Norfolk State University Top Questions

I would have told myself that to complete takes a lot of focus. I would tell myself to save up for a car and the school books. I would also tell myself to reach out to everybody, and become that comet to guy.

I would tell myself to apply more time to school, not a social life. I would say open your eyes to the real world and read the newspaper or watch the news. Pay attention to what really matters & not worry about having that new hundred dollar pair of jeans. Don't hear the words recession or depression & think it is for somebody else, somebody lazy. Don't let those two words go through your ears without paying attention to them. Don't see a going out of business sign as a chance to increase your supply of new clothes or a big screen tv. Open your eyes to see the family that depended on that paycheck brought home . Families that now went from recession to a depression. Lauren, you are 18. Yes Lauren I know your name. I am you. I was given this once in a lifetime chance to go back in time. Back in time to tell you that you were the person I spoke about. You were the person that lost their income. You were that person in tears when your life took a U turn. You can now change that. This is your one chance.

Going to college is going to be different world. You are going to meet a lot of different people with different attitudes. Those same people might be your professors and they know what you need to learn so you need to go in there and listen to everything they have to offer because these are the same people who can pass or fail you. You need to stay focused and do all your work no matter how big or small, also make sure all your work is turned in on time. You have to study hard, so you can know your material and not cram it all in at one time. Make a study group so you can have people with similar classes to study with. Ask questions, they might help you more than you think they would. Go to school and meet all the people you can, this is your time to network. You will befriend a lot of people from different professional backgrounds; it?s always good to have those connections. Everyone is not your friend and you can?t trust all people, but the friends that you get and feel they are worth keeping, keep them close.

I would tell myself to knock slack off so much with homework and to study a lot harder because the GPA coming into college can truly help financially. I would have made sure I searched schools better when it narrowed down to dorm availability and how they looked inside. I would have made sure to apply for every single scholarship or award I could so I would not have to struggle at the end of the semester to find money to pay for the next semester. I would definately tell myself to keep my job no matter what other activities I was going to partake in at school, because not having a job in college in then trying to find a new one is very hard to do.

If I could go back in time to 2006, I would have a talk about time management. I believe I have done very well but I am aware that their are areas of improvement. I would tell myself to take every second of my free time to do an assignment early. I would also make myself aware of the importance of applying for scholarships. I always knew that scholarships were out there, but now I am aware that often they are not applied for. I do not know how many times I have gone to the financial services office the told me I had just missed a deadline date for a scholarship or a grant that no one had even applied for. Which meant if I would have gotten there a day earlier I could have applied and would have received money for school. This subject goes right back to time management, instead of hanging out in front of the student union center between classes I could have been in the computer lab looking up scholarships. Now I know this for my children, which is most important. I wont make the same mistake again or let them make it either.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself about college life and making the transition, I would definately have a lot to say on the subject. I wish I could have told myself that while my high school years were a breeze and maintaining a 4.0 was next to nothing, college requires more than just my lowest effort to gain that GPA. I wish I could have told myself to start off the year motivated and working hard instead of waiting for my midterm grades to arrive and then deciding to fix them. I would also tell myself to make a study plan not just in my head, but to write it down on paper. I have found that when you want to do something, it is more likely to be accomplished when you write it down instead of just letting it swim around in your head, because if you do that, in your head is exactly where it will stay. Furthermore, writing down your goals and a plan for your semester makes it more meaningful, realistic, and more likely to be followed and accomplished.

If I was granted with the opertuinty to travel back in time i woul tell myself , Faniesha slow down and take advantage of opertinities around you there are scholorships , and school in massachusetts that are willing to pay for your education pay attention to the $ signs in front of you.Before I attended Norfolk State University I wish I would?ve known the disadvantages, and financial strain of attending an out of state HBCU. Thats way i would educate my self on the debt of student loans ,and how its important to utlize the money around me .Knowing what I know now, I probably would have stayed in state where I had more aid of money, striving for a 3.5 GPA by sophomore year. A 3.5 GPA would have granted opportunities like, the honors program at Norfolk State University, qualifications for merit scholarships. Going into college straight out of high school I wanted to get away, and the last thing that crossed my mind was money; I could?ve made smarter decision by Appling for scholarships and choosing schools with a promising great education as well as money.

I will tell myself not to sign any loans regardlesss how bad I need cash for school. also, I wiil try to make higher grades so that I can achieve more creidts than accepting to take develompment courses. I will attain a high GPA and take the SAT oR ACTs.

If I could go back in time and start over I would tell myself that every grade counts your GPA is a gateway to many opportunities if you make it high. Get a little part- time after school job just so you can have a little change in your pocket for extra activities, books, or an emergency fund. Keep track of all of your paperwork, dates, records, and point of contact, in order to avoid the he said/ she said drama that might approach in the future. Start early with your scholarships. Work at it as if it was a job that you got paid to do, because in the end it pays for your education and it saves alot of stress later. Have a plan on how you can support yourself through school and have a back up plan just in case it does not quite go as smoothly as you might have wanted. If you have a roomate take time to talk to each other figure out your similarities and differences and learn how to compromise. Just remember the famous saying " work hard now and play later, or don't work hard and struggle".

Knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition, the advice that I would give myself as a high school senior is to take college seriously. From my experience as a college student, many people come to college but don't even end up staying for the next semester. Many familiar faces that I was used to seeing around campus disappeared right after winter break. These were the same faces at every party, staying up until the wee hours of the night and hardly ever going to class. Not knowing your priorities before you get to college can very well diappoint you in the long run. Not saying that you shouldn't have fun, but the key is to be able to balance studying and social time responsibly. You can very well get caught up in the college life because there are no parents there to tell you when to study, when to go to bed or when to get up. Just as long as you don't abuse that freedom by being on academic probation or even worse getting kick out of school, your college years would be all worth it in the long run.