around the campus and get to know where all of my classes were rather than waiting on the day of my first class and being completely lost and disoriented. I would also tell myself to take all the advice that your parents give you to heart and to always remember what they have told you about going to college because more than likely they have already been there and they know exactly what to expect. I wish now that I had listened to the advice my mom gave me about finding my classes before the first day of class.

I would listen to my Mom's wise advice! I had several scholarship opportunities and had to audition for the School of Music at schools my Mom wasn't too familiar with. However, she drove me to three different Univiserties to audition as a trumpet player. I got offers from all three, however, she begged me to audition at Baylor, before I made a decision. She would then let me make my own decision without any more input from her!!! Once we arrived at Baylor and I auditioned for the Music Professor, I LOVED it!! Because it was late in the decision process (April), we were on pins and needles waiting for their response if I would be accepted and awarded a scholarship! SURPRISE!!! I was accepted and also got a partial Music Scholarship for the 4 years. We were elated and I'll never again doubt the wisdom of my MOM!!!!!!

I would definitely be more prepared as far as having enough money for books and supplies so that I wouldn't have to constantly ask my mom for money. I would also be prepared to live with other people in a community rather than living with my mom which is what I have always done and I had a difficult time adjusting to other people coming and going.

I would tell myself to be more outgoing. To be intentional with people I desire to be friends with instead of assuming that they know how I am feeling. Show people that I love hanging around them and appreciate their friendship. Get good study habits and know how I can study well. Volunteer more at hospitals and in the community. Show people that I care about them and more importantly Jesus does. Be gracious, nobody is perfect including me. God has so many great plans for me so continue to trust Him and don't fret over little problems. It is all going to work out and I am going to have fun so don't worry about friends, I will have them and they will see me for who I am. Don't get so attached to people freshman year. Put God first and He will put the right people around me to bless, teach, help, and encourage.

Learn how to study before getting to college and start to manage your time better.

College can be the most incredibly transformative time in your life, but you have to be ready and willing to change. As Mark Twain once said, "Don't let schooling interfere with your education." College is more than just a big campus with a bunch of buildings and classrooms. It will be the place where you can not only discover your passion and future career but also mature mentally and emotionally, all while developing incredibly strong and long-lasting relationships with professors and friends. Purposefully seek out opportunities that are outside of your comfort zone. Make mistakes. Don't forsake all else to maintain that precious 4.0. Don't let the fear that accompanies uncertainty after college prevent you from exploring. Odds are that few, if any, people at your school will have known you before you step on campus, so use that to your advantage! You can just be yourself and define along the way what that truly looks like. Most importantly, embrace the change ahead becuase you're in for the time of your life over the next four years.

be more prepared!!!

If I was to go back and talk to myself I would have told myself to be more efficient in my work, study more, take more notes, and not to procrastinate so much. What I have learned in this semester at school is that I need to be more efficent with my work and to feel confident after I complete my homework, a project or a paper instead of completing it just to complete it and turn it in. I have noticed here that when you turn something in to a professor you have to be 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} confident that you know what you are doing and that you know that you are right. This also applies in the classroom with note taking, write down every thing even if it doesn't seem important because your professor might just use it on a test without you knowing. Finally, procrastination is a big one because it encourges you to be lazy when you need to be on top of your work and studying to make that final GPA you want.