Michigan State University Top Questions

If I could go back in time to when I was a senior in high school I would tell myself to stay more focused in school and take each class seriously. I would advise myself to read and write more and change the way I study. I would also tell myself that the experiences that I will encounter will change me for the better and I will eventually figure out what I really want to be. I would advise myself to relax and to keep plugging away with summer classes because it will all be worth it in the end. I would also tell myself to stay focused on my volunteer work and improve my people skills. Other advice that I would give myself would be to take everything one day at a time because it is very overwhelming to think about how many credits you need and what you to do in order to get volunteer hours in and raise your GPA at the same time. I would tell myself that with dedication and self motivation that I will get the career that I want and I also will have the most challenging yet beneficial time of my life.

I would tell myself not to worry. I remember constanty worrying during senior year about too many different things. "What if I don't get the grades I want?" "What will happen to my relatonship with my friends?" "What if I can't make new friends?" "What if my roommate is horrible?" The questions were endless. Looking back now, however, most of those questions were over-reactions. I would tell myself not to worry about my grades and just do the work I'm required to do and study and everything wil work out fine. I would tell myself to just try to stay in touch with my friends and nothing will change. I would tell myself I wil be able to make many new friends as well. I would tell myself not to worry abotut my oommate because it's only for two semesters. But most importantly, I would tell myself to have fun and enjoy the small things in life.

Knowing what I know now, I would most certaintly slap the younger me in the face and tell me to keep my head on straight. There will always be girls, there will always be friends and there will always be parties, but there won't always be the opportunity of college. If you don't take advantage of the resources presented now, then all the hard work leading up to this opportunity was for nothing. I allowed myself to believe that I deserved to do all the fun things I was doing, while in reality, I wasn't accomplishing any of my real goals. I stopped caring about school and more about my social life, not realizing that if I wanted to live a comfortable life as an adult it was my education that mattered most.

If I could go back to my senior year in high school I would tell myself to be more patient, open to new ideas and learning new things, and to take advantage of more opportunities. I wish I would have been more patient because patience is part of maturity that helps you to realize the value of yourself and your actions for the short term as well as the long term. If I would have been open to new ideas and learning new things I would have a better understanding about the world around me and could help make it better. I wish I would have taking advantage of more opportunities to help myself as well as others. I have learned these things over time. But I know the older I get the more I will learn and the more I will grow and I?ll keep striving to be a better person than I was the day before.

If I could talk to my senior self, I would definitely warn her. I would let her know that the work she does in high school does not cut it in college and that studying the night before an exam is not gonna cut it. I would also tell her that she needs to keep up on her work and that procrastination only makes it harder in the end because catching up is extremely difficult. I would also let her know that even though she was one of the smartest students in high school, she should not expect that in college. I would let her know that in college, she is the underdog and there are so many people that are much more intelligent than she is, but that shouldn't discourage her. She should still try her hardest and in the end that is what matters. No matter what, she is going to be successful.

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior the first thing I would tell myself is to explore. During my senior year I only applied to Michigan State which I thought was exactly where I wanted to go. But after being at MSU for a whole semester, I'm struggling with not only my program being cut but also realizing just how much of a party school MSU really is. I don't drink and I find it very hard to find friends who don't enjoy that aspect of college either. Ultimitely, these two things have encouraged me to explore other universities for next year. On a positive note however I would encourage myself to investigate all the on campus groups. During the fall semester I found my niche at a co-ed, community service oriented Fraternity called Alpha Phi Omega. Since my passion in life is volunteering and helping others, I felt as though I fit in and gained so many fantastic friends. If I could dedicate one word to my high school self it would be Explore.

Christian, you might think what I am about to tell you is strange, but I am you in the future. Just bear with me, and hear me out, since I am only allowed to pass on a small amount of information. First, you think that because you are an athlete who trains and competes nationally, as well as being a 4.0 student, that you will have an advantage learning to budget your time appropriately in college. While it is true that you had to do a lot of "time juggling" in high school, in college it will be even tougher, since you will play Division I tennis. Do not stress about the work load though; you will get through it. I would suggest, though, that you try to squeeze in a little more sleep and trust after studying countless hours that you know the material so you do not feel compelled to get only an hour or two of sleep on many nights. Second, please choose to room with Charlie, your high school friend. As it turns out, he will be a great friend to you, and good friends are invaluable in college. Enjoy the adventure!

If I could go back in time and speak to myself as a senior I would tell me (him) to take more AP classes. Just do it. I remember hating going to the AP classes because they are...well, hard. Now that I am in college I realize what I missed out on by only taking three. I paid for only $200 to get credits that would have cost five or six times that much. Of course, knowing myself, I would not listen to me. So I would have to account for that by using strong language (probably swear at myself to TAKE AP CLASSES YOU DUMB ****). Only then would I understand, mostlikely.

Be open minded about everything. You know what your ideologies are on the current paradigm of high school, but when you get to college just let yourself see everything with an open mind. That way you'll enjoy everything with far less skeptism. Also, yes you will want to party every night. If you are looking to go out every single night, you will always be able to find something, however, DON'T. It is very easily to get distracted here, but everyday when you wake up at 8:30 for that early 9:10 class you have to remind yourself that yes the option to sleep in is attractive, but you want to be a surgeon. That takes hard work, studying everyday, and proper prioritizing. Yes, have fun, but you must do it responsibly! I know it sounds like I am preaching what Mom and Dad have been saying, but listen, from yourself, that you do need to be responsible. Don't worry, the fun will come :) . I know your working your butt off to try to ace those APs right now; just keep that up through undergrad. You have no idea how great college is, You

If I could go back to being a highschool student I would charish every school day like it was my last. Now being 24 years old and backstepping in life to go forward, I see if I would have focused and listened to the positive people around me, I wouldn't be struggling today. I am leaving loved ones behind, the life I am used to, just to better myself and establish a CAREER, not just a year to year job. My advice to myself would be explore every aspect of life in every angle especially the continuation of school; because the angle you may have looked passed, could have been the light at the end of the tunnel. The sky is the limit, you can do anything you put your mind to, school is very important these days and in today's world you need education to move up in life.