Carthage College Top Questions

Although the power of aging surely resides in the wisdom gained from past experiences, if given the chance there is always something we wish we could forewarn our past of, despite losing some wisdom our present self obtains. I am no exception to this generalization. Had I opportunity, I wold advise my high school self not to procrastinate on homework, not so much to acquire a higher academic standing but to further develop much needed study habits. Apropos my budgeting capabilities, I would emphasize the importance of quarters, as I would soon come to know that quarters would become my means of survival, and with out them I would not have clean clothes. Above all else, I would remind myself not to lose sight of the ones that I love or those who love me, as they are my support system, and just as dna would be without a sugar phosphate backbone, I too would be backbone-less.

The advice that I would give myself as a high school senior is to apply to as many scholarships as possible. If I would've done this I think I could've made my college experience a lot better. I picture myself and my family less stresses out about money, especially around the holiday times. One other thing I would tell my high school self is to listen to people who say 'we don't recommend that for college freshman'. Right now I am in a suite style residence hall where everyone is separated, this has caused me to not have a great community to be myself around. They told us that these residence halls weren't the greatest for freshman but I was convinced that I needed my own bathroom and my own space but I have come to realize that I would have liked to have a community and more friends than my own bathroom.

The transition is going to be far, far easier than you think it will be. You'll get to college and in three days time you'll be calling the dorm room your home -- your roommate and you are going to stay up extra late talking about your hopes and dreams for the future the fourth day in. By your second day, you will be spilling your secrets and life story out to your friends that you will be calling your family by the fifth day. Your anxieties about classes will dissipate by the first week and you’ll be joking with your professors by the first week. You will be held up by your peers, blown away by their capabilities, and end up calling your high school teachers after school to personally thank you for just how far they got you. You will learn things about yourself that you never knew were possible and you will worry less about the future when you realize that you are carving your own path. You will not just burn, you will ignite and flare in college. And you will never, ever go out.

I would tell myself to follow Frank's advice. As a senior in high school, I worked at a Chinese restaurant, as a waiter. One of our regular customers was a war veteran named Frank. He would always order the same meal, the same way. One of my last few days before the semester started, Frank came into the store, and sat down. We talked for a while (business was slow), and eventually he asked what my plan ws for school. I said "I'm going to study physics, and be the first in my family to get a degree. My parents wil be so proud!" After a moment of consideration, Frank said to me "Chris, don't go to school to make your parents proud. Go to school to make yourself proud." In my freshman year, I was constantly afraid of failing... Not quizzes or tests, but failing my parents' expectations. I think I would tell myself to forget what people wanted or expected me to do, and just do what made me happy. The only thing that counts, really, is feeling like you put forth your very best. Whatever we do in life, we should make ourselves proud.

Relaxing is one of the keys to every new situation that one encounters in life. I would tell my high school senior self that meeting new friends, new professors, and taking new classes is not as terrifying as my nerves made it out to be. I would say the ever popular phrase, “don’t be afraid to be yourself.” It is the only way you will find out where you fit in. One practical piece of advice for my high school senior self would be to apply for as many outside scholarships as possible, like this Campus Discovery scholarship. College tuition is one thing, but all the little things, such as books and meals are another; everything begins to add up. The last piece of advice I would give my high school senior self would be to believe in the abilities I have already acquired from high school. In high school, French and math were my favorite subjects; therefore, I am studying French and Finance in college. It is better to dive in, use what you already know, and what new knowledge you are acquiring to make the best of classes and prepare you the most for an aspiring career.

Dear Mike, USING CAPS LOCK IN YOUR ENGLISH PAPERS IS A BAD IDEA. Exclamation marks also don't help. Your cafeteria serves more hamburgers than McDonald's. Try to branch out once in a while. That's not Dance Dance Revolution in the next-door room. It takes two to tango and three to spread spicy news. Keep the personal...personal. When your roommate leaves a mess, be the bigger man and clean it up. You don't have to, but what if everyone thought that way? The only drug you need is caffeine, which comes in different forms, none of them intravenous. Group showers here are like the scene from Schindler's List, but it's not going to kill you to use them. Plus, dropping an Axe bomb is as overpowering as BO, and not a substitue for soap and water. Here's the bottom line: These four years aren't a cake-walk, but they're not a death march. Remember that movie where the kid's parents leave him at home? You can eat/drink/smoke/think anything and nothing you want to. College is whatever you make it. Make something great. Your Friend, Michael

The advice I would give to my high school self would be learn how to forgive because it impacts the way you see the world and yourself. You must be able to forgive yourself for your failures, because failing is a major part of learning. Without those moments of self doubt that arise after you fail you would not take the time to reflect on your actions and you would never notice how it impacted your life. In other words reflection is learning about yourself, your choices and how they affect yourself and others. Another aspect of forgiveness I would have wanted to know would be to forgive yourself the way you forgive others. We are always so quick to offer others forgiveness, but we rarely extend that same luxury to ourselves, instead we punish ourselves by dwelling on our failures when we should really be celebrating them as lessons learned. Without the failures we would never become the people we were meant to be.

Going back in time, I would first tell myself to get a second job. While this would not help my transition, I have discovered that resume building is quite important and this would jump start my resume more than the single summer job I had senior year. I would then proceed to tell myself to get involved more. Maybe I should have volunteered more, been involved in more school events, and have been more social all around. I was a very shy student, rarely ever talking in class, and I want to tell myself to be bolder, speak up more, and try harder to make an impression upon my teachers. “They are some of the best connections you will ever make, so establishing good relationships with teachers in the classroom will help you in the future.” I would end with telling myself that while I learned all of these things my freshman year, it would have been much easier if I had practiced being social in high school. College is all about self-stimulation and you no longer have long-term friends to go with you everywhere. “Try to get a jump-start on your life. It’s worth it."

If I was able to talk to myself as a high school senior and provide advice about college, I would suggest that I take advantage of every opportunity possible. Looking back, I feel as though the entire expereince went by in a flash. I had a wonderful college expereince, both socially and academically, yet I feel as though there were more opportunities that I could have taken advantage of. Even though I was involved in various campus orginizations, I would suggest that I take on even more. College was a wonderful time to explore my potential and define my individuality. I wish I had take a more active role in this exploration and stepped farther out of my comfort zone.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, a couple major pieces of advice I would give myself is: you do not know exactly what you want to do until you have had some experience in the area and also not to get caught up in all of my friends going to four years schools and universities because community college is a great place to start. The two sort of go hand in hand actually. I was so sure that I knew what I wanted to do with my life going into college, and not long after arriving at college I realized I had no idea. So I was going to a four year school paying a lot of money, but I wasn't even entirely sure what I wanted to do. On top of that, all of my friends were going to four year schools, so I was afraid to be the only one going to community college when ultimately that would have been best for me. I eventually spent a semester at community college in between my freshman and junior school years, which helped me significantly.