Mount Holyoke College Top Questions

You're going to be okay. I swear on all things good in this world that the sadness in your heart will ebb away. You're going to explore another country, and meet friends who will love all of you. You will learn so much about the world and yourself. Not every moment will be a happy one but all in all you will have the best year of your life and make many beautiful memories. You will learn that what happened to you in high school won't stay with you forever. There are kinder people around you and you will let go of those painful memories. At the end of the year you will feel more ready to start college after your gap year has ended, even though on the night before you leave you will get scared. When you get to where I am now you will feel so much better about yourself and life. My advice? Just keep breathing and moving forward it will all fall into place, I promise. Oh and also, avoid that weird pasta and vegetable dish they serve at your school in Finland, it'll give you two allergic reactions.

My biggest piece of advice for a high school senior is simultaneously simple and impossible to follow: relax. While there is nothing to do that can assuage the fears you're felling about transitioning to college from high school, at the end of the day you need to understand that if you relax and trust things to fall into place they will. Do you need to be proactive about joining new clubs? Yes! Should you keep a close eye on your school work and do your best to plan ahead and keep on top of it? Absolutely! But the details, the things you're trully worried about because they're the things that will make your college experience shine, those things will work themselves out over time. You just have to trust the system and take the time to breathe and experience each day as it happens. If you do things will work out okay for you. I feel so strongly about this I would stake my reputation as a perpetual worrier on it.

I would have to tell myself to spend more time asking questions about the whole process. I feel like I arrived with a general idea of what I was supposed to do there, but no idea on how to go about it. I really feel like I was a "small fish in a big ocean". Thats not to say I wasnt intimidated, because I was. I didnt know where to start to ask the questions I had. My advice would be, ask ANYWHERE! Ask the principal in high school, the teachers or physician (especially me being interested in science/ health). I would tell myself to have visited our local community colleges more and to not have discounted them as viable options for a quality education. I would have told myself to stay closer to home and my support system, which was pretty strong (and is still today). I would have told myself to make best friends with an academic advisor my very first semester. I would have told myself to relax, when things seem overwhelming or like you want to quit, take a break and then get back to business. Lastly, I'd say keep the faith, determination and motivation.

Dear You,I know its tough right now, everything is going downhill. The guy you fell in love with moved 3200 miles away and your friends really dont seem to care that you go to school not caring what day it is. Your grandmother passed away and your grandfather followed a month later. Remember whats important, taking care of Mom, and ignoring the friends that abandon you.But let me tell you something, even though youre going to have to work like a dog for six months just to pay the first two months of your college payments for a single semester, trust me it will be worth it.Youre going to meet women that will care about you, and change you forever, youre going to realize that the depression you had was real, and that its okay. Youre going to be at a place so magical that even when youre up until 5 am writing a ten page paper on who knows what, youll be happier than youve ever been. Youll learn that loving from 3200 miles away is easy. So hang in there, don't fret, work hard, and youll be able to breathe easy soon.Love,You

Classes will be tough, but nothing you can’t handle. Don’t box yourself into one major, give yourself room to explore. Never doubt your ability to excel in a new subject. And don’t give up on the trumpet just yet. Keep practicing and try out for the jazz ensemble. It's really fun! There are many things you are worrying about that don’t deserve your time. Don’t be nervous about your roommate. Just get to know her and let her know you. Also, don’t worry about what you wear or the shower situation. The hardest part is being away from home. College is independence like you’ve never experienced, away from your family and friends. It’s okay to be scared, but don’t isolate yourself. All you need to know is never doubt yourself. College will be more than you ever expect it to be. You will begin to learn things about yourself you never thought applied to you or question things you were once sure about. Campus culture will be inviting and supportive, so be open to the people that surround you and welcome their differences. And don’t forget to have fun!

I transferred schools this semester; I spent my first semester of college at a different school. If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, firstly I would tell myself to relax; the stress I'm feeling right now is extreme, but it will end soon, and I will have a great new life in college. I would say, don't let yourself be swayed by the opinions of family, friends, college counselors, or random reviews online; only you can decide what's best for yourself. Go with your gut decision, it'll probably be right because you know yourself and you know what you need. And most important, remember to be completely open to all the new experiences you'll have. Say hi to new people, join random clubs, go to a talk by someone you've never heard of, just do everything you can! Because I know you'll love it. Also, no, you haven't packed enough sweaters, because is it very, very cold in Massachusetts.

You have to focus on your future more seriously.

The advice that I would give to my self would be; that life with an education is more satisfing than a life without an education . I would also tell myself that four years will come and go before I know it , and how important an education is in life.

do it now do not wait for 34 years like i did

If I could travel back in time to talk to myself as a senior at East Granby High School, there is so much I would say. I would tell her that I was proud of her and that she should be proud of herself. Coming into college with a large lack of confidence was not condusive to my education. I would allow tests to make me feel intimidated and I would walk around timid and shy because I didn't realize what I was truly accomplishing. Since entering college I have accomplished so many things that I couldn't have dreamed of walking across that stage at my high school graduation. I would tell myself to have a little bit of faith in the things only deep down I knew I could accomplish. I walked across that stage and as I moved my tassel over from the right to the left a wave of fear spreadthrough my body. Could I handle college, succeeding as often as I did in high school? I would tell myself yes. And the greatest piece of advice that I could have given to myself would have been to believe in myself. I could do it.