Franciscan University of Steubenville Top Questions

Leave room in your plans for deviation. There will be times when you may want to try a different major or take an easier class. Do not think that you will be able to plan out all four years of school and classes or even be happy or satisfied with your plans. Take the general education and required courses first; you will need them and they will be the best courses to transfer, be it to another major or another school. Be sure that what you take from college is what you want from college; it sticks with you for the rest of your life and affects your future.

Start early! Research! Ask yourself if this college really has what YOU want and, if so, go for it regardless of what others say. Start looking into financial aid opportunities immediately because the money you've been saving over these last few years will be gone before you know it. Once you find the right place, get involved. Make new friends because you're gonna have to live with these people for the next four years. Keep in touch with your best friends from home, but be open to meeting the new best friends that will keep you sane. Volunteer on campus and in the community. Sure, it looks good on a resume, but don't be completely selfish. Get involved with extra-curricular activites. They're a great break from studies, you'll meet a lot of new people, they look good on a resume too! Don't forget to hit the books now and then. Studies are important, but what good will it do if you work yourself to death in the end? Keep up your grades by studying with friends, talking with professors, and remembering to RELAX now and then.

Take and retake the SAT until you have the best score.

If I could go back in time, I would tell my anxious, nervous high school self that there is nothing to fear about going off to college. That if I go to Franciscan University with the mindset of conquering all of the challenges that come my way, and do not give in to the social pressures to drink, have sex, and use drugs, I will be able to easily stay afloat. I would tell the homeschooled senior that I was that there really is not a big difference between being home schooled and going to college, and that I still have to motivate myself to study, because I cannot depend on my teachers to baby me like in highschool. Most of all, I would tell myself to enjoy the next four years, because they will certainly be the best of my life.

The best advice I could give is to carefully consider where you're going and what kind of life you want to live in college. Don't choose a college with a reputation of a student lifestyle completely contrary to your own, but one that you feel you will fit in with. Remember that college is your choice and will affect the way you enter your adult life, don't allow the influence of others to sway you from what you feel will be best for your success entering the adult world.

Don't stress about what is to come. You will do amazing in college if you keep motivated during high school. God will provide everything you need to succeed in school.

There are things in life that matter more than fitting in. You don't have to learn to be passive about your beliefs for the sake of getting along or having people to be around. There's that song by The Fray that says "sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same," and that is so applicable here. It's easy to lose yourself or your values because of peer pressure. This message is said over and over and kids these days are bombarded with it all the time, but you need to know that it's true. The more you stick up for yourself and what you believe in, the happier you'll be at the end of the day. Don't compromise who you really are for the sake of someone else or other people. Dr. Seuss says it best: "Be what you are and say what you mean because those who mind don't matter and those who matter won't mind." I won't try to tell you that it is easy, because it's not. But remember after every agony of every trial, you will emerge stronger than before!

If it was possible for me to give advice to my former self, I would say that it is more important to make goals for your life and then to do whatever you need to do to achieve them. I would also say that it is more important to be happy in a situation then to perhaps choose the safer option for the wrong reasons. It is imperative to make conscious decisions in order to come to informed and mature decisions in situations that have such an impact with the future of where one's life is headed. But, at the same time, remember to have fun and to understand how important it is to pick somewhere that you will be able to become the person who you are meant to be. As Frost says, "Two roads diverged in the woods and I took the one less traveled and it has made all the difference."

I would tell myself to push myself to apply for more scholarships, work harder in school academically, participate in extra-curricular activities, and learn time-management skills. I would tell myself to look at several campuses, paying special attention to cost (including travel expenses), academics, environment, and resources around th campus, and I would encourage myself not to be afraid to discuss such things with the admissions office. If I knew anyone attending the university, I would speak to them about their experiences (good and bad) and how they like where they are, and especially if they could see me being happy there. Also, I would talk to my teachers in regard to what they knew about college and to which schools I might want to apply. I would also let myself know that things will work out as long as I work hard and do my best, and do not stress about the little things in life. And if I don't know what major I will be, I will figure those things out later. There's no immediate rush to know the future, especially when I need to be focusing on graduating from high school.

Seventeen years have passed since that beautiful June morning when at last I held my high school diploma. The four years that followed were filled with joys, sorrows, challenges and triumphs. Thrown suddenly into the world of unchecked freedoms, there were many lessons I had to learn the hard way... I can still see young and idealistic Nancy rushing into college life and I long to tell her, "Always remember... always remember that you can't do it by yourself. Even though you are 'on your own' now, the principles of honesty, charity and hard work that your parents taught you need to remain with you. Always remember that freedom is not a right to be squandered, but a privilege that allows you to choose goodness, justice, and love. Always remember that this life is not all there is. You are here for a reason, you have a mission, and your choices last for eternity. And most importantly, always remember the love of God. When all else fails, He is there with His unconditional friendship and mercy. Always remember these things, Nancy, and you will be able to give to the world what it is waiting for from you."