North Carolina State University at Raleigh Top Questions

As a high school senior, my life was mainly consumed with homework, cross country, and being the editor-in-chief of the yearbook. Yes, they were all contributing factors of my acceptance to college, but I had help from various people throughout the span of my high school career. You could get one-on-one help from teachers from assignments, I had a coach guide me through races and track practices, and an advisor and other staff members to help complete the yearbook. After leaving for college, I was all of a sudden shocked with how independent I had really become. Most people think that as a college student, a person is independent because they don't live with their parents anymore. Through my recent experiences, I have discovered that that is not the issue. In college, a person may have a support group from friends, but for the most part, they begin doing things on their own and building towards their own future. Although the people I worked with in high school were helpful, remembering that they would not be there in college may have helped prepare for the independent lifestyle I am currently living.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to make sure to get involved in extra curricular activities and network early on. Being apart of clubs and getting to know people is crucial in college. I still have work to do on my involvement in extra curriculars, but if I had made an effort earlier in my college career I feel that I would be in a better position now. Academics always come first, but extra curricular activities are a key part of gaining a full college experience as well as preparing yourself for a career after graduating. As far as the transition from high school to college goes, I think I adjusted well. I feel that I have always had a steady head on my shoulders and I know how to prioritize and make sure I am prepared academically. Academics are important, but so is networking and that is something I wish I had paid more attention to coming into college.

Entering college, my biggest concern was the future. I didn't want to struggle financially my entire life, so my sole motivation was to get a good paying job. I started in a major that would ensure that job. If I could go back, I would tell myself to stop worrying about money and do what I love. The classes and the major aren't as important as expanding language and knowledge and wisdom in life. I tried for three years in a major I hated, beating my head against the wall every lecture, ensuring myself it would be worth it someday. I had no idea about the freedom and joy I would feel the day I decided to change majors and do what I was always good at. We have to accept the minds, the talents that we have and not try to force ourselves into someone else's ideal. The career will come. The future will come. The important thing is doing something that you enjoy so much you will shine and you will push yourself and love every minute of it.

Dear Matt, As you make this transition from high school to college, I want you to keep a few things in mind. First, you need to work on your time management skills. When you get to college you will have to keep up with various assignments, papers, exams, and labs. The professors here are not like your high school teachers, meaning that they will not remind you of these tasks on a daily basis. You must learn how to effectively budget your time to keep up with your classes and extracurricular activities. My next piece of advice to you is to get involved. Join a couple of clubs or organizations that you?re interested in. These groups will let you make connections with students that have similar interests and you never know what benefits may result from your involvement. Finally, I just want to remind you to enjoy yourself. You've landed yourself at a university with plenty to offer. Take advantage of all that is there and make every effort to appreciate every day. Good Luck, Matt

Looking back on my first semester of college, I often wish I could tell my high senior self a few things. First, though you often hear it from everyone you talk, truly try to avoid parties. In a crowd, you often feel tempted to do things you later may not be proud of or will have to face the consequences for. If you are given much, like the opportunity to attend school on a scholarship, do not take it for granted. As said in Spiderman, "With great power comes great responsibility." You have the responsibility not only to work for the best education possible but to represent where you come from with pride and integrity. Second, as far as scholarships go, money is not everything. Follow your heart. Choose the school where you will be the happiest, not just the one that will offer you the best deal. If you need to take a year off, don't be afraid to do it. Explore your interests. College should be the best years of your life. So don't waste them. But finally, get involved. Make friends. And, remember. Be you. Because in the end, that's who will shine through.

The advice that I would give myself would be: don't let anyone stand in your way of what you want to do. And if an opportunity arises, give it a try because you'll never be able to get the chance to feel the sense of accomplishment, or be able to experience that one exciting, precious moment. Also, the only person from stopping you is yourself; so don't hold back. Never be afraid to take risks, but make sure you know what you are doing, and what you are getting yourself into. But above all, live your life with no regrets, and pass on to the next generation my advice, because the life I've lived so far would have been easier if I knew what I know now.

Currently embarking on my second semester in college, I have learned multiple skills and acquired traits that have improved my performance. As a senior in high school, I was enrolled in multiple AP and honors courses that I believe helped me drastically in completing my first semester at North Carolina State University. Acquiring the knowledge I possess now, I would tell myself then that those course were extremely important and to preserve all those notes and handouts as a guide to starting college. I would also remind myself that conscientiously annotating my books and writing assignments in advance was not in vain. These skills help the assimilation to college life greatly easier for students as well as myself. Often, educators say that the transition to college can be difficult for most students, however, these skills greatly made my ?transition? occur smoothly.

I would tell myself to schedule for the unexpected. Keep on track, but don't overburden myself. Keep positive, go out and relaxe every now and then, and don't spend every waking moment studying. College is about expanding your life, and building your future, and it is necessary to balance liesure, work, and study together in order to maintain a balanced and sane life. Live life like it's your last day, love like your not alone, stay wealthy in family and friends, and above all never give up, because the only man who never did anything wrong, never did anything.

If I could go back to my senior year where I found myself trying to prepare for the transition for college I would definitely take time to value the words of wisdom my teachers has spoken to me at the time. Now that I know that college really pushes a high school graduate into adulthood I would advise myself to take more responsibility as an high school senior. I would also prepare advise myself as a high school senior to go to different time management, career assessment, study habits, stress manangement, and money investment workshops in hopes of being more familliar with it when the different times in college life present me with those situations. Most of all I would tell myself not to be afraid of change if it is for the bettering of myself. Last but not least, do not be afraid of getting corrected.

I wish I had taken more time to figure out what I really wanted to do or prepared better in case I changed majors, like I did. Even though I was not originally in a health care degree, I wish I would have gone ahead and taken biology or chemistry just in case. I would have also taken the time to figure out what would be financially the best for me. As it turns out, I would have saved money by living in an apartment and cooking my own food rather than living in a dorm and having a meal plan. Along with that, I would have wanted to apply for more scholarships. There are more scholarships for high school students than there are for undergraduate students. I also wish I would have started saving money earlier than I did. Even if I don't use the money I have saved for college, it is a nice chunk of money that I will be able to use when I get out of college towards somewhere to live or just getting started in the real world.