California Lutheran University Top Questions

I would tell my high school senior self to stay focused and not to give up. Great opportunities lie ahead. I would encourage myself not to be afraid, to ask questions and to not run from the unknown because this is new to everyone first entering college. College is full of opportunities to learn about life, to meet passionate motivated people who want to provide foundations to prepare you for life and to build life-long friendships. College teaches responsibility, provides freedom to make decisions and is where you build your reputation. Transitioning to college provides the opportunity to explore a new place, make new friends, learn new things, and set your own priorities. You’ll face a lot of exciting and challenging changes in a short time so give yourself the opportunity to adjust gradually. Balance your course load with challenging classes and others that are less intense. Make smart decisions; buy only what you can afford and don’t misuse credit cards. College has many resources — professors, tutors, counselors and advisers; use all resources and file all paperwork accurately and on time. If possible, study abroad to educate yourself about the world you live in.

Breathe deep, but don't cry when I say everything is going to change. Prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for heartbreak, academic challenges, and friendships gone wrong, but also look forward to the better life that follows such hardships. The first few weeks of college are difficult. You do not know how to balance socializing, studying, spending time with family, and sleeping. Know that you will live through it all and don't feel so pressured to make friends right away. Freshman orientation will not last forever. Do not flirt with the weird guys. They will only continue to follow you through every device known to man and you will have to break a dozen hearts. You can make life easier by forgetting your ex boyfriend from Michigan and deleting him from your contacts. He will only hurt you. There are a lot of attractive and smart men in college, but do not think starting a relationship with them will be as simple as batting your eyelashes. You are smart and will do well if you stay focused on your goals, but remember to have fun. Finally, know that you always have the support of your true friends and family.

Knowing about college like and making the transistion I would tell my high school self to trust that the situation will be okay. I would tell her that living on campus is a great opportunity and even though family is back at home you have to remember they support you and want you to suceed. I would also tell her to stick to her core values because if she does then she will meet friends that are the same as her. I would tell her to be open, nice, and not closed off because if she is she wil feel alone and will not experience the ultimate college life. I would also to tell her to always be thinking about what she wants to achieve in life and stay focused. Being in college is a great experience and a great way to get a new start after high school. Embrace it!

Making sure that I took the College courses that was offer. Spending more time on homeowrk. Enjoying the time in high school. I wish that I would have listen more like I do now in classes in college. I work a lot harder now knowing what I need to do in life. I would not take back my high school years for anything. I has given me the chance to learn right from wrong. I had the best of my years in high school just like in college. Meeting new people. Working with others all the time on homeowrk, class project.

Courtney, it is going to be ok. Take everything one step at a time and always remember to breath. You are going to go through some rough times but they will serve to highlight some of the most joyous ones. Know that you will cry, be frustrated and wonder at times if this is really what you want. However, never forget that you will also be exponetially happy and attain some of the best memories and experiences that no amount of work can tarnish. So enjoy yourself and try not to procrastinate too much along the way.

DO NOT SKIP CLASS. That would be the first thing I would tell myself. College professors dont care if you miss class or not, they arent receiving the fail. If I had known not to skip class I wouldnt be failing 2/3 of my courses. Also.. this is something high school seniors should already know, but I would tell myself to NEVER PROCRASTINATE. You can get away with it in high school, but it procrastination literally kills you in college. In a few days, you find yourself with huge bags under your eyes, and your body feels like a 90 year old cripple. Pulling allnighters to study and makeup work you failed to do puts such an unhealthy strain on your body... just dont do it. The body you are developing now is the one you have to live for for the rest of your life, so treat as well as possible on college. You may not beable to reverse the damage later in life. Last thing I would tell myself is.. Do not choose a school just because they gave you the most financial aid. Choose a school you genuinely love and that will make you happy.

Don't take it all so seriously. That look, music and career that are so important to you are going to change so much in the next couple of years. You honestly wouldn't even recognize yourself today! Also don't sell yourself short. Right now you are thinking just graduating high school is so much better than your parents or anyone else you know has ever done, how much more could you want right? Well right now we are getting a masters degree and getting ready to go to Europe! Can you believe it? It probably wouldn't have taken so long if someone had told us then that we actually had the potential to get this far and further. You are going to do some amazing things with your life and really change the world (but you knew that one.) You also become a pretty dang cool person. So enjoy it! Smile more and don't be so miserable because it gets so much better. See you soon.

If I could talk to myself as a senior, I would tell myself to take more AP or concurrent enrollment classes. By doing what I did, I knocked out a year of college, but I could have always done more! I would also tell myself to attend a college where I can move out and live in the dorms. I am not a huge fan of still having to live at home and having restrictions while all my friends are in dorms and can do whatever they like. I would also tell myself to apply for as many scholarships as I possibly can.

College is not as scary as everyone describes it in high school. While you are starting on a new path in life and the transition might be hard at times, college life truly is a wonderful experience. Also, you may feel pressure to act like the stereo-typical college student - you know the person who parties all the time then stays up late to finish the homework and drinks hundreds of cups of coffee. I want you to stay true to who you are and know that you do not have to fall prey to peer pressure. College life offers you a variety of people to become friends with and you will find the friends that will make you feel comfortable being you and will not force you to be some body that you are not.

I would advise myself to be more open, willing and put forth a greater effort to meet other people. Being part of the women's soccer team, I would see my teammates every day, hours at a time, thus we all formed close friendships with one another, and the need to meet other people did not seem as important as it should have. In addition, I found it easier to use soccer as an excuse to not become involved in clubs and other organizations on campus, which is a great opportunity to meet others, because I thought it was big time and energy commitment. However, just like any other aspect of life, if no energy or time is put into what you want to acheive, you will never find reward or success, and that is what happened to me. I wanted to meet new people and make new friends, yet I did not put in the time and energy to become involved and take that extra step. In no manner do I regret what I have done at CLU, but if given the opportunity, I would tell myself to become more involved on campus to meet others.