Eastern Kentucky University Top Questions

I would have tried my best to warn myself about how difficult it can be to make friends in college. It's odd that in a small school I had more friends than I could keep track of but upon moving to a medium sized school, I have barely begun to make friends. People assume that it is easy to make friends in places where there are more people but that isn't necessarily true. It is much harder to find one person in an ocean than it is to find them in a small lake.

First it should be noted that I am the oldest in my family. Neither of my parents attended college as traditional students and many of my family never attended college either. Asking for help while choosing a college was near impossible. While I loved my high school, counselors gave us what I now know is false hope. Their motto was that if you apply for FAFSA, you can choose any college you want. I learned differently when I found out that I couldn't attend Miami University because my parents could not afford to pay for tuition. Prices do matter for many people, including myself. College is not free, and loans are not something anyone wants to rely on. Saving money, which I did not do, is a valuable lesson to learn. *Pick a college with a good background but an affordable price also. *Save money. Work hard. *Don't take college information you've heard at face value. Do extra research And the most important lesson I've learned is to always ask questions. Do not be afraid to call the college. Because it's YOUR EDUCATION at stake!

If I were to travel back in time and provide myself with advice regarding college, there are several things I would bring up. First, I would be sure make myself aware of application deadlines. Many colleges have early application deadlines, rolling admissions or just early deadlines in general. Becoming aware of application deadlines allows time to adequately complete the application, write thorough essays, and provide your highschool with an adequate amount of time to send the appropriate paperwork to the university. A second piece of advice I would give myself would be to decide on a major as soon as possible. After deciding on a major, it is much easier to find colleges. While it may seem hard to decide on a major, it will eventually save time as it is easier to find a college specializes in a specific field. A final piece of advice I would offer mysef about college life is to try to pick a college that I would truly see myself succeeding in. Picking a school in an aesthetically pleasing area will do nothing in helping me succeed if the academics of the school are poor and I won't be happy.

Don't pack too much stuff, or assume that your random-assignment roomie will be the devil in disguise. Remember there are always people around to help, just ask someone. Go to class, unless you can't move or are infectious, and do your homework and research ahead of time. Don't worry if you decide to change your major, you've got a while, do some gen. ed. classes and try out a couple of introductory major courses your first few semesters. Make new friends, but don't forget the friends from home who came to your school. Talk to strangers - or at least, the ones in your classes, and in your dorm, and in whatever organization you may want to join, don't get kidnapped - haha. Take a few risks, never forget to have fun every once in a while, and don't forget to buy milk! (Seriously, you'll want to stay in your room and eat cereal rather than going to the dining hall or out to eat sometimes, trust me.) ...and, above everything else, don't stress!

Oh Kelsey! You've finally made it to your senior year, but don't get too excited yet. You still have to do just as much work, if not more, than you're used to. Remember that it's okay to ask questions. I know you get embarrassed and you feel like everyone else knows the answer. But I've recently found that sometimes I am the only brave enough to ask the dreaded question, and classmates thank me later. Like your dad always says, "It's your money, you might as well ask questions and learn a few things". Also remember to stand up for yourself. If you're with your bes friends and you're afraid they may not like you if you don't do what they want you to do, they aren't your real friends. BUT DON'T WORRY!! You will meet some of the most AMAZING friends in your life that you will love forever. These friends are the ones that are with you through thick and thin. Most importantly, don't stress. Have a little fun! Oh! One more thing: Don't forget to do the second essay on Biddle's last test!

I would tell myself to go in as an undeclared major to get all of the general education classes out of the way so that I could focus on my major later in college.

I would tell myself to move onto campus my first semester and not wait. It's better on the main campus then on the extended campuses. Then I would say thing about not getting behide in class and keeping up with all of the class I was taking even if the class was a waste of time. Then I would say start getting things done and not wait to last mintue to fill things out. Work harder because even though I wanted to have fun, it was time to grow up and get what needed to be done, done.

I would tell myself to be more outgoing. Moving on is never a trouble-free process, but it's important to remember that it's okay if you make a mistake. It's crucial that you realize it doesn't matter if someone doesn't like you, or that you made yourself look like a complete idiot on the first day of class--what really makes people admire you isn't your perfections, but how well you deal with your flaws. If you trip down a flight of stairs in front of 100s of your classmates, so what? Of course it's embarassing, but just get up and laugh it off. I've always been a semi-chronic worrier--whether it's about grades, friends, family, or being on time to class. When I make a B on a Calculus quiz or have a fight with my parents, it's not the end of the world; sometimes it might feel like it, but life has a strange way of working itself out. People always tried to tell me those things when I was in high school and I'm finally realizing that they were right.

As a high school student, I was used to being in the same classes with the same group of students for four years. As a college student, you may have a class with a set of students you may never see again. If I was to give myself some advice as a high schooler, I would recommend joining a club to connect with a group of students to form lasting relationships. Because I was a commuter student, I figured I had no time to participate in such activities. However, I now see I could have had a much richer, and fuller college experience if I had formed friendships with others on campus instead of only traveling to campus to attend class. Friends can help encourage you in your studies, and provide a support system in times of emotional distress. I have lost contact with most of my high school friends that attended another university, and have discovered how important it is to have a network of friends. Thus, I would recommend to myself, and any new college student to get involved within their university to establish friendships that will be supportive and make their college life more enjoyable.

My first big advice would be to take all the AP classes you can your final year of high school because you don't want to be in college forever. Also at the end of the year when you are ready to get out of school and be free from the "evil" place remember you still have scholarship chance so fill out that scholarship form and turn it in early. With a weighted GPA of 4.0 and Ranked 12th in your class you should get something. So do that and your college life will be much much much easier.