Indiana University-Bloomington Top Questions

slow down

As a high school senior, I was nervous about my transition to Indiana University. Attending a large high school and being heavily involved had prepared me to navigate a large institution, but it was all still brand new. Looking back on my transition, I would tell myself not to worry about having a random roommate assigned because she would turn out to be one of my best friends still to this day. I would tell myself to attend all of my Foster-Harper 5th floor meetings because I would have liked to become better friends with some of the other women on my floor. I would advise myself to seek out audio storytelling classes through the School of Journalism before my senior year, because Sarah Neal-Estes was the most dedicated faculty member I had the pleasure of learning from. Finally, I would encourage myself to go through sorority recruitment because becoming a member of Zeta Tau Alpha connected me to some of the most incredible women I know, and leadership opportunities through programs council and Panhellenic recruitment that inspired me to continue on to a Master's degree in higher education and student affairs at Indiana University.

I would give myself a high five. I believe that I made the right choices by keeping an open mind to learn new things. I would tell myself to love hard because the people around me are what matters the most. After losing my mom my freshman year of High School was tough, and I had no idea I would lose my father my 2nd year of college. So therefore; I would tell myself to be open to learning and loving people more, because what really matters in life is not money or fame, but people. Shed a little light and it will go far.

If I could go back to my senior year-self, I would advise that I make a better effort to involve myself, both in school activities and socially. I spent so much time focusing on my studies that I forgot to involve myself. While it is critically important that a student puts their school work above all else, it is also quite important to maintain a positive social platform. After all, a person can study their entire life, but if she does not put herself out there, what will she ever do with all that knowledge? College has become a balancing act for me. Of course, I must complete my studies before I can allow myself to socialize or overload with extra-curricular activities, but I must also make a conscious effort to involve myself in a social aspect. I did not learn this in high school because teachers and mentors were constantly worrying about me and informing me of ways to get involved. This does not happen in college. A college student must research and find opportunities for herself. I would encourage my former self to embrace every opportunity possible in an effort to avoid the shock of college.

The advice I would give my high school senior self would be to figure out a study plan. I wish back then I would have tried and figured out study techniques that work best for me, so that I wouldn't be trying a thousand different options now. I would look at myself and say, "Katelyn, stop procastinating. I know you think you know this stuff, but you don't! Go Study!" Having a study techniques would make adjusting to college easier.

Homecoming, Friday Night Football games, Crying over a boy who does not like me, and getting my license are all events that come to mind whenever I think of my high school experience. I was so wrapped up in what people thought about me or how I should act just to simply "fit in" with the cool kids. All throughout high school I was struggling with my identity because I was losing sense of who I really was because I was forming into someone that I was not. To my parents I was no longer their sweet innocent daughter, I was turning into a complete stranger who mortified them. Now that I look back on those moments, I laugh to myself and think, "what was all of that for, and who was I trying to impress?" College allowed me to realize that as long as you stay true to yourself and stop worrying about peoples' opinions then everything will be okay. That is the advice I would give myself. To stop worrying about peoples' opinions and stay true to who you really are because in the end changing yourself to please someone else will never be worth it.

If I was given the opportunity to go back and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would have told myself that all the pointless worrying I did about fitting it and finding myself at college, was pointless. I would make sure that I was more confident to go out and try new things, clubs, and activities that interested me right from the beginning, rather than waiting for someone else to join me. I would also tell myself that everything will work out, because Indiana University offers something for everyone, and even much more than that.

The most significant sentiment I could impress upon my high school self one simple statement that could have made an astronomical difference in my four years: Take this stuff seriously. Believe it or not, it matters. Things like AP exams and ACT preparations can actually make a huge difference. If you do well on AP tests it gives you credits for college that can put you ahead of other students for things like when you get to schedule your classes, which determines when you graduate. Something even more important than that is your GPA. Always keep it in mind. And because I was hard headed and sure that I knew everything in high school, I'll repeat that. Keep your GPA up! By letting your GPA slip you immediately put yourself behind other students for every single scholastic opportunity, including scholarships, which you always knew you'd need since you're paying for college on your own. You''ll never stop being frustrated with yourself for letting your GPA drop. And even though your GPA wasn't bad, something above a 3.5 would've opened up a plethora of other opportunities for you.

Just focus and keep an eye on your dreams. There are so many distractions in college that it could make or break you, but as long as you stay focus youll be ok.

The young Dan English should know that you can't have the good times without the bad times. I've experiences incredible highs and low, lows in my life. The 1998 version of Dan English was over confident and entitled. I'd tell him what's coming up and let him know how hard he's going to have to work and how humbling life will be.