Oklahoma Christian University Top Questions

Dear Kyle, I am writing to you to help make your transition from high school to college a little easier. First, I recommend that you continue to work hard your senior year of high school. I highly encourage you to take challenging classes that will prepare you for your freshman year of college. The second piece of advice I will give is that you should stay involved in your community. You are only a high school senior once, so you should enjoy the time you have with your friends, and especially family. Third, I recommend that you apply for as many scholarships as possible. Every little bit of scholarship money counts! You do not want to come out of college with a large amount of debt to pay-off. College is so expensive, so by receiving scholarships, you will make that burden of debt a little lighter. Last, I would like to encourage you to pursue your dreams! Do not let anyone stand in your way of what you want to become! Dreams DO come true, so make the most of every opportunity and work hard, because you can do anything you set your mind to! Sincerely, Kyle Knierim

Make the best of your senior year because it will be gone before you know it. Always make sure you do the very best in your school work because it really does pay off to do well in high school. Always be social and don't miss out on anything because once you do you will regret it. Make sure you pay attention because the information you learn in high school, you will use in college. Do not ever slack off; they will not accept that in college. Don't be afraid to try new things! Always be nice and helpful. Remember good things come to those who are curtious and helpful to others. Always ask for help if you need anything. Do your homework because then you will have a lot more free time.

Transitioning from high school to college was a big change for me. In college, students are responsible for their grade entirely and sometimes it depends on if you show up or not. I would tell myself to do the very best you can i every class even if the class doesn't seem necessary for your career or major. Having high expectations in college can help you be very successful. I would also sugget getting involved with sports, groups, or other community events. It is very important to get to know people so they can encourage and help you throughout your college career. I would have tried harder to make more friends and have a better social life. Being athletic, I would be on a sports team again. Being in a sport while in college is very challenging, but also fun and rewarding. To me, college had been the best years of my life.

Do your best to remain focused. Although you are a smart young lady, do not become laxed about your school work. With the scholarships and grants given to you, making good grades are important. Distractions will come but if your focus is steady on what is important you will be fine. No matter what comes your way as long as your on that solid ground it will be as if nothing came at all. You will need to learn how make decisions; not always relying on the answers of others or basing your choices on what others say, but that of what you believe is correct to do. At that moment you will no longer be a grown child, but a young adult.

The best advice I would give to anyone entering college would be to know who you are. You are entering a phase in life where for once, no one is going to know who you are and if you don't know who you are either, it can be very detrimental to the college experience. You will be put in situations that you have never been in before with people you barely know doing things that might be entirely new to you. You must be able to stand up for what you believe because it tells people who you are by showing them what matters to you. You will feel pressured to be a certain person but understand that no one cares what role you play as long as you are being true to yourself. Everything will fall into place; you'll make friends that see the real you and experience life in a way that brings out the best in you. You just have to know what you want out of college and stay true to those expectations.

If the current stronger and wiser ?senior-in-college-me? could have a chat with my young, curious, impulsive, and much-too-uptight high school self, I would sum up my college advice to her in one word- RELAX. That Freshman Comm. III paper you?ll turn in a day late? Relax. You pass that class with a B. The first ?procrastination-induced? all-nighter that you will pull and then pay for? Relax. You will pull many more and eventually learn the art of time management. All of those part-time retail jobs that you will absolutely loathe? Relax. Things could be worse?right? (This one will take some convincing.) That one boy that will pursue you for three years when you only want to be friends? Relax. You end up marrying him. Those times when money is tight and luxuries are ...non-existent? Relax. God has and always will provide. While in college, you will experience the greatest, hardest, most hilarious, most devastating, most beautiful, most painful, and most remarkable moments of your life so far. And yes, you will make it through every one of them. So just relax.

Dear 18 going on college career, You have not hit the climax of your education and social careers. You have learned the basics and the fundamentals well and will get through this awkward transition phase with few bumps and bruises. Through everything that has happened since the "then you "up until the "now me", just know that delayed gratification has its greatest weight now. Worry less. Work more. Through every stressful paper or unfortunate experience, you have yet to catch a glimpse of your full potential and breaking point. Continue to live with no regrets, and simply live. Boys will still be boys and still are endlessly charming, but just as dad said you're here to learn not drool. Focus on dreams and goals. Continue to stive to become the women we hope to be one day. Work hard and be compassionate in all that you do. Paint by numbers are tedious, but still yours will be a work of art. All of the pain that you go through now, only gives more meaning to the happiness you experience later. Love, You

College is very expensive, but getting a degree is worth it. You will have to study a lot and you will have to work harder than you ever worked in your entire young life, but receiving a good grade on test is all the reward you need to continue. Go out there and join the college life, enjoy life, make new and lasting friends, have fun but most important , stay focus and lasso the moon (which is grab your degree). Hold tight to the dreams you have today, and walk boldly in their directions, and always be proud of your achievements, and use them to fulfill your dreams.

Procrastination. I was aware of it in high school, and knew I needed to get that under control. However, I didn't, and kept allowing myself to put things off till the last possible minute. My parents, teachers and friends I had in college, kept telling me that I couldn't procrastinate in college. It would kill me. Not listening to them I then proceeded to put off studying for my first exam. The class was bible, and being raised in the church, I figured I would ace it with hardly any studying. Wrong! I practically failed it. But that is a lesson I have learned while being in college, that I wish I had known in high school. Even keeping an agenda helps to stay organized so that you don't wait till the last minute to do things.

The number one thing I wish someone would have told me is to take as many public speaking classes as possible. In college public speaking is one of the things you do the most. It is really hard for a lot of people to get in front of a class and be comfortable. I think if I had taken more classes where I would have gotten out of my comfort zone, and been better at giving a speech in front of large audiences.I wish I would have joined more organizations and gotten more involved. I also would tell myself to run for student office because it helps you practice speaking as well. I would also tell myself to go to everything the college offers before you start going there so you can make some friends before the school year starts. Also go to every event you can when school starts. Try out for a play, or a sports team. Those are great places to find people with common interests. I would also say, don?t be afraid to reach out to people and start conversations with them! Your friends from college stick with you forever.