Kent State University at Kent Top Questions

College is exciting! You meet so many people who are interested in the same things that you are. The friends you make will help you in so many ways. They will encourage you to do well, they will help you study, they will help you unwind, and they will be there for you when you succeed: together. You do not have to pretend to like or not like something because you are afraid of what others will think. In college you are free to feel however you want and it is even encouraged to speak up for what you believe in. You don't have to be scared to go to a school that is not close to your hometown. Part of the adventure is exploring new towns and cities. You will be able to use this experience to better figure out what you want to do with your life; where you want to live and what kind of job you want. College will change your life, so get ready!

Transitioning into the college lifestyle is not as easy as it seems in the movies. People leave the lives they know, and instantly adjust into a magnificent life full of fun and friends. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself that it will take time to become accustomed to living on my own and being completely independent. I expected college to be simple, and to make a great deal of friends from the start. I know now that when one is confronted with a major change, it takes time to adjust. One cannot expect to live in a perfect situation where everything is handed to him or her. If anything, I would go back in time just to tell myself that everything takes time, and I should enjoy every minute before it passes by.

First I would advice my highschool self to work even harder on scholarships. I would love to have had less money in loans. Then I would give them advice on time management. Don't procrastinate, get your work done a.s.a.p then you'll be able to enjoy the rest of your day without having to turn in horrible work because it was done last minute. Also I would tell my self to be prepared to get things done early. Alot of deadlines and openings are filled early on in the year. For example, on campus jobs, spring scholarship deadlines, sports teams try outs, ect. A thing I would tell not just myself but all seniors is look to network early on. These people can be your life line, as in getting you that book scholarship you may need, or writing a letter of recomendation. They can't help you if they don't know you! Start early.

I would advise myself to make sure I know what I want to do with life, so I wouldn't have to change my major and rush through clinical hours. I would tell myself that I need to work on stress management skills now, so it doesn't keep affecting my life in college years. I would advise myself to work on study skills now, because even though high school was a breeze, college won't be. I would advise myself to get things done on time, so I don't have to procrastinate and stress out about if I will get things done in time. I would advise myself to start looking into extra-curricular activities at my campus, so I could see which ones would be the most beneficial to me. I would encounrage myself to start applying to scholarships now so I would have a sufficient amount of money for school and so I wouldn't have to work as much.

I think the best advice I could give myself is to choose my friends wisely, The friends that I had picked my freshmen year were wonderful people. However, they were more worried about going out then going to class. As I keep going through college I look at the people I am around now and only 2 of the 5 people I was close with my freshmen year are even still in school. I would also make sure to remind myself that my education will always come first and before everything else.

As a high school student, I was rather shy and reserved. If I could go back and write myself a letter of advice, I would start off by reminding myself not to hold back. I would tell myself to be open minded to my fellow students, the several teaching styles that I may come across, and be open minded to my abilities as well. I would advise myself that not being open-minded could hold me back from success. I also find that helping others is a rewarding and a learning experience as well. I would tell my high school self to take advantage of any situation that I may be in to help another. I have found that helping someone with school only helps your knowledge to grow. Helping someone with a physical or emotional problem is a rewarding experience that helps you grow into a beautiful person along side your academic success. Lastly, I would remind myself to never give up, no matter how hard classes may get. Studying does pay off, and inturn helps you to grow into the professional you are striving to be.

I would tell myself to focus more during high school because it will help in the long run. I slacked off my senior year because once I started to get accepted into schools, I began not to care as much. I think that if I had put all my effort into the last semester of high school, I would have had a better GPA my first semester of college rather than a 3.0. I would also tell myself that it will not be as easy as I thought it would be. In high school, I did not have to try hard to get a decent grade but in college, if you do not try, then you do not get a good grade. I learned that the hard way from Intro to Philosophy. It was a good learning experience for me on how to prepare for tests but it was hard because I never had to prepare so much for a test as I did in that class. It would have been a good thing to know before I entered college on how to study for my classes.

Knowing what I do now I would go back and tell myself to focus more on the PSEO program. That program helped alot, but if I was more serious about it, it would of helped even more.

The biggest advice I would give to myself or any high school senior is "Get Involved!!" I spent most of my freshman year in college commuting back and forth from home and I made very few friends. My freshman year was miserable because it was all work and no play. So talk to people. Find something on campus that interests you and do it. Stick with it, and doors will open up. Many scholarship applications ask about your involvement in volunteer activities and on-campus programs. There is so much of a reward to be had if you have something to fill in on those applications. These two things are my biggest regrets and I would encourage anyone to get involved and make friends. It is never too late.

Live in a freshmen dorm!!!!! They're great and it's where you will meet the majority of your friends who will probably continue to stay with you throughout your college career.