Carroll University Top Questions

I joined a sorority and feel that I have not only gained friends but sisters. I have gained not only knowledge, but ideas. From the moment I went on the tour for the first time, I knew that this was the place for me. I love the people, atmosphere and professors. It is hard to afford it because it is a private school. My parents dont make enough but make too much to get me much financial aid. I am paying for everything myself and every little bit counts. I want to be able to keep these friends, sisters, knowledge and ideas and this scholarship would allow us to do it.

If I could go back in time to give myself advice during my senior year, I would tell myself the following: "College is a challenging experience. It is not easy, and it will test your limits, but have faith in yourself and your professors. They are there to help you and by taking one small project at a time, eventually the big picture will fall into place." The first semester of college for me was overwhelming. As a student who is pre-physical therapy, I have to take a lot of academically difficult science classes. I have grown so much this past semester because of the hardships I have faced. I would also tell myself: "Talk to te upperclassmen. They have a lot of helpful hints about campus and professors that make life a little easier. Most of them want to share their opinions to help you." On of the greatest things I have learned so far is to trust my peers, especially the upperclassmen. In hard programs like mine, learning from eachothers' mistakes has helped to make the experience of college a little less frightening.

To go back would be an amazing experience. If I could go back, I would tell myself to be a little more social on the first couple days to meet new people, and tell myself that a social life and keeping friends happy is a lot less imortant than keeping my grades up. In college, it's about my future and I don't want to get distracted by trying to make everyone else happy before my own concerns.

College isn't so different from high school, so don't freak out. You'll get the hang of it after a while. What is different? The freedom. You can eat whatever you want, sleep as little as you want, party whenever you want. There are no pesky parents around to control you. The hardest thing about college is learning to become your own parent. You're in charge of eating right, sleeping regularly, making sure you have clean clothes to wear to class in the morning, which you must force yourself to get up for. You can party, but do it responsibly... aka, not on Tuesday nights. Basically, it's everything in moderation, not to sound like your mom. The other great freedom is the freedom to try new things. When you get to college, you can be anyone you want, so don't confine yourself to a tiny box. Meet new people, try new things, break out of your comfort zone. You might just find something fantastic you never knew you loved to do. Oh, and... in case you do flounder, just a little bit, there are people around to help: professors, RA's, counselors... Use them.

If I were able to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that making it through a university, is not just about doing well in classes. I would tell myself that it is also very important to put yourself out there, get involved, and meet new people. Right now I am a freshman at Carroll, and I am a commuter student. The year is almost over and I have not been doing well in the social aspect of college. When I first started college I told myself that I just needed to focus on the academics, not the social stuff. I realize now that I was wrong. Being in college is about having that balance between the academics and the social aspects. If I were to go back, I would tell myself to live on campus, meet new people, and to enjoy this time in my life as much as I can.

I would probably tell myself to look for lots AND lots of scholarships and other forms of "free money." I always knew that college was rather expensive, but even with the scholarships, grants, and loans that I did receive, it still wasn't enough to cover the costs. I would also tell myself that two's company and three's a crowd. At my school, there are triple rooms, meaning that you can have two roommates. Being in a triple is rather chaotic in the sense that the room seems crowded and that not everyone gets along. I would much rather just have one roommate or be alone. In college, drama is overrated. Most of that stuff is or should be left behind once you graduate high school. You already have so much to worry about without worrying about what he said/she said.

After experiencing College first hand, if I could go back to senior year and give myself some advice, this is what I would say. Take as many AP courses as you can handle, they will provide great insight as to what college classes are like. In addition, you can take the AP test at the end of the year and potentially gain credit for the course, saving you lots of time and money. Next, I would drive the point that being organized is a must. College is not like high school, you have to plan out your studies along with work and everything else you have going on in your life, get into the habit early. Lastly, take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of your senior year. Yes, things will be busy and stressful with applying to colleges and balancing your school work, however you have to enjoy your last year and learn to relax during the stressful time. You will make it through the process and before you know it you will be in college looking back upon the great times you had in high school.

I would say to work as hard as you can senior year. Take as many AP classes that you can, and apply for as many scholarships as possible. College is extremly expensive, and it's not just college it's the lifestyle, and anyway that you can get ahead is what you should go for. I would also tell myself to go into college with expectations that you and your friends are going to change, whether it be for the better or the worse you need to be more open and willing to accept the changes that college and the independence brings because not accepting them will not allow you to accept the great fun you can have in college.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would have many words of advice. The first piece of advice I would give myself about my college life is to live on campus. I am commuting to my school in Waukesha which usually is about a forty-five minute drive. The commute is very time consuming and incorporates too much time away from my school work. Some other advice I would give myself is to actually read the college textbooks. By reading the information when assigned will greatly increase your performance on schoolwork, instead of cramming the day before the test or due date. I would just advise myself as a high school senior to focus on my schoolwork and try my best on my assignments when assigned, do not procrastinate.

After three semesters of college, I have learned a lot about college life and now knowing what I know, I wish I could go back in time and give myself some advice. I would tell myself to get involved in as many AP/honors classes as possible because I made the mistake of taking an AP world history course and deciding not to take the AP exam, so I was forced to take world history in college. It would be nice if I had a few credits coming into college as opposed to having none. Another piece of advice would be to get involved in high school, because I feel as though I would be more willing to get involved in college or play some sort of sport. School organizations are a great way to get ahead in college and meet people. I would also tell myself to get in the rhythm of studying more often for exams, because in college you need to study for every exam and do all the coursework that is assigned to you. Overall I would basically tell myself not to slack on my schoolwork and to get involved in as many ways as possible.