Kean University Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to high school senior Dominque, I would tell her to come with her game face. Although, college can be extremely stressful for most students, it's best to always make the best out of every situation. You are going to feel really alone and realize that you have to be independent in order to get through the daily struggles and stressors of a college student. But, all you really need is to have an open mind and be willing to try and experience new things, coming out of your comfort zone and blossoming into the woman you were birthed to be. I would tell myself college is about experiences, making life long friendships and connections, and figuring out what you want to do with your life. Life is all about making mistakes and then learning from them because in order to master something or become CEO of a company you first have to fail, repeatedly. You will become frustrated and somedays you will feel like dropping out because you have no idea what your doing or where your going, but it's then that you should push through and surprise yourself.

Going back in time would allow me to prepare myself better for college. Given this opportunity, the first piece of advice I would say is to apply yourself. This would consist of taking academics more seriously and appoint the many opportunities out there . Next I would tell myself t go above and beyond. In college it is very important to stand out amongst the others. There are people in college with the same mindset and are just as motivated to succeed. The last piece of advice that I would give is to never reveal everything you know. It is perfectly fine to help and get help from other people. In college, you have to be careful because there will be people that only care about themselves and will use you to their benefit. With these three pieces of advice, you can advance to new heights and succeed.

Dear High School Freshman Bridget, I want to start this off by telling you that I will be giving you somewhat of a "High School Survival Letter". I want to tell you first off that these next four years of high school, right now might seem that it will take forever, but i promise you they will fly by! You need to appreciate everyday that you are given and take chances and risks that you might not think you will try, for all you know you might end up loving these risks that you take. Dont worry about what others think of you and dont keep looking in the past because you are not going that way. Life moves on and if you don't worry about things that don't matter your high school experience will be so much more successful. Always keep your head up and be who you are. There are going to be times when you just want to give up on it all, but if you keep focused and keep working I promise everything will work out. Keep going and be confident. Sincerely, College Freshman Bridget

What would I tell my senior high school self if I now had the chance to go back? When I first read this, I couldn’t think of anything that I would tell myself. Then it came to me a couple of days later. When I was a senior in high school, my parents split up. It was a very hard time for me. On top of schoolwork, I had to now help take care of my siblings. I had to step into a role that no seventeen year old should have to fill. I had to take care of my two younger sisters. I would tell myself to pay more attention to the people who came to talk about college. Don’t let your dreams go, because of what is going on at home. Home will be handled. Go to college, right after high school. So you can finish on time and start your business.

For most, the typical 4 year college outline is an easy checklist. Not easy in the sense that it renders absolutely no effort. It's a higher degree of education after all. Rather, students follow their path quite seamlessly, with nothing too detrimental causing a hinderance or epic delay. Most even attribute their best years in life trusting and following the system: class, homework, party, repeat. For me, however, it's been quite an arduous journey. I've been paying for my college education since freshman year. Multiple jobs accompanied with a demanding and dysfunctional family, several uncontrollable stressors, almost no social support, and a disabling tendency to think myself into self pity, caused major mental and academic set backs. For those who've had similar experiences, one thing that is always wished for is to go back in time and tell their younger selves to stay strong, keep going no matter what. For me, I would tell myself to stop. Stop, breathe and think. Don't allow yourself to feel pressured into a predetermined path that you don't agree with because you'll be unhappy and fail. Ultimately, you'll be going through the journey, no one else.

When you graduate, prepare yourself. College is not even close to high school. It's all about who you know and interaction with everyone. Be prepared to organize your life.

If I could go back to talk to my high school self I would tell myself to not worry so much about making friends or trying to keep the old ones from high school. College changes people. Some for the better and some for the worst. You have to be one-hundred percent true to yourself throughout the college experience and do not try to change for anyone during the transition. If you see friends who are going down a bad path it is OKAY to stray away from them while entering college. If you are meant to cross paths again it will happen. Don't ever judge a book by its cover and remember who you are!

I would tell my high school self not to panic about making friends or adjusting to the college. Most of the people here are friendly and very open-minded, and very little sexting or hazing takes place. College is not that big a transition because the workload in class is really similar to the workload in high school despite what high school teachers claim. The food is better in this cafeteria than in the high school cafeteria and there are more things to do in your free time than you could ever do in a high school study hall, so don’t worry about boredom. Most importantly, many people told you that you should have gone to Rutgers because it is larger and more famous but Kean offers many opportunities despite its size and Kean is proof that small schools can be just as good as big schools. Finally, don’t worry about the danger at parties or walking in the dark on campus because overall the school is safe and as long as you are with a friend you are fine. At first you may feel alone when you arrive but quickly you will find your place.

Focus on your classes and study harder my friend. Try to put all your energy into hitting the books and look up scholarships for the university you plan on going to. I would also adivse doing research on universities in and out of state. Reconsider your life decisions up to this point and ask yourself: was it really worth it?

Knowing what I know now, I would tell myself to shift my priorities. When I first started I got introduced to farternities and sororities and started partying a lot and made those things my priorities. I would suggest that you get involved more in volunteer oppurtunities because you are going to love it. I would also tell myself not to get involved with boys just yet and to stay focused on just school because boys can alter your path when it comes to education. I definitely would tell myself the one thing thats is super important and that is to take advatage of the school's resources because you are not a geek for using the resources.