Calvin College Top Questions

When I was still in high school, I was often told that I should enjoy myself because those years were going to be the best ones in my life. Truth be told, that terrified me. I didn't have a miserable time in high school, but if everything was going to go down from there, it was not all it was cracked up to be. I never had that feeling that I was where I was supposed to be. It would not have been a big deal to me if my family had picked up and moved at any point in high school, not even half way through my senior year. At that point, I wish I would have known that as soon as I moved in to Calvin College I would know I was supposed to be there. If I would have had the knowledge that a strong sense of community was waiting for me as soon as college started, high school would have been easier to get through. It would also have been nice to have someone tell me that the best years of my life wouldn't be ending when I graduated; they were actually just beginning.

College has been a great experience which has forced me to stretch, grow, and think in so many ways. For the most part, high school got me prepared; however, if I could go back and and talk to myself as a senior in high school there are certainly a few things I would have warned myself about. First, I would have told myself to take different AP classes and not to stress near as much about them. Second, I would have told myself to take the opportunity to take the internship class offered and get some experience working at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago doing what I wanted to major in. Third, I would have told myself to have more confidence in who I was. College has definitely been a change of pace compared to high school, but the adjustment went pretty smoothly overall.

If I could go back and give myself any advice it would be to not be afraid, try new things, and forget about what others think of you. I would tell myself that you only get four years at college and it is up to you to make it one of the best expereinces of your life. I would remind myself to be my own person and be a leader, but never step on others or take the spotlight away from others. Relationships matter, and label jars not people. Take chances and work hard for what you want. Remember the only regrets are the risks you didn't take.

Stop stressing! I know you're really worried about missing family and old friends, how tough college will be, whether you'll make new friends and good grades, whether you'll be arch-enemies or best friends with your roomate, and whether you'll spend your freshman year so completely lost on campus somewhere that none of this will even matter. Well, stop. Even if any or all of these things happen or don't, it is not the end of the world. Life will go on, just like it does now. In fact, if you let yourself, you will learn so many new and fascinating things and meet so many strange and fascinating people that most of the time you'll be having so much fun laughing and marveling at the wonders of college that you probably will forget you ever even worried about those things. There's only one thing you need to be thinking about right now: applying for scholarships. I know all those forms are annoying but hopefully they'll be worth it. And even if they're not, (You guessed it!) life still goes on. So take one day at a time. Breathe. And enjoy.

I would tell myself to not overload with classes. To take one day at a time, and that college is not this big, scary unknown. You can do it, and there are plenty of people around here who have been through it before and are more than willing to help. Make new friends, get outside your bubble, participate in those dorm activities, go downtown with that friend from class. Life is an adventure-live it to the fullest!

Relax and do the work required and everything will be just fine.

Hey Claire! It is me from the future. I have some advice for you. Don't worry too much about school. It is better just to do the work and not worry. Stress is bad. You are human. It is ok to make mistakes. The friends you make in college are going to be the greatest friends you have had so far. Although they will be your greatest friends so far, don't let yourself think they are any better than you. They are amazing, and so are you. Don't take what they say as wisdom. They are wandering college students the same as yourself. They don't have anything figured out more than you do, even if they have been going to school a couple more years than you. They might have figured a few things out, but not everything. Education does not make you smarter, all it does is make you more knowledgeable. Don't look down on people, and don't look up to people. You are all equal in God's eyes. Lean on God, never give up that he has the best possible life planned out for you. Be at peace with yourself.

Don't worry.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior, I would say not to worry. College isn't quite as crazy as the movies make it out to be, for the most part, and yet sometimes - at the right times - it's even crazier. I would let myself know that I'd meet my best friend within 24 hours of coming to campus, and that it's okay to let high school friends drift away; more friends are just waiting to be made. My younger self would be reminded not to get carried away with the social scene, because college is really for academics. Most importantly, I would tell myself to follow my heart, and find my own happiness. I picked the right school and the right major, and there's nothing to worry about. Have fun, younger me. You're in for one hell of an experience.

If I could give advice to myself as a high school senior, I would probably want to warn myself about the very high expectations that college professors have when they give assignments. They expect you to take their assignments seriously and they can tell when you don't. But beyond that, I would want to tell myself that college is not all about grades and doing well on every single assignment. I would tell myself to spend enough time studying and working on schoolwork, but also not to be afraid to spend more time building relationships with those around me. Twenty years after you graduate from college, it's not going to matter what your GPA was, but it is going to matter whether you built lifelong friendships during your time in college.