Kent State University at Kent Top Questions

At times many students in high school that are seniors never know truly how college life is until they get into it. The student starts to see more variety of people than they had ever known compared to the people in high school when going to the college to get everything prepared. There is something that will truly help the person when getting to the college that is actually being your true self; not somebody else. Many students never think about the situations of when they will be far away from their family for the whole year in the beginning. There are students that all of a sudden start to get depressed because of being far away from their parents and family members like their home. At times that makes the students want to even leave because they do not have someone that is a truly deep person to talk with about personal stuff or even just cry for sentimental feelings. By just talking with a person that the student feels close to they feel better, are able to concentrate, and even work on school assignments or study for test.

Talk to a high school counselor as a junior and find out what future educational opportunites are available to you to work on during high school as well as after. You can start applying for scholarships as early as your junior year in high school. The earlier you apply for these and the more you can apply for will increase your chances of acquiring available scholarships. Work really hard on getting excellent grades while in high school. You could be named valedictorian and get a free ride to college. You can reduce the number of credits required in college or at a university by taking as many college classes as you can while in high school. Focus on the science and math classes. Get involved in school clubs and organizations and look into volunteering in communiy service opportunites. Look for mentors. Find people you have volunteered with or have worked with in some way and see if these people are willing to write a letter of recommendation for you to apply to scholarships. The sooner you get started on what needs to be done to secure your future, the more success you will have.

If I were to give advice to myself as a high school senior, the first thing I would recommend is to get involved as soon as possible. When I first came to college, I was very focused on my academics and didn't give myself time for a social life. However, I have learned that one of the most important aspects of the college experience is the social experiences. Transitioning to college would be so much easier with friends to rely on and activities to look forward to. Additionally, I would advise my high-school self to broaden my horizons and not be afraid to try new things. By attending a large school, I have a lot of opportunities to experience things that others do not and I wish that I had embraced them from the beginning. Therefore I would advise my high-school self to step outside of the box and not to be afraid of new experiences. Lastly, I would advise my high-school self to take the time to get to know campus and the surrounding area because it becomes a vastly important part of the college experience as the four years fly by.

If I was able to talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to follow my dreams. I had a belief that the job market only wanted candidates with a college degree and that the degree content made no difference. I would help myself understand the world will fill you with self doubt; make you believe that the path you are on is not going where you want to be. I would encourage myself to test my limits, experience new things, and not let fears and worry keep myself from doing what makes me happy. As I have learned, there are no mistakes, just life lessons that you continually learn from. I graduated with a degree that was not right for me, and I am now using that lesson to work school back into my life to acheive success with a degree that motivates me. If you focus and put your heart into learning, you will be successful everytime.

If I could go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior and give myself advice, I would tell myself to be sure to get involved and to be yourself. Getting involved at my school was one of the best things I could have done for myself. Some kids just go to school, go to classes, do homework, study for tests, and that's all their college experience is. That kind of experience can get very boring and a break to participate in an activity on campus is a good way to give your brain a break and meet new people. I would also tell myself to be yourself because you'll find some of your best friends in college. If you're being true to you and just be yourself, then you know that you'll have friends based on who you are and not who they think you really are. Finding your true friends is one of the best things that can happen in college, and its better if you find friends who like you for you, rather than fake friends who think you're someone completely different.

I would advise myself to look for scholarships before going into my freshmen year. I would also give myself advice to work hard on my classes and take college very very seriously.

I would have advised my high school self to seriously consider post secondary. I would have told myself to start post secondary junior year, and the reason why would hae been to save money. I would have told myself that in the future your going to have to put yourself through college, and would have advised myself that getting a job then would have been a very good idea.

There are a lot of things to be said, a lot of things to be done differently. . . College affords many wonderful opportunities; however, they come with a price. What I overlooked in high school, I should have considered more seriously in retrospect. Faced with large school bills at the end of the day can be a daunting prospect; when your guidance councilor talks to you about scholarships, consider them as a win-win situation. The time is takes to complete a myriad of scholarships is well worth the possible rewards you could receive. Every dollar counts, and college represents not only a transition into a different level of education, but into the "real word"--as frightening as that could seem for a high school senior, the steps you take early on will help you secure a more stable future for yourself.

I would tell myself that you need to change how you study and become more responsible. In high school not writing things down and just relying on your memory got you by but in college you need to write things down and study until you know the material. Being confident in your answers and not questions them is crucial in the field that you will be going in to. Answers will not be given if you say you do not know and you will have to work for them and actually understand. Asking questions is not a bad thing and there is no such thing as a stupid question, if you are uncertain make sure you find out the truth or answer. Finally do not take anything for granted and be the person you are and want to be.

First, I would recommend patience. Do not spend your time wishing life away. Do not rush through highschool, but embrace the time you have left. Cherish it. Time will go faster than you think, and you can never get it back. More importantly, never forget where you come from. I went to a small school my whole life, and wanted to experience somthing bigger. I found everything I was looking for, and more. But it does not mean you change who you are. Be yourself. Remember your family, friends, teammates, coaches, teachers, and mentors. They shaped you into the person you are today, and its everything you learned from them that will make the transition to a new enviorment that much easier. Remember what they taught you, and the sacrafices those people made in order for you to be happy and successful. Education is a powerful thing, and you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to utilize it in order to create the life you have envisioned. Take advantage of it; do not waste it. Make sure you have your priorities straight: schoolwork should always come first. Make the best of every situation, and let the good times roll!