Kansas State University Top Questions

Hey highschool self, I can honestly tell you that you will love the transition from highschool to college. I know our grades in highschool weren't that great, but we made it through in one piece, right? Barely, I know. Well, don't fret because College will be different. Its a place where change happens. If you want to go run down the street and get all that anger out because your roommates irrate you, then do it. If you want to read from that heavy textbook and take notes like that nerdy-self you've always wanted to be, then do it! No one will tell you different, because in college you are in charge of you and only you. Nice, right? I think so too. Not to mention there are tons of activities to do and you can get involved in the sorority, (which, by the way, just follow your heart during RUSH week, it'll work out in the end). Actually, come to think of it, same advice goes to college as a whole. Follow your heart in college and you'll do just fine. No, actually Im positive you'll succeed.

The best advice I could give to myself when I was a senior is to stop worrying about everything. By just doing the best I can do will be more than enough for college. Plus college provides many oppertunities for many things. And I do not want you to miss opportunities that are presented to you because you were worrying about other things. If you see an opportunity grab it and jus have fun!

Always pay attention to what you don't like, what you do like and how you are gifted. If you are excited about something and are good at it go for it. There are a lot of decisions you will have to make as an 18 year old graduating from High school, don't be afraid. You have your whole life in front of you which can sound scary but you have the two decisions. There is the decision to cower in the face of hard decisions and then there is option number two which is to stand in the crisis and embrace the oppurtunity. With this in mind, you have time. Don't worry.

My first advice to myself would be to plan ahead when it comes to college. I spent so little time my senior year looking into and researching information for colleges. My next advice would be, "Even if you don't get into your first choice college, this doesn't mean you're not going to get into any college at all." I was really devasted when I couldn't afford and attend my first choice college. It made me look negatively towards my current university. All I use to do was compare it to my first choice and that wasn't helping at all. All this negativity was taking a toll on my GPA because I wasn't feeling motivated to be at the college I'm at now. I've finally brushed aside those feelings and am doing much better but I wish I would've known to take those steps much earlier. Most importantly I would tell myself to have more fun; go to a game or two, rush for a sorority, join a club, just do something to help make college a little more fun.

There is so much advice that I would give myself as a high school senior, but the main things would be to take it all seriously and be true to yourself. One important piece of advice is to take full responsibilty for your academics, and to not cheat yourself. Make sure you go to class, study hard, and get all the help you need. That way you know deep down that you are you doing your very best to get grades. Also get involved with different groups to get your name out there and establish relationships. Besides your academics, nothing is more important than your network, and getting involved is the best way to expand it. Not only do you need to get involved, but you need to take leadership roles in those groups and organizations. They are great resumé builders, but more importantly they teach you the qualities you need to be successful. The other thing I would advise is to be yourself. Do what you do because it is what you want to do, and not because it is what you your friends and everyone else is doing. While you do all this, ignore all of the haters.

Looking back, the only advice I would have is to get more involved. I was involved, but not as involved as I could have been. Being involved helps you meet more people and helps you branch out to all sorts of people and activities. College is all about knowing the right people because they will be the ones to carry you through finals week and any other tough times.

First of all, I would tell myself to live in the dorms. I was overflow and stayed in apartments on campus and lost that initial and crucial friend making process that every freshman should get from living in the dorms. Secondly, get involved. I went most of this past year without putting myself out there and doing things that sounded fun! Finally, I would tell myself that boys are not important. Focus on yourself and your studies and then worry about your love life later. I spent too much time worrying and stressing on relationships that I let my grades slip and almost lost track of myself. Knowing all of that, I'm so pumped for this coming school year so I can start fresh and get back on track!

If I could go back in time, I would tell my high school self to learn to study. I never had to study for good grades in high school, so college classes threw me for a loop. I have since learned to study, but it affected how quickly I made the transition. I would also tell myself to get organized. Keeping up with classes is so much easier when you have something even as simple as a piece of paper with your upcoming papers and their due dates. In the end you'll be less stressed and more prepared. Finally, I would tell myself to follow my passion not a future paycheck. I started college with a major I had no passion for because it would earn me a big paycheck later. I'm now looking at an extra two years because I fumbled around in the dark changing majors because I couldn't figure out my passion until now.

I would tell him to be ready for change. You are going to be coming from being the majority, to being the minority. Learn to adapt and be able to understand other people and their thoughts.

I would tell myself to take college seriously. I've been privileged enough to never really need to work hard to excel academically, so in high school, I thought college would be similar. My first semester resulted in 3Cs and 1A. It destroyed my GPA and it's been really difficult to get it back up. So if I could travel in time, I would make abundantly clear that college is not at all like high school. It's the best time of my life, and I love every bit of it, but academically, you'll have to work harder and not expect good grades to be handed out. So study, take great notes, pay attention, talk to your teachers, and ask questions.