Ohio State University-Main Campus Top Questions

College is a zone of distractions which need to be balanced with priorities as the next four years or more are the most crucial in a person’s life. College shapes our aspirations, motives and principles, and ultimately, builds our future personalities. Hence, I would recommend myself to manage time efficiently so that there is a strong balance between time, academics and fun together. I, myself, have two jobs at present and find sufficient time to manage academics, work and fun which I believe is possible for any student. Furthermore, clubs and student organizations are resume boosters and students need to actively participate in them to realize their true caliber. An essential requisite in college is networking and there is no easier route to achieving it than joining clubs or organizations. To conclude, the final advice a college student needs is to make right choices – be it deciding friendships or relationships, jobs or classes, joining clubs or fraternities, each and every choice has to decided through a careful thought process.

Colt, on your way to college, you should know a few things. First, take full advantage of every opportunity presented. OSU offers so much in the way of advise and aid (financial, medical, social, etc.) that you would be a fool not to use them from the beginning. Do not neglect these advantages in your first years on campus and thus suffer the loss of what could have been great head starts in the world. Of course, you can work hard to make up for that lost time, but making up is never the same as starting out on the right track. Take classes that challenge you, even GECs. You can learn about things that may not help you earn more money in the future but will enrich your life anyway by the simple fact that you know them and are more cultured, more worldly and complete for doing so. These classes may take you outside your comfort zone, but the world will do this continuously and you must learn to adapt and thrive, to be ready for any situation. Throw yourself into your studies and your social life; you won't get another chance.

There are many things that I wish I could go back in time to tell myself before coming to Ohio State but there are a few that stand out. I would tell myself to know every detail within the syllabus. The syllabus outlines the materials that will be covered; it includes due dates for homework assignments and the dates of quizzes and exams. This is the most valuable document that you will receive in class. If you do not know what makes up the syllabus then you may be at risk of missing assignments. Once you are behind it can be very difficult to catch up and you may feel overwhelmed and won’t be very well prepared for the exams. In addition, I would tell myself to join new clubs and engage in different activities. There are hundreds of clubs at this school and by joining them you can meet new people. My freshman year went by really fast and I wish I would have networked more. I can only imagine that these next three years will go by even faster so I would tell you to go out and meet new people by joining a club or two.

Keep taking math courses every semester, even after finishing what is required for your degree. You never know when you'll need it, or if you will decide to go for a higher degree that requires more math. And the longer you wait the harder the math classes get. Overall college is going to be great. Keep up the programming and learn as much as you can in all of your classes, don't just attend them for the grade. Always do your best on every homework assignment nomatter how trivial it may seem. Pretend an employer has hired you to do that task, and you don't want to do a sloppy job. Try to overachieve on each project and you won't have to worry about having not done enough. Finally, try to turn everything in ontime. I know you have a habbit of turning things in late, but in college that can cause you to get bad grades on good projects. Once a project is assigned, start working on it. Don't wait until the last minute. Getting things done early will avoid stress, allow you to do a better job, and get it in on time.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a senior I would tell Lindsey to get more involved. I would tell her that going to such a big school can make you feel lonely. I should’ve worked harder to make close friends. As a senior I thought I’d have no problem making friends. And I do have friends. But I don’t have any close friends to go to when I need to cry or just need a hug. I would tell her that getting involved will also help keep her busy because college is less active than high school was. I don’t have ballet and church and band to fill my time. I would tell her to relax, that she can handle these classes. I would tell her to make sure to keep her schedule straight and stay ahead of deadlines. I would tell her she can do this, she will do well and be happy, but just to get more involved so she can have friends to lean on and not have to depend on just family so much because they can’t be here to hug her all the time.

If I could go back in time and tell my high school self what I know now. I would hope to save myself a lot of pain and suffering and tell myself to wise up and pay attention in class and stay in school not to drop out and get my GED. I would hope my old self could turn her life around and get better grades.

I would advise myself to be more proactive, as some aspects of college life are unexpected. I wish I had sought more knowledge on systems such as campus finances so that I would have been prepared to handle my tuition payment properly. Additionally, I wish my school had offered more AP classes. They would have helped fulfill some prerequisites and enabled me to take higher classes. I should have taken all that were offered, even though some did not interest me. College is a large step, and a new section of one's life. Some aspects of one's old life need to be left behind or changed. This sounds intimidating, but it is often for the better. I would advise myself to be more receptive to the change, and to embrace the natural progression of my life. College is an amazing experience to which one should fully apply him- or herself.

Work hard, take as many AP credits as possible because they will count towards your GEC requirements and hour requirements for graduation. Don't stress too much, everyone else freshman yes is new too! So it's not hard to make friends. The first couple weeks are the most important right when you move in, try to meet as many people as possible and keep up those friendships. Get involved on campus! It will help you meet people and also help you develop as a person significantly.

I would tell myself to try and do a better job in Highschool. Find as many scholarships as I can and fill them out. I would tell myself to study more and work harder on my schooling. I would tell myself to fill out more college applications to different colleges. I would also tell myself there is a lot more out there in life than just this small town I'm living in and I should take my college experience and experience what college life and the world has to offer me.

If I could give my high school self advice, I would first say to put quality time and effort into all admission and scholarship applications. I would advise her to put her best foot forward, but instead of selling what she thinks they want to buy, being her self. I would tell her to open up, not only in these applications, but to the other incoming students as well, as the transition comes much easier once friendships are established. I would tell her not to worry about current friendships, especially if going away to school. High school friendships and relationships will either fade, or continue to remain strong. Either way, they will resolve naturally. I would convince my past self to reach out and meet people, not only school affiliated, but of the community as well. Networking is very important! I might suggest that she practice learning people's names, but would assure her that, with so many people, a name mix up is understandable. Most importantly, I would tell her to make decisions on her own accord. I would tell her to listen to the words of her loved ones, but more closely to her heart.