Berry College Top Questions

My calculus professor always says that a college education is the only thing in the world that people are glad to be cheated out of. Students pay thousands of dollars for an opportunity to better themselves, only to be thrilled when class is cancelled or to skip class altogether. This first year in college has given me a fresh prospective on education. Learning is not a mundane routine, a specific class, or even any achievement. Learning is a daily enlightenment and a lifelong process—possibly the greatest process in the world—where one develops into a greater and greater person and reaches heights that were never even dreamed possible. True learning, at its core, is a joy! Start discovering the joy of learning now, before you are forced to in college. (Those who cannot find joy in what they do will find that studying is particularly challenging, and that life seems to drag on without much meaning at all.) This simple shift of mind will make all the difference in the world, throughout school and your entire life to come! As Jim Rohn said, “Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.”

I would tell myself that my years in college will teach me many things--not just academics. In college I will get to know myself and what I am truly capable of doing. I will be tested by balancing classes, an on-campus job, off-campus class experiences, and a social life. I will be pushed to grow and to improve upon my weak points. Coming out of the experience, I will be a stronger and more developed individual. Even though my school career will be stressful, I would not trade it for anything because it will have allowed me to grow in so many ways. I will be more confident in my abilities and mature in the way I carry myself. Going to Berry, I will also learn how to learn--by discovering what teaching method works for me, and how to best retain information. Attending Berry I have a chance to gain out-of-the-classroom experience in the field I want to pursue. This allows me to go beyond reading about my interests in a textbook and live them for myself. My years in college are going to lay the groundwork for the rest of my life.

Having a high GPA is not enough to fund your college education. Scholarships are extrememly important, and any volunteer work or leadership experience will increase your chances of getting aid tenthfold! Take the time to become more involved in community, church, and school activities. Join more clubs, and promote yourself as a valued member of the community and school. Writing an essay for a scholarship is not a bad idea either, since you have such great creative writing skills already. You might have a good GPA right now but what about two years from now? College is more academically challenging than high school is, and you need to be prepared in case your academic scholarships begin to wain. You can and you will succeed in college, but the issue of funding your education is less than certain. Take steps now to prepare your self, rather than wait until you are at a time in need.

The soundest advice I could've given myself as a high school senior would've been to stay focused on your goals and keep setting goals that you need to reach. When I entered college I was bombarded with so much freedom that I could scarcely figure out what to do with it. With that freedom I fell short in achieving what I know I could've achieved now. High school did not prepare me for this change and I lost sight of my goals my first year of college. All the schedules I had been on through high school were set by someone else, but in college I had to set my own schedules which I wasn't accustomed to doing. In the end, my procrastination won and my grades suffered for it. Now that I am older and wiser, I have been able to keep up with my goals and set standards for achieving them in a timely manner. I've even been able to add in important time for internships and volunteer work to gain experience in my field of studies. I haven't mastered the skill of time management, but it's one of my goals.

My three biggest unforeseen struggles in college have been finance management, time management, and stress management. If I could talk to my high school self, the first thing I ould tell myself is to make frugality my absolute policy. I got my first job as a high school freshman, so I had four years prior to college relatively expense free whenI could have beensaving a lot of money. As I'm learning now, every penny counts, so I wish that I had always asked myself before buying anything "do I really need this?" The uncertainties of college scared me, so I preferred not to think about it, but if I had set my goal of getting through college debt free in front of myself at the time, I could have had four more years of working to achieve it. "Prepare to work hard!" I would say. I would tell myself to prepare for spending most of my time doing homework and working. And I would tell myself that achieving my goals is important, but enjoy life at the same time. And don't stress over the small stuff. A mantra that will also serve me well in the future!

Find one thing you love to do, and find a school that will allow you to do that. Any opportunity that you are offered, you might as well take it because you will never know where it will take you and who you will meet. Even though choosing a college is difficult and stressful, it will always work out in the end, if you end up going somewhere and you decide you don't like it then oh well you can transfer the next year. The most important thing in life is happiness, if your not happy change it. You also can't expect everything to go your way, so when something bad happens work through it and move on and forget about it.

Some advice that I would give to myself about college is that I should focus on my priorities and remember what my goals and dreams are. I would also adivse to stay focused on grades, volunteering, and working towards acheiving my goal, which is to become a doctor. I would also say to remember to take everything a day at a time and don't stress about the little things. I should focus on planning my time wisely and also make time for other activites such as socializing, getting involved in clubs and organizations, and improving all other aspects in my life. I would advise myself to stay true to my beliefs and values because my college experiences and friends could persuade me do stray away from my true values. One important advice would be to realize that college should help me become a better well-rounded person through experience. I would adivse to be myself and believe that I can acheive my goals if I put my mind and determination to it. Lastly, I would adivse myself to stay focused on my priorities and also strive to do my best in everything I do.

I actually would have told myself not to go to Berry. I am now realizing how much I love being close to my family and in my home town. Berry College is a 9 hour drive from my home town so making the transition has been really hard for me. So my freshman college experience has not be that great so far. Now I know what is truely important to me. When I was a senior in high school, I wanted to be out on my own far away from my home but that was a terrible decision on my part. I would go back and tell myself to think about what makes me happy which is being close to my family and friends.

Dear High-School-Senior-Self, Stop procrastinating on life! There is so much of the world you need to see before you're done living. Go out and get your nails done with friends; go volunteer at the animal shelter like you always thought about doing. That's another thing. Stop thinking, and start doing. Do your homework! You think you're grades are good now? Imagine if you took the time to apply yourself. Stop doing the bare minimum and strive for perfection. Love the skin you're in, and quit worrying about what anyone else may think of you. Study for the AP Biology test. There is no reason to fail as badly as you did, and you could have easily gotten a general education requirement out of the way! Apply for more scholarships, and look at Kennesaw's teaching program. Regardless of all this: live fully, laugh often, and love deeply. This is the last year you have to be a kid; enjoy it while it lasts! Love, Berry-College-Freshman-Self

If I could go back to my senior year of High School, I would tell myself that grades really are more important than how many friends you can add on facebook or how many parties you attend. It is your grades that get you into college, and often enough it is also your grades that get you the financial aid in order to attend college. I would also tell myself that doing things outside your comfort zone is ok sometimes. You may be nervous to attend the first meeting of a club that sounded interesting to you, or you may be too shy to ask your professor a question, but you can not let yourself miss out on opportunities just becuase you are too afraid of what people think. In the end of the day, it is YOUR future, and the only person that is in control of what that future consists of is you. I would tell myself to take risks that are worth taking. The world has too much to offer to let things pass you by because of fear. The only way you learn about yourself and your environment is through experience, so try something new.