Oklahoma Christian University Top Questions

?Lourena,? I would say, ?Lourena, you've dreamt about college since sixth grade, it has always been your dream, and now it?s finally coming to fruition. But it?s important to keep in mind that all the work you've done thus far has only been to get there, now you're only starting this journey. My advice to you, my dear self, is to take care of yourself. You have a tendency to let your own health and personal welfare fall to the bottom of your list of priorities. You need to sleep, to eat healthy, and to be sure to let your own mental stability come first before the feelings of others. As harsh as this might sound, its very necessary because I let myself get overworked and pushed around my first year of college and ended up paying for it first with my health and then with my grades. College was and remains to be your biggest dream, Lourena Ann. It's your dream and no one else's. You fought tooth and nail to just get there, don't stop fighting for it.?

Are you nervous? Don't be it's all going to work out alright. You see where you are going is not for you to make friends if you do fine go ahead do that but your main goal is to brighten your future. Now I know it seems scary but don't worry there are too many people that are going to support you and not let you fall. This transition is a team efford and for once your the captin and calling all the shots. So don't walk in as a gold fish in a fish bowl walk in as a shark in the ocean and be yourself trust in yourself and everything will be just fine. Remember too many people have your back and refuse to let you fall. You're here because so many people believe in you. You're here for a reason so make the best of it won't you.

If I could go back in time and talk to the Emmalee of 2007, I would warn myself of the extremely complicated task of managing an academic life with a social life. Both are key, and while you can have one without the other, you can only thrive with a balance of both. Time management between striving toward excellence with schoolwork and still saving time to rest your mind, kick back and have fun with friends is a challenge. Sleeping, while seemingly a no-brainer, is another important factor to making college worthwhile. If you're trying just to survive classes going on little sleep, and you're still tired when you hang out with friends, the quality of your time will be lessened. I always said during freshman year, "never put off till tomorrow what can be done today." While this is true, I have also realized since freshman year that there will always be things to do, no matter how hard you work. There has to be a limit, a line, sometime. Make time for sleep. Enjoy your friends. Always committ your best to each assignment and make the effort to be the friend you would want yourself.

I would tell myself to mix the hard core classes in with the degree classes. That way I would have some easy classes towards my final years. I would want to tell myself that college requires a lot of studying and is not all about socializing because its not. Professors don't care that your not feeling good and you can't come up with as many as excuses. I would have told myself to apply for scholarships and not think that I wasn't able to do it because of the money my parents use to make. Because things happen, parents get divorced and you might end up having to pay for college all by yourself and its not fun trying to get loans approved.

My high school evenings were spent juggling sports, homework, and chores leaving no time for a social life. I was always involved in some activity and weekends were spent recovering from the week?s homework assignments. The rare weekends spent with friends were wonderful and provided a chance to escape the monotonic pattern of an AP student?s life. At college I expected much of the same thing: being cooped up in my dorm continuously, emerging only for meals. However, OC is not a school were one can hibernate in a dorm. Every night OC holds a campus event providing students an escape from their studies. Whether it is a campus craft night or a concert, students can escape from their papers and enjoy time with friends. Other activities include plays, intramural sports, and game nights. Club sponsored events include movie nights and upper classmen links provide activities for freshman. Unorganized events include games of ultimate Frisbee or a pickup game of soccer. Looking back, I would tell my high school self, ?You will have fun at college. You won?t work the whole time. Don?t worry about the homework load. Everything will be balanced. Don?t stress.?

I would tell myself to study harder for the ACT. I would tell myself to apply for more scholarships. I would tell myself to take some summer courses needed, ahead of time, so that I didn't have to take them here, where they cost more. I would tell myself to be prepared to make new friends, and open up to those who are having trouble making new friends. Study hard, make good grades, go to classes, it will pay off. Get your FAFSA done, it will come in handy when you don't know it. Open up to new beginnings, and changes. Don't be afraid of taking chances. You will only learn from your experiences. Make the most of every opportunity, you never know who, or what will change your life, or whose life you will be changing. Keep your head up in the tough times, they'll always come through, and get better. Hold tight to your good friends, you'll need them for support to help you through those tough times. Also, make friends with smart poeple. They will help you a lot!

I would tell myself to enjoy every minute of everyday. Whenever classes get tough, and your grades aren't exactly what you want them to be, don't fret. Enjoy yourself. Soak up every minute of this experience because you will hold many excellent memories from this great place that you will be for the next 4-5 years. Also, make as many friends as you can because they are like your family now. Surround yourself with people that you enjoy being around because you will be around them all the time. Make time to study, but also time to have fun. Don't forget about your parents for they love hearing from you and love seeing you every once in awhile. Remember not to get caught up in unnecessary drama that will bring you down. College is a time to get invovled and make a name for yourself. Be proud of who you are and live your life to the fullest!

I would first say to apply for as many scholarships as you can find and make a chart to remember the deadlines. The more free money you can get the easier life will be after college. I would say apply to multiple colleges in order to find the right fit. If you don't you could end up going to a school that you don't like. I would think hard about what your major will be because changing majors can cause a lot of problems and prolong your time in school. I would say understand that a college environment is a lot different than high school because the school is bigger and everyone comes from all over the country. I would say know your limits and whether or not you can endure being really far away from your family or if you need to stay close. Make sure you plan well and understand that college classes are harder and more time consuming. Try to visit the campus before making your decision on where to attend and sit in on a class or two, talk to students and faculty, eat in the cafeteria. Get excited!

If I could go back in time and tell myself something about going to college knowing what I know now one thing would be not to worry. I stressed so much about going off to school. I was so worried I wouldnt fit in and would never find my group of friends but everything worked out. I didnt realize that everyone was stressing. It is a big change. You are not the only one that is scared, no matter how put together everyone else looks everyone is scared and nervous. Another thing I would tell myself is that once I was here it was a chance to be a new person. I ended up going to a school where I knew no one. So once I got here I could be anyone I wanted, I just had to relax and be myself. Last, which has to do with the two above, just relax. All your classes will work out, you will make new friends, you will keep in touch with the old ones, and everything will work out just fine.

Allow yourself the freedom to fail. If you never try to achieve your dreams, you never will. Be willing to put yourself in a vulnerable position because from your vulnerability, you can either fail or succeed, both of which help you grow as a person. Instead of worrying about not being good enough, tell yourself you are good enough and actually believe it. Because, trust me, you are.