North Carolina State University at Raleigh Top Questions

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to relax and that everything is going to be okay. I was very stressed out about the prosepect of going off to college and ended up giving myself bad anxiety that resulted in panic attacks. Now that I am here, I have adapted and realized that it was silly for me to freak out. Also, I would tell myself that it is okay that I chose to go somewhere that no one else was going. I have been extremely lucky in the people I have met here, which has changed me for the better. I would also to tell my self to trust my gut because back in high school I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life but then changed my mind a thousand times, as well as my major. My high school self needs to know that it is okay to be unsure and that you do not have to know the answer and have a set plan for everything.

Looking back on my senior year of high school, I did a lot of rushing. I was rushing to graduate, rushing to be an adult, and rushing to go to college. Knowing that I rushed my way through my last year of high school now makes me sad. I didn’t get to fully enjoy what was supposed to be the best year of high school. What I would tell my high school senior self is to slow down and take one day at a time. Graduating can wait. Becoming an adult can wait. Going to college can wait. Taking one day at a time to soak in every experience is what I wish I could do.

I would tell my self to reach out for help more than I did and earlier than I did. Use the resources there to help. Also, take a little time to have more fun.

The first piece of advice that I would give to my highschool self would be to always look for new things to try. Doing this would allow you to network with faculty, other students at higher academic levels than yourself, and discover lifelong friends that share similar interests with you. Another word of advice that I would give myself would be to get out and exercise frequently. There have been times when I wanted to go to the gym, could've gone to the gym, but instead chose to lay around and be lazy. Exercise has been to proven to enhance academic performance and is a great way to relieve stress from the body. A third piece of advice that I would give is to remain strong in my faith. SInce I came to college, the number of times that I have attended church on the weekends steadily declined until I stopped going at all. I would tell my high school self to ignore the impulses to skip church so that I may have faith as a go-to option when all else fails.

If I had the opportunity to travel back in time and speak to my high school self, I would tell him that everything would work out. Approximately a year ago today, I was crushed by a waitlist decision followed by an eventual rejection from my lifelong dream school. I was so dissapointed in myself and had convinced myself that my future was in ruin. My second choice for college was North Carolina State University and I firmly believe that coming to State is one of the best decisions I have ever made. My former letdowns had motivated me to achieve and in my first semester at North Carolina State I was very succesful academically, got heavily involved in the college community, and made great connections and friends within the Wolfpack community. Without a doubt, given the opportunity I would tell my seventeen year old self that everything would work out for the best, to learn from my seemingly monumental dissapointments, and most importantly that hard work is necessary to reach my goal.s This is an essential lesson that I wish my high school self had known, but am greatful to have learned now.

I would tell myself the people you are in high school with are not your friends. College is where you will find your best friends that truely care about you. College is where you need to be and high school does not define you. There are more people out there like you who are hard working and driven to do the right thing. Your relationship with your parents will get better and you will miss them more than you can ever imagine. Life will get harder in some aspects because your grandmother is going to pass away the first week of college and you will feel helpless but you will get through it. The loneliness that you felt during high school will subside into laughter and many cups of coffee with some of the best people in the world. Professors are not scary people. They are just normal humans who put their shoes on the same way you do and they can give you oppurtunities of a lifetime. And yes your first semester freshman year you will help write a book, and your name will be published on this book. The door is open so run to your new life.

If I traveled back to my senior year of high school the piece of advice I would give myself is to ask the teachers I had currently and past teachers what lessons they learned in college and any advice they had to give me. Many people look over the fact that teachers are not only there to teach you the state mandated curriculum but they are also a wealth of knowledge about life including college. Some of the best college advice I did get was from my Comparative Governments teacher and I imagine many different teachers would have sound advice to help ease my transition. Because I lived in a town where people had moved to from all over I could have gotten so many different perspectives to help prepare me for what was awaiting me as I arrived at college. Even such a simple act as asking a teacher to tell you about their college and life experiences can help you not only better prepare yourself for the daunting task that is college but you might also learn some interesting facts about your teachers that you otherwise would have never discovered.

Next year be different. Do not go into this thinking you can continue to not study and get A's, or thinking your teacher will curve the test. You need to work hard and be proud of the grades you achieve and not allow yourself to put your social life first. That being said, have a social life. Go out meet new people on the weekends, they will be who you go to when the stress of class becomes too much or when you just cant figure out that physics problem. Yes, you will be taking physics, math, and a lot of chemistry. However, so will most people you meet. They will become some of your most vaulable resources and will be there when you will inevibly get a grade you are not so ok with. This grade, be it a C, D, or possibly even an F, is ok as well. You are not perfect and one bad grade, while an idncator you need to study more, will not ruin you and your college career. Just remember to get enough sleep, to put forth effot, and to find good study partners to suffer though the classes with you.

Take all of your classes seriously and dedicate more time to studying. Every class is important, and failure to dedicate time to studying for every class with result in bad grades. Don't simply memorize material. Take time to understand what you're learning and why it is important to your major and future career. You need to become an expert in each class you enroll in so you can become the best professional you can in your field. Look for internships and actively seek oppertuinies within the university and within your field of interest. Make contacts and friends that are along the career path you want to follow, they will become invaluable resources in the future. Overall, find something you enjoy doing. Try a variety of sports, hobbies, and classes of study. Spend your first year without a major, and explore different fields in order to discover what you really want to study while you have time. Make sure you do well in your first few semesters, so your GPA can withstand mistakes or uncontrollable circumstances that may badly affect your GPA in the future. Overall, have fun but work hard.

If I could go back in time and give myself advice on college, I would say make the decision that is best for your future, financially and socially. I had applied to a few out of state schools, and while they were great, it really came down to the cost. While it would be great to attend an out of state school where you do not know many people from your high school, you have to look at the big picture ten years down the road. No one wants to graduate with over eighty thousand dollars of debt from student loans. Though it may seem if you go to a college in your own state or near by that you will already know everyone there, however, I can say that even though I go to school thirty minutes from my old house, I do not see these people all the time. You make new friends and introduce yourself to people who you thought you would never come across at a fraction of the price of an out of state institution. A social life can be developed whether you're close to home or across the country.