Blackburn College Top Questions

My advice to my high school senior self is simple: get involved in your school, join clubs, participate in campus activiites, and get out there and meet people! Of course when you play sports you know your teammates, but reach beyond sports. Don't pigeon hole yourself into one facet of campus life like you did in highschool. Stretch yourself and try new things. Volunteering is something you have never tried and it can be very rewarding. I am now the president for our campus' Habit for Humanity chapter and have even spoken at a national meeting. Now that looks good on a resume! Plus, we go to Florida every Spring Break to build a house with another chapter. I joined a youth group and have found a lot of people there I enjoy spending time with because we have the same values. Don't worry, you will find you are so busy with sports, school, work, and volunteering that there isn't any time to miss home. You will come to love your school as your second home and all your friends are just down the hall from your room!

If I could go back and give my high-school self advice about the transition from high school to college, I would definitely tell myself to not be a hermit. There are so many opportunities to get to know a wide range of people on campus. I would tell myself not to go home every weekend; but, to stay and enjoy campus life. I would also tell myself that for the first couple weeks that I was in my dorm room to keep my door open whenever I was in my room. I would also have to tell myself not to be afraid to raise my hand and say that I didn't understand something.

I would tell myself to really gear up and focus on school work and not to take a year off after high school. Nothing ever worth anything comes easy, so work my butt off for the next four years so I can earn my degree and hopefully find a teaching job as soon as possible.

I have horrible and unnecessary self-esteem and confidence issues. I always wanted to go to college, but never thought that I was good enough for it. Therefore, I would tell myself that I really do deserve this. I have worked very hard to get out of the rough lifestyle I have grown up in and make a better future for myself. I would remind myself that I am intelligent and ambitious. I should never second guess my abilities because doing so almost caused me to not go to college. I deserve to be in the wonderful school I attend where I am getting a top-knotch education. I can do this and will succeed. Myself as a high school senior would find all of this hard to believe. However, I would simply remind myself that this education is something that will last a lifetime and will help me go far in life.

If I could go back and talk to my high school self, I would myself to take my college classes seriously. In high school I never really had to try to be a good student, or study all the time, but college is a different animal. I would tell myself to take every assignment seriously and study for every test. I would also tell myself not to be afraid to meet new people and make new friends, while still staying in close contact with my high school friends. Being able to broaden your horizons in college is an important part of the college experience. I would tell myself to make mistakes and take chances because you only get to be young once and now is the time to find out who I really am.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself about all of the changes that I went through. I would start by telling myself that college isn't as ddifferent from high school as everybody said that it would be. Although the walk to class is different, the subject matter and work load is a bit different; it's really not much different than what I was used to. I would also tell myself to have more patience. In college, you have to deal with people more often. It will take time to get used to people's quirks and the way that they do things, you just have to deal with it and move on in order to make college a good experience that you enjoy. Above all, I would tell myself to stay calm and not get too stressed out. Take it easy and enjoy the ride.

Due to my college experience at Blackburn University, I was able to gain employment in my career field, social work, and continued employment in that field for 14 years. I am currently working toward obtaining a Master of Social Work degree through Aurora University. Attending Blackburn University also gave me the experience of learning to manage my time, which has been very helpful to me now that I am in Graduate School, have three children, work full time, am a Girl Scout Leader, and am the Cookie Chair for the Girl Scout Service Area where I live.

Assuming I could go back and talk to myself, I would tell myself that I need to take up better study habits. Freshman year is nothing like Freshman year in high school. You have to adjust to being in a larger place, without a "home" to go to. You don't know anyone yet. Study habits kind of take a back seat when you're trying ot find out where you fit in. But I would want myself to find and keep great study habits through the adversity of being alone in a sea of faces. Lucky enough for me, Blackburn was still quite a bit smaller than many other colleges, so it was an easier transition. However, my study habits still faltered Freshman year of college.

Do not be afraid of the unknown. The unknown gives you time to think, prepare, and encourage yourself. Be open to other people and experiences that are meant to help you grow. Avoid the experiences that seem less positive and begin to live your life for yourself. College is supposed to be the best years of your life, but only you can make it that way. So study hard, relax, but also open yourself to everything that is provided to you. Make a wide variety of friends, including the upper level students and people in administration. They will help guide you. Even teachers are here to help you suceed. Don't be afraid to ask for help, in fact I encourage you to. The reasources are readily available. Use them even in the begining.

Soon you will realize the extent to which your parents care for you. Soon you will miss your mother barking orders to get the work of the day underway. Soon you will take care of yourself. Try it while you are still at home. Address problems on your own. Soon no one will remind you to get out of bed, get to class, make a doctor's appointment, or eat healthily. When you go to college, life will change suddenly. Learn to take care of yourself while still at home. Then carry that self-aid with you to college - a new world with new friends to be made and new facts to learn and few similarities to home. Learning to function separately from your family is not to be feared. It will make you a responsible, competent community member. Accept opportunity and use your resources. If you do not know how to handle a situation, someone else does know. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. To the contrary, asking for help can take you one step closer to being an independent, contributing member of society. Take charge of your life now.