College of Charleston Top Questions

If I could go back in time and give myself advice about college, it would be to study more. My freshman year was rough and I got two poor grades. They in turn made my GPA drop significantly and I've been working very hard to get it back up. Time management might have been my biggest weakness coming into school.

I would tell myself not to stress out so much about what I am going to do for the rest of my life. You change your mind a lot in college, and you're too young to make such definite decisions in highschool. You should not worry about what others think about you either. Doing this just adds on more stress. It is not going to matter when you get in college. Everyone is there own person with there own style and beliefs. An important thing to think about while you are in highschool is how you are going to pay for college and how you are going to have spending money for the weekends. Getting an afterschool job and starting a savings account is one of the best decisions you can make. Also, try to spend as much time as you can with your close friends. No matter how much you say you are going to stay in touch when you go off to college, it is harder than you think. You meet so many new people and while you still have time for your old ones, it is not always exactly how you imagined it would be.

I chose not to attend college right after high school, and I feel that was, in many ways, a fantastic choice made for the wrong reason. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to trust my own choices, but with the caveat that I exercise my choices purposefully. I thought that I could get a job and that I was adept enough to make enough money to be happy in life. I was wrong, but in an odd way. I quite possibly could make "enough" money, but that would not make me happy. Taking an active role in the advancement of personal knowledge and thoughtful experience needed to be my drive. After living on my own I figured that out and it took me in the direction of academia. I don't think that I would have gotten where I am today if I had began college immediately after high school, but I do think that had I made "purposeful" choices rather than naive ones, in matters concerning my life's direction, I would closer to many personal goals today.

The number one thing I would have told myself as a high school senior would be to become involved immediately. Without involvments, you find yourself with too much free time; not meeting other students; becoming homesick; etc. Spending my first year at the University of Missouri, I wasn't in any extra activities outside of classes. Having learned my mistakes the hard way, I switched to my ideal college and became involved right away. I joined greek life and have found a family away from home. This brings me to my next point that I would have told myself as a senior. Being far away from home, you need to establish a close group of friends, whether they live near or far, just to have that close group to turn to in time of need and also to join for holidays and breaks. I have also joined an intrmurals soccer and basketball team to help keep myself in good shape. My third point would include staying fit and eating healthy foods. It's easy to gain weight and eat junk food at college, so joining a sports team or a running club helps to keep you in shape.

As a senior in Highschool I wanted to get away from home. I wanted to go as far as my parents would allow. After being there for a year, I realized I was miserable and only wanted to be home. I would warn myself not to base a decision on getting away from my parents. I would also warn myself to listen to my parents advice. Being overly headstrong is not the correct way to make a decision and basing everything off of getting away from the people who influence your life so much is a terrible mistake. There is not much I would change about my decisions from last year because they were a learning experience, but I would tell myself not to everything based on spite.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to not sweat the small stuff. I sometimes used to worry about little things, and dwell on the negative. College has taught me that kind of thinking is not constructive, and thinking positively has postive affects on an individuals life. I absolutely believe that one's outlook on a situation, whether positive, or negative is a factor on the results. I would want to tell my senior self that everything happens for a reason and that sometimes there is nothing you can do to change that. The final thing I would tell myself, and it is a bit of a cliche, is that life is about the journey, not the destination. Enjoy every moment of your senior year, of your summer, and of your college experience. You only live once, and there is no need to rush and try to get to your life goals all at once. I would tell him to slow down and enjoy.

Work Harder So, You Can Go Striaght To An Univeristy Rather Than A Community College. But Everything Happeneds For A Reason.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself a couple of things. First of all, I would tell myself to always put my education first. While in high school, you may see your friends as utmost important in your life, but your education should always be the center piece for every one of your endeavors. A second issue I would address to myself is the importance in thinking for yourself and chasing your passion. If you attend school with the idea in your head that you are there to get a degree in whatever makes you the most money, your college experience could possibly be altered. I would make sure to reinforce to myself the idea of chasing your passion, not your pension. College is a learning experience, though it should not be taken lightly. Many students enter college with expectations that are not met. If I could go back to myself as a senior, I would make sure I understood what I was going into and I would make doubly sure that I took it seriously and respected my education.

Get a therapist before you enter college. For the love of all things holy, there is just no way to make it through freshman year with undiagnosed ADD if you aren't making any attempt to treat yourself. The classes are predominately lectures, which leave those of short attention spans completely unable to cope. Even more importantly, you simply must go to class. Though attendance may be arguably optional in many classes, that's no excuse for laying about the house all day. You will, I repeat, you will miss very important things. Lectures often deviate from the material available through textbooks, quizzes will be missed, and assignments will pass you over entirely. Remember, your parents are paying for this. For that matter, you might be paying for this. Make it worth the money, and worth your time.

Don't worry about the transition. You're not too bad at living with others, you will make friends (though it will take time), and academically speaking, the only problem you may have is getting yourself out of bed for early morning classes (but you'll surprise yourself and be quite good at that). What's important is that you find a place where you think you'll be happy, go there, and if you're not happy, bear it out till you can transfer. Campus visits may help, but since every college wants to project a certain image of itself, tours are more like propaganda campaigns than actual information sessions. Not liking a college isn't a sign of a poor transition, it's just means that the college and your educational and personal values don't meet. Move around, experiment, and figure things out in your own time. It's okay to go onto the five year plan. It's okay to take a break for a while. It's okay to start over. It's your education, and there's no one right way to do it, there is only the way that works best for you.