Middle Tennessee State University Top Questions

If I could go back in time I would honestly yell at myself. " Do your do best your freshman year of college and stop your procrastination! What are you thinking wasting money on a dorm you will not use! Get the apartment with your friends! You need to find a job when you get up there or you are going to struggle to get by!" " You are a smart individual, all it takes is application of yourself. Study hard and put forth the effort for your grades." I would then go on to slap my past self so I make sure I get my point across. " And do not even think your going to get to MTSU and just sit on your butt all day. Get out and get involved in that campus! There is more than just classes there! It is a new experience that you will enjoy" Right before my future self is about to walk out and be gone from my life, I turn and whisper, " By the way, picking up a good workout routine and healthier diet would not be a bad thought either."

As a sophomore going into my third year of college, I often find myself asking this same question. I was very strong-willed as an adolescent, and also very hard-headed, so I do not know if I would even take the advice I would have to give to myself. I would like to advise high school self to to listen to my parents more; I believe if I had taken their advice more often, I would not be having some of the issues that I am facing now. Now that I am older, I realize what a useful resource their knowledge was, and I am thankful that it is not too late for me to benefit from it. However, it is too late for my unfortunate high school self.

Please don't work full time while in college. And don't lose motivation! It's going to be really hard paying for everything by yourself, but if you just keep at it, you'll get scholarships.

work hard and do not get caught up in the activities of what goes on around you. Learn there are all types of people in this world and you have to learn to live with all of them. Everyone has the right to their on thoughts and so do you, everyone is important and so are you. You are what you make of yourself.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself "Life is bigger than you think it is. You are intelligent and you know some things but there are many lessons you will learn. College is a new found freedom and can impact even the strongest people. However, it is your choice in how you will allow it to impact you. Hold on to the things you have learned because they will guide you in the future. In the mist of it all one mistake, one wrong turn, one unexpected path will not lead you to failure. It is not about how many times you fall because falling is apart of life. What matters is how many times you are willing to get up and try again. No one is perfect and you will make mistakes but that also means you can help or encourage someone later who may make the same mistake."

If I could go back and talk to myself when I was a senior, I would give myself the following advice: First, don't be so self conscious. Don't measure yourself by other's standards- stay true to your own. Second, have more fun. Don't hide away in books all the time, be a high schooler every now and then! College life is so different from High School and you will have plenty of time then to be by yourself, but now is the time to make memories you can think back on when you're older. Lastly, I would tell myself not to consider all my dreams simply as dreams, but as possibilities. Make yourself take the steps to get closer to your dreams, don't just imagine it will happen for you or perhaps one day you'll stumble upon happiness. You've got to make it happen and just remember; everything worth having must be earned.

Looking back from high school until present, I would repeatedly tell them to focus on school. Parties, lack of study and just having a good time at college are not as important as the time/effort poured into academic success. The goal is to have a job, save money, start a college fund, and don’t touch that money. “Do not have or think about having kids until after you are finished with college”, is a wise suggestion. “Do not take all the credit cards that are thrown your way, be responsible and take financial responsibility for yourself!” Personal finances would begin with a community college to save money and would also maximize more personal educational time from the teachers for a fraction amount. “Once beginning school do not stop until reaching all of the educational goals because it is so hard beginning again once you take time off,” I would tell them. I believe in not being afraid to ask for help as often as you need it. The teachers are there to help us succeed not watch us fail. Finding a good group of people that will support and encourage you plus making connections is a top priority.

The advice i would give myself will be to study three times as much in High School so by the time i'm in College I'll be ready for all the work load and ready to study even more. In college studying is the main key to passing your classes. Without studying you will not understand the class or material and you will not pass the class. When i was in high school i did not study much so by the time i got into college i did not have any study habits and made it real tough. So if i could go back in time and tell myself the best advice would be to study so much all the material atleast 1 or 2 hours a day depending on how many classes. Also, to make a schedule of the times where i will be studying, times to do homework, and the time i can have free to myself but limit them. That is the advice i would give myself to be more successful in college.

When I chose to attend Middle Tennessee State University, I was choosing to attend a school 1,200 miles away from my family and home. Coming from a small school with just 40 students in my graduating class, I knew right away that I wanted to go somewhere bigger and better. After a short, two hour tour on MTSU I was longer confused about where I wanted to go. Now, a summer later with one successful year under my belt I have grown up in ways I would have never imagined. With that experience I gained knowledge that I wish I could have told myself a year earlier, and that would be about how to gain time management. It does not matter how busy you were in high school or how many extra-curricular activities you participated in. None of that prepares you for living on your own. It is too easy to sleep through a class because you were out too late the night before, or forget to write a paper because you were busy cramming for a test the next day. This is the one thing that I wish I was told before I left for school.

In college, it is a must to have fun and enjoy college life, but it is even more important to manage your time wisely. As a freshman in college, I was faced with many distractions. Distractions from roommates, friends and campus activities had a dramatic effect on me. I would tell myself to study first and party second. I would also advise myself to use my freshman year to set my grade point average. In high school, I was very smart and ended high school with a 3.6 grade point average, but in college I have made a mistake and started off my gpa wrong. I have never had a gpa this low and I am taking this advice with me for the summer and the fall of next semester. I will raise my gpa this fall if I have to study all day and night long. If I were to go back in time, I would advise myself to use my time wisely and to set my gpa. I would also tell myself that life is not easy and full of mistakes and this mistake is just teaching me a lesson of responsibility.