Lake Forest College Top Questions

I would tell my self to focus on my double major ealier. I regret not being sure or focused on my double major the first year because now I can no longer double major. I would also tell myself to rush sororities my freshman year. Rushing my second year I felt left out and unwanted.

Things will not always go the way you plan. It is incredibly important to be resilient and flexible. Be open-minded and be open to change. Take classes outside of your chosen field and know that your interests will evolve. Get to know people by being non-judgmental and sincere. Don't ever be afraid to share your ideas with others and try to make change on your campus. College provides an amazing opportunity for collaboration. Get to know your professors. They want to see you succeed so never hesitate to ask for help. Make sure to get involved on your college campus. Join student organizations and consider Greek Life. You will immediately feel connected to your campus and meet some great people. The best piece of advice I would give to my high school self would be to not live in the future. As tempting as it may be to think only about college once you have been admitted, don't forget to enjoy your remaining time in high school. You have four years to enjoy college but very little left in high school. Make the most out of it.

One of the most important things a high school student can learn from being in college is that they should take their high school classes seriously. Not only is this important to achieve a good GPA, for admission and an academic scholarship, but also to be prepared well for college classes. I am a Biology and Economics major. I took AP Biology in high school, but had to take "Organismal Biology". Looking back, this biology course, as well as upper level biology courses, would have been much easier had I spent the time to learn the information rather than memorizing it, only to forget most of this information by the time I entered college. The information in introductory college courses is going to be a review of AP/honors high school classes, by being well prepared, the information can be learned and connected. It is easy to tell a high school student that they should take their classes seriously, but without giving them a method to do this, the advice is fruitless. Therefore, I would explain the best way to learn information is to understand and integrate the major themes and comprehend the big picture, rather than the minute details.

I would tell myself to follow my passion and truly trust myself. Many times it is impossible to make a fully informed decision and necessary to ?trust your gut.? Early on, there might be a tendency to go the route of what others expect as opposed to what I expect of myself. This can lead to unhappiness, underachievement, and potentially failure. The transition to college is a difficult one and it is important to trust your parents and friends. This support structure will help you through any problem. Be patient with yourself since being on your own, taking care of yourself, and making adult decisions is hard. It takes time to become comfortable with this. Lastly and something very important, is celebrate your success. Do not glance over the small accomplishments as these will help lay the foundation for greater accomplishments academically and in life.

I overcommitted myself when I was an undergraduate. I worked, I was an RA, I had more classes than I should have at one time, I did too many activities. I did not sleep for 3.5 years. I would have enjoyed the experience more of being free to try lots of different things but not committing too much to so many responsibilities. Those come later in life. I missed out on being a true college student by being too driven to succeed.

I would tell myself to apply to a few less prestigious colleges and to look for current students' advice. I would apply for more scholarships and not be so picky about my list of requirements for a school. College is what you make of it.

College is what you make of it, no matter which school you attend. Having said that, go to the best place you get in! If you think you aren't ready for college, there's nothing wrong with taking time off, but do something productive during that time-- volunteer, intern, start a blog-- make a contribution. When you get to college, go to all the orientation events, no matter how dumb they seem. The people you meet there will become your friends. Talk to your professors too, go to their office hours-- they are there to help you. They have so much to offer. If you are overwhelmed with the work load, make lists of what needs to be done and prioritize. Form study groups with classmates. If you feel homesick, depressed or anxious, don't keep it bottled up, go talk to someone. Sometimes just talking about it helps. Don't forget to have fun. Take advantage of school events as well as activities off campus. Get involved! An education is important, not just in order to get a job, but to grow as a person. Always keep learning and challenging yourself, even after you've graduated.

I would tell myself to not worry as much as I did. Take time to relax and enjoy the last moments you have with your family and close friends. College is all about getting to know yourself and the other people around you, so take some time to yourself and really think about what you want to accomplish. You will make new friends and they will be some of the closest people to you later in your life. So take risks and apply everywhere! There is nothing that you can not achieve if you truley put your mind to it. Alos, pack less stuff.

College will give you some of the most awesome and worst times of your life, but you have to embrace it all with open arms and an open mind. Don't limit yourself to who you meet and befriend, what activities you do on and off campus, and look forward to what's to come. You're life is going to get busier than ever before, and you're not always going to like it, but when you look back at it all in retrospect, you won't have a single true regret. Stay focused, because playing catch-up sucks, and you're not going to get away with the work ethic you had in highschool. This is your future, so treat it like so. Have fun, stay focused, and celebrate when appropriate.

Finding the right college can no doubt be a stressful and daunting process, but try your best to enjoy the ride. Look for some that you normally wouldn't consider and get a feel for size by looking at schools of all different sizes. Don't make decisions based on the name, try to get past all of that because wherever you go it'll be what you make of it. Look for small class sizes and accessable professors, I've found these things make all the difference. When you get your acceptance letters and financial aid packages re-evaluate and try to make the best fit for you and your wallet, in the long run money does matter. Parents, do your best to stay out of the decision making process, it is easier to make the best of a situation when you know you've made the decision on your own. So students when you finally make the decision trust that is the right one and give it time. If its not, transferring is not as hard as it seems. When you finally arrive on campus and are scared to death, know that everyone else is too.