Biola University Top Questions

I know you might be nervous about the upcoming college lifestyle you're about to face, and in all honesty, you should be. It's everything you expected and more. You're going to retreat into yourself and be shy in front of some people, but don't be. The friends you meet in college really are the people you stick with afterward. Even though your roommates are fantastic people, it is nice to branch out and meet other people! Don't be afraid to tell people about yourself. Don't be so scared that you just stay quiet. After all, you are a Public Relations major, and even though you don't know it now, networking is a huge part of it, and you need to be able to talk to the people around you openly. Sieze every opportunity, because they go by faster than high school did. Get involved your first semester. There are so many opportunities on campus that you didn't even imagine and most of them are exactly what you need. Also, limit your Netflix use.

Relax. Give yourself time to understand the concepts introduced in class instead of rushing to study the key terms the night before an exam. If you understand the concepts, the rest will follow. Be anxious for nothing. Make sure you set aside enough time to get all your homework done. SERIOUSLY! Enjoy the late nights and early mornings. Make friends with the coffeeshop barristas because you WILL get to know them whether you want to or not. Give yourself time to make friends, it won't happen right away, but I promise-- it will happen. When you do meet those people that match your level of crazy, go on adventures! Go to the beach, go hiking, or don't go anywhere.. stay in and watch movies. When work and school get overwhelming your friends will be your solice and your comfort. Make sure you get your alone time as well, it may not seem like it now, but setting time apart for yourself allows you to rest and recharge in order to keep going on adventures that you'll remember for the rest of your life. And most importantly... don't forget to call your mother often!

Believe me, I know college is quickly approaching and the image of that graduation stage is all you can see as you sit in class. The excitement to be on your own is growing each day. Try to be present in the moment regardless. While college will be great, this last semester of senior year will hold so many memories that will help you as you make the transition, don't let the time slip away from you. Embrace college with as few expectations as possible. College will send you on a crazy and unexpected ride no matter how many pins you have on pinterest telling you what to expect, what to wear, and how to design your room. No one can prepare you for what you are going to experience because each person has an experience of their own. Let yourself make mistakes and do things you normally wouldn't; there is no better time to fail. If you don't meet your best friends during welcome week, relax. You are going to meet incredible people. Most importantly, be yourself and don't be afraid to admit that you are still trying to figure out who you exactly are.

Don't worry about making friends quickly- the lasting ones will enter your life natuarally. Make sure you are constantly checking the syllabus to stay on track with assignments and reading not mentioned in class. Try to work on homework directly after class, while the subjects are fresh in your mind, but study for quizzes and tests the night before so you can remember it clearly. Try to maintain healthy relationships with your nieghbors and get to know them by having meals together or being spontaneous and fun. When people are friendly towards you, try to return their positive emotion, rather than merely absorbing it. This will keep them from becoming emotionally exhausted. Get as much information from your professors as you can, making the price of your education worth it and introducing yourself as an interested and driven student. If you are having problems with procrastination, follow these steps. First, isolate yourself from distracting friends and environments. Second, listen to music just loud enough to drown out your surroundings, but quiet enough to not be a primary interest. Third, work through your homework, constantly changing perspectives when you loose inspiration. Finally, take heart and persevere.

I would tell myself that it isn't such a terrible thing to start off at a two year college to save money. I would also tell myself to apply for more scholarships to decrease the level of debt. One other thing I would tell myself is to introduce myself to new people and make connections with others.

Making the transition from high school to college is always hard, no matter how small the transition may seem to a person. Don't be afraid to explore more outside of your comfort zone and get to meet as many people as you can the first week of school. Also, be sure to check out a variety of clubs because there are a lot of extracurricular activities to participate in. The first few weeks of school is the perfect time to find some friends that will last you a lifetime, so make the best of it and find the right friends that you can trust and depend on. One big piece of advice I would like to give to my past self would be to attend the chapels early on in the semester and to take the time to get to know the professors well and spend some time getting to know them because they love to get to know each and every one of their students not on the academic level, but also on the personal level too.

I would tell myself to never stop trying. That even though it ook me awhile to figure out what I wanted to do, that time prepared me, and instead of freaking out and getting worried I could have continued to pray more faithfully and studied more diligently. I was so worried financially that I woud not be able to pay for school that I took off a semester to work more and save more money. That money ended up having to go to a new car since the one I had broke down. My confidence was shattered because I went from being a great student in high school to struggling in college. I would tell myself to not envy those that get to go to school without having to work to pay off finances, my jobs taught me responsibility and discipline, time management and the reward of working hard. I would encourage myself by telling me that I would meet a family of friends that are always going to be there to encourage me, pray for me and offer words of advice. I would say that even in the tough moments, it will be worth it.

The idea of transitioning from a high school student to a college student was something that simultaneously thrilling and terrifying. Though I was looking forward to entering a new chapter in life, I was also very apprehensive about the school I was planning to attend that fall. Cal State University Los Angeles was not my first choice, but it was the best option given my not-so- stellar GPA. If I could go back and advise my younger self, I would stress the importance of gracefully accepting what seems to be failure, and work hard to change what you still can. I would say this because after two years of attending CSULA, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the hardworking, intelligent and driven people I met along the way who challenged and inspired me to do better. I would tell myself not to waste a single minute feeling discouraged that I was not going to a top tier college because at the end of the day, the purpose of a higher education is to absorb all the knowledge you can to prepare you for life ahead. By learning to accept failure in stride, no one can stop your sprint.

To my high school senior self,Remember all the expectations you have for college? For instance, you have high hopes of graduating a four-year university with all of the answers to life. You also confidently believe you will find love in a campus of 4,000 students. In addition, your goal is to find the right major, because you are convinced it will forever determine your future. If you continue to cling to these ideas so tightly, you are going to be disappointed to hear that it will take you five years to graduate, because you change your major three times. Plus, you will leave college single and with more questions than when you first started. Kristin, you have this picture in your head of who you should be and what you should do, but get rid of it, because it is dangerous. You will waste countless days trying to attain this picture. With this advice, you will spend more time enjoying the process of finding out who you truly are and less time blaming yourself for not being the person you think you are supposed to be.

Most people say that senior year is the easiest year of high school, yet for me it was one of the hardest years of high school. Maybe it was the classes that I took or that I was trying to fight the idea of "senioritis". It strikes seniors usually during the third quarter, after students are accepted into colleges and everything seems to be going well. That idea was talked about so much, I tried to fight that idea. I may have had a little bit of this "senioritis", but for the most part I did all that was expected for a student to do and did pretty well. Two pennies of advice for senior year: instead of fighting senioritis, don't get too carried away with it. Do what you usually do, but make sure to say your goodbyes. Compile a list of daring activities that you've always wanted to do or achieve but never did, and carry it out! Cherish ever moment--the good and the bad--and spend time with your family and friends.