Brigham Young University-Provo Top Questions

Immediately following graduation, I began preparation to serve a 2 year mission. There are many people in a similar situation, where they need to or choose to delay entrance into college for one reason or another. This dramatically shaped my college experience. If I were able to advise my high school self on how to better prepare for college life, there are three things about which I would instruct myself. I would tell myself to keep practicing skills such as math and writing, both of which suffered in my time away from school. This would have saved me several awful grades and repeated classes. I would tell myself to apply for college; there are several colleges that would have deferred my acceptance. Lastly, and in connection with this, I would have told myself to apply for as many scholarships as I could- there are so many scholarships specifically for high school seniors, and at least some of them could have been held by a school if I deferred. Knowing these things would have saved me so much trouble and time.

I know you’re just cruising along through high school. The schoolwork has really been easy up to this point. I know you’ve had a hard time with your family. I know they aren’t always the most helpful when it comes to your mental illness, just know that they love you, however mean they may seem. I hate to tell you this, but it is kind of a relief leaving them for college. Don’t let that freedom you feel keep you from contacting them, though. Believe it or not, they miss you, and you should miss them, too. They do love you. Also, don’t think that by leaving them you will leave behind your mental illness. This semester, I went through another severe bout of depression. Just don’t give up when that happens. I did for a few weeks, and it cost me my straight-A record. (And, for the record, two Bs are not as bad as you think). You are so much stronger than that. I also know you get so scared when it comes to social interaction, but if you reach out to people, they will help you. You can do this.

Dear High School Self,You’re doing great! Keep it up! You can do it! You can be the greatest New Testament professor ever known! In order to help you achieve this, here is some advice:Focus on school. You know you have a tendency to do just enough to get by but you also know that you are better than that! Do the best you can and impress your professors and peers with your scholarship.There are many sources of funding available. Find it. Use resources like campusdiscovery.com, chegg.com, cappex.com and many others to find scholarships that fit you. There are more opportunities than you think. You can do it!Lastly, have fun. Remember that the success you find in your schooling will bring happiness to you and your family. The hard work will indeed pay off. Keep it up.

If I could join the Doctor in his Tardis and go back in time, I would have a lot to tell myself. I would tell myself to stop procrastinating on scholarship applications. There are scholarships I missed since I never bothered to look at them since I was worried with tests. I would advise myself to take a break from school to benefit the future. Next I would tell myself not to over work myself, since this prevented me from doing clubs that offer scholarships. I would tell myself to make a list of what to pack for college, since I was moving the same year I needed to pack for college I forgot items I could have used in college and now they are in storage till I come back for them. Further on I would advise myself to stop worrying about everything. I over worried and did worse in classes I could do better in. I would tell myself that I am smart and I will do fine in the future if I have a brighter outlook. Also I would mention to never forget my friends, since they will be a great support in many unexpected ways.

There are two keys to a successful transition into college. First, keeping up in your classes. I recommend looking into counseling department courses for college study skills. Get in the habit now of reading assigned chapters before class lectures; keeping up in the reading is key to keeping up in college. Also, take it easy your first semester. Don’t take too many credits (15 is a good amount), and make sure you have at least one “for fun” class. You don’t want to get burnt out your first semester. The second key to a successful college transition is to not only study, but also relax. You won’t know much about things to do at first, so join a club or get a job. Do something where you can make friends who have been in college longer than you. They’re going to know about activities on and off campus. The “key ring,” to bring these two keys together is organization. Be sure to plan. Have a schedule. Set goals for each day, week, and even semester. Then make plans to meet your goals. As you set goals and make plans, you will be successful.

I would tell myself to not care what other people think about you. Often times people will judge other prematuraly and you need to learn not to care. Just be yourself! There are people who will like you for who you are! I would also tell myself to prepare for a lot of extremely hard work.

So, for starters, go to bed on time. You might need to work late some nights, but hop into bed the moment you reach the dorm. You might think you can wake up at anytime if it is important enough, but that is not the case. You need your sleep. Something you can do to help that is to stay off games and the Internet as much as possible. It might be a fun way to pass the time, but it is also addicting and will become a major distraction from your schoolwork and friends, not to mention sleep schedule. Limit your Internet use to just what you need to do for classes, and you will stay on top of things. Also, if the professor gives you a long-term assignment, find out how you need to do it and start on it as soon as possible. If you start putting it off, you will keep putting it off, and you will never get it done and take a big hit to your grades. There is more I could say, but those are the big three pointers I would give you that will make starting college a significantly better experience.

Many high school students pride themselves in the ability to ace exams without much studying. Even after having taken many AP classes in high school, a series of college exams taught me that I needed to study and prepare much more for my college exams in order to get medical school worthy grades. I learned that the point of studying is not just to get a high grade on an exam, but rather to learn and retain information permanently rather than just during that testing period. So if I could give advice to my high school self, I would tell myself to start practicing and make a habit of real learning while the material was simpler. That means to prepare by studying the lecture material before class, participating during class, doing my homework soon after class while the material was still fresh in mind, then reviewing it before my exams, and review my exams after they were corrected. That may sound like a lot, but that process significantly reduces the study time not only before each exam, but it is especially effective in reducing study time before final exams since the material was actually learned, not just memorized.

Mike, you are graduating. Congratulation Now, what are you going to do? You have choices: 1. Enlist in the military 2. Find a small job and wait and see 3. Go to college Going to military is a secure job. You get paid regular. It can be cangerous or it could be boring. There is a future if you enlist for life. You can probably get a job and make a living. This is not a secure future. If you can get a scholarship and go to a 2 year college you would be building for thr future. I know you like to work on small engins and your work is good. You need to learn more about small engines and there maintainence. You can do part time work and build up a repatation for good work. You could work for a dealer a few years and build a clent base as well as save money for your own shop. Going to college means work and liltle money or free time, But looking to the future. Prepare for the future to go forward

Dear High School Self, Despite the tempting example your close friends are setting by leaving school early, stay committed until the very end. It is imperative to practice discipline while in your relatively controlled environment because in college, you will have so much freedom. Countless freshmen throw time management out the window since their parents cannot directly monitor their activities. For example, I knew several classmates who would socialize until 5 a.m. on Saturday nights, only to remember the following afternoon that an essay was due by Monday morning. If you can instill a broad sense of discipline in yourself, you will be greatly prepared to excel after high school. Secondly, you will soon be meeting individuals from all over the country. Your social experience at college will be most satisfying if you can learn to communicate comfortably with people of copious personality types. Therefore, during your matches on our high school’s golf team, strike up conversations with your opponents and pretend that they are a future pair of college students you may encounter. I believe you will find your social skills immensely enhanced. Best of luck as you complete your final year of high school! Sincerely,Jeremy