James Madison University Top Questions

I would tell my high school self to get into the nursing program that the high school offered. He might not do it because he was picked on a lot and would probably balk at the chance to get picked on even more for doing something that differed from gender norms, but I would have tried my hardest to convince him to toughen up and at least do a year of it. For admittance to college, I would tell him that his first roommate will be tough to deal with but that he will get through it. And even though he plays hockey and is an all around terrible person by cheating on his girlfriend, you'll find great friends throughout the hall who you'll have for years to come. Most of all I would tell him that confidence comes from within, not externally and you have to fake it until you make it, no matter what the subject matter!

I graduated highschool 13 years ago. Yeah, it's been awhile. I would give myself a good smack! I had the world at my fingertips. I didn't have to worry about paying for college because my parents could afford it. I ended up being blessed with a wonderful "surprise" at 21 years old: News that I was going to become a mother. I would tell myself: Monica, don't take anything for granted. Life can change in a matter of seconds. Don't slack off, work hard now so you can play even harder later. School is cool. Making friends isn't always going to be easy. Keep your circle small with those who will enrich your goals. Listen to your parents, they're right about 99{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the time. Life isn't easy. If it was, the payoff of working hard wouldn't be as gratifying. Don't let having a child at an early age stop you from all your goals. Use it as motivation and to teach by example. Do something to make your child proud. Never give up! Have fun, but know your limit. You aren't missing out on much.

"Listen, I have only one request, now, that im already here; Do not get marry; later, they will be times when you will regret it . You will have small set backs, but if you so want to continue with your made plans. Let me burst your bubble, you will have a baby while being in college; it's going to be hard but not impossible. Keep at it, pay close attention in class and take notes, trust me they will come handy. Talk to your professor about your health condition. It will be a risky pregnancy. Some will understand other not so much. Make sure you get the right classes, anyone can make a simple mistake that can cause you to lose valueable time and a "W" . People make mistakes, yes, even advisors. I know this is all ackward for you; But believe me; for, I've been here and there before".

My senior year in high school and freshman year in college were the two hardest years of my life. The Air Force moved my family from Alabama to Virginia my senior year; It was really hard for me to adjust, and prepare for college especially since I am the first child in my family to go to college. I applied/ was accepted to two schools: my first choice, University of Alabama, and my father's choice, James Madison University. Unfortuantely my father forced me to go to JMU, which made me very depressed and it ultimately effected my GPA. Eventually, I learned to love JMU, but it took a long time. If I could go back in time and give myself advice, I would first say things will get better. I would say embrace your circumstance, study hard, and take general education classes at community college during the summer. I would also tell myself to SAVE your money! Other than that, I would not change anything. All of my bad experiences were eventually followed by good times, and those lessons made me who I am today. Who knows, maybe the wisdom i've gained will help benefit someone's future.

The biggest piece of advice I would give myself is to relax. I have had extremely bad anxiety my entire life. Going away to school was such a hard transition for me because I would get so worked up over the littlest things. Tests were unbearable. I put so much pressure on myself to do well that I would freak out before taking exams or even going to class. Stress has caused me to lose many hours of sleep and miss out of fun bonding experiences with my hall mates. If I could tell myself not to stress so much, I would have had a much more enjoyable freshman year. Even though I ended the year with excellent grades, I wish I would’ve spent a little more time relaxing rather than stressing about things I couldn’t control. I really want to be a role model for high school students so I can tell them that everything is going to be okay and that worrying will not solve anything. This scholarship would give me one less stress to have to deal with so I hope I will be blessed with this reward.

My name is Stephanie Scott. I once decided school was a waste of time and not for me. I dropped out of high school before my senior prom thinking I was free. I was shy three credits of graduating. I lost my job and having no education in 2008. Two months later, I went back to school and graduated in 2009. I was motivated and determined. The same month of graduation, I went to school to be an X-Ray Tech and graduated with a 3.89 GPA in 2010. After graduation and employment, I enrolled back in school to be a Surgical Technician. I graduated with a 3.8 GPA and made a speech at our graduation in 2011. Four years had passed but I made up for the wasted time. I had now known the feeling of accomplishment two times graduated. I currently hold two certification in surgical technology. I recently postponed my outstanding job to continue my education further. If I could go back I would say dont change a thing I am a non- stopping train for education. I hope one day to make a stop at real estate, accounting, or maybe more. Psalms 28:7

If I were to talk to my former high school self, I would probably tell her that it gets better. I would tell her that she does not know everything there is to know, and that the mistakes of her past will not define who she is today. In high school, I would have never dreamed that I would become the person that I am today. Although I could tell my former self these things, I do not think she would be at a place to hear them. Throughout life, people develop and grow the most when they experience things for themselves. I think that is the biggest life lesson I have learned. When times were difficult and hard to make it through, I would not change any of it because without those experiences I would not be the same person I am now. To put it simply, I would tell my former high school self that you are gonna make it, just take life one day at a time.

The first advice I would give myself is that extra work and studies would be needed to get good grades and succeed in the university. Unlike in high schools, professors in the university just lecture and require the students to do all the work and research. As a result, several topics could be covered in just one lecture of one hour requiring lots of input from the students. Secondly, determination and consistency in studies are vital keys to success. For instance, at the start of the semester, chemistry was the most challenging subject. As a matter of fact, some students dropped out of this course and to many it appeared to be a very difficult and almost impossible subject to pass. However, with extra dedication and efforts put into this subject including attending extra tutorials, as well as visiting the professor’s office for clarification really helped me to succeed with an A- in this subject. In addition, I would always ensure that I have a schedule of study plan and make sure that I try to adhere to this schedule.

Make sure you go to the library and actually study. Do not assume that you will know everything. College is not high school, college is a whole new level and it is going to require a lot more work than you put in during high school. Also, get involved in. You are going to miss out on a lot of experiences if you are afraid to try new things and meet new people.

I would tell myself to take a step back, really think about what I want to do for the rest of my life, and research my career path thoroughly. I've always been one to "go with the flow" and just adapt to whatever comes my way. I wish I would have paid more attention to what I wanted to be when I grew up. I care so much about people that, looking back, the choice should have been clear- to major in healthcare. I think that in high-school, I wanted to be my own person so much that I shut out the idea of following in my mothers footsteps and becoming a nurse. Now that it's so hard to go back, I would tell myself that majoring in business will not give me the ability to be passionate about my work. So think about what truly makes you happy because you'll be doing this for the rest of your life.