Michigan State University Top Questions

Jacob, college is a very strange place. It is where you will hope to building a jumping off point for the rest of your life. One would hope that they make lifetime friends, find new interests, and propel your academic career. Your first year is rough. You get sick (including bronchitis) a lot, you don't make many friends, and in academic and athletics you will be pushed to the limits. But it pays off sophomore year. All the things you learned freshman year and everything that challenged you prepares you for the next year and probably the last two too. So my advice to you, put your head down and go straight ahead and just know everything will be allright.

If I were able to go back in time and talk to my high school self, there are a few things I would want to say. The first thing I would tell myself is to get involved in a variety of extracurricular activities such as theater, music, student council, volunteering, and maybe even a sport. I would say that it is better to try things that are out of your comfort zone, than to regret not trying them later. I would discuss how focusing on schoolwork and studying is a priority. I'd mention how easy it is to get distracted by friends and forget to do a homework assignment, but that it's the small grades that can really help or hurt you. The last advice I would offer, is to apply for as many scholarships as possible. My "present self" didn't know how important that was when I was in high school, and I wish with that advice we could spare "future me" from student loan debt. I would love to say all of those things, but the most important advice I could give would be, do your best to make the world a better place.

Don’t be afraid. It seems like the simplest thing to tell a person, but fear makes being yourself ten times more difficult. There are always people that will become your friend and will help you have the best college experience possible. Don’t hesitate to get things you need for your dorm room, or you will be stressing out the week before you leave over all the things you need. As long as you are confident in yourself people will be drawn to you, like a moth to a flame. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t be afraid to try new things like join clubs, go to activities on campus, and talk to new people. Don’t be afraid, because although Michigan State University may at first seem like a big scary monster, it turns out that it is the best place for a student to be.

If I could ever go back and give myself words on wisdom on how college truly is, there are four things that I would emphasize. The first would be that grades are everything in college, so when you want to go out and party on the weekend instead of write your eight page paper due on tuesday, then you need to change your priorities and always keep focused. Another thing I would warn myself of is keep your morals high and stay true to who you are. Just because a boy asks you to "hook up" that night or someone offers you a drink at a party and you're thinking, "Hey, everyone does it!", doesn't mean it's the best thing for you. The third would be to ask questions during class and don't stray away from asking those questions during lecture, but have courage because any professor would want to see you succeed. And the final thing would be to have faith and trust in the Lord. He always has a plan and every action you take reflects on Him and that plan that he has set forth for you, and always choose the right path.

I don't think I would give myself any advice about the college life and making the transition. I had already started studying last year and I also started getting out of my comfort zone. That's not to say that it has always been great, because I am an observer so I don't really talk to many people like that. Next year, though, I will have way more time more time to observe and then decide on who I want to hang out with. So yeah, that's the advice I took last year.

Remember that the reason you go is to work at the viola and dont forget that the competition level is very intense and jobs are even more scarce than what you think. Make sure to be focused and intentional about everything you do. Be efficient. Efficiency may be the most important thing to make you feel happy and with purpose. Always thank God for giving you so many blessings. And when you see that girl at the dinner dance your freshman year, Say something to her.

I would give myself the following advice: 1. If going to an out- of- state school, get you own place or a P.O. Box address as soon as possible so that you will be eligible for in- state tuition within one year. Or a single if planning to live in a dormitory for the duration of college; this achieves the next point. 2. Study whenever possible: don't worry about having a robust social life there will be plenty of time for that afterwards. 3. Network with people: try to obtain a summer internship in something that interests you; hopefully, within the major you chose. 4. Take advantage of your professor's office hours as an opportunity to, not only, clarify the workload, but as a means of building a personal relationship with them. This achieves two purposes: It allows them to put a face to a name; you're not just a name on a test paper and it builds on your relationship for possible references; save via email and/or always keep a copy on file. 5. Apply for scholarships every year because it reduces the chances/ amount of aid needed to finance your education.

If I could go back and talk to my high school self I would tell her to be more actively involved. Throughout high school I focused on my grades and my soccer team. Now I am in college and my career path requires me to have many hours of vet shadowing and animal experience. All the time I spent doing other things could have been spent getting experience and taking on projects that I could add to my resume and to my list of experiences. I would also tell myself to lighten up and have fun because college is hard word and I will rergret not taking time to have fun. I would wanted myself to take advantage of the many scholarships out there and not get discouraged everytime I see that my application has been rejected. My high school senior self would probably be annoyed with the many request I would demand, but I would thank me if we ever met again. So now I am trying to make myself more available and have a diversity to myself.

Take more risks! Dont be afraid of failing because failure is what makes us better!

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to develop study habits. My high school was small, with a graduating class of about 65 people. I never had to study to get through my classes, everything came fairly easy to me. My first semester at college was rough because I had no idea how to study, or how to learn in a large classroom enviroment. I was put on academic probation and was afraid I would fail out due to low grades. A helpful study routine was finally created in my second semester, and I was able to finish the year with good grades. If I could go back, I would sit myself down and make sure I understood how important studying was at the college level. This knowledge would have been a great help at the beginning of my freshman year.