Oklahoma Christian University Top Questions

If I could go back in time to give myself some advice, there would be a few things I would say. First of all, don't study in your dorm room or apartment. It is so easy to get distracted in a place like that. Your bed is in there, your television is in there, your friends are all around you, its loud. Just don't study in there. Rather, go to the library and find a quiet, secluded place where you won't get distracted. Take a pair of headphones and listen to classical music when you study. It will help you focus. Second, eat in the cafeteria if you have a meal plan. You paid to have it so use it. It definitely helps you save money for doing other things by not eating out. Third, be extroverted. When you are walking around campus, keep your head up, smile, and talk to people. Don't walk around with your headphones in your ears. You won't meet people that way. Its hard to make friends when you don't pay attention to people.

To my high school senior self, My first piece of advice to you is to learn to manage your time better and sooner. Time management makes getting good grades possible, sleeping more of a realization instead of fantasy, and working a reality. My second tip to you is to save all the money that you make at your job. You will need each penny you can earn for college tuition. My third recommendation to Me of Earlier Year is to realize that your world will change drastically. Your parents will not be just down the hall to catch you if you fall. A fridge full of food will not be in the kitchen, in fact, there will be NO kitchen in the freshmen dorms you are going to experience. My final advice is this. Get your sleep, make wholesome friends, work endlessly at homework, and be sure to have at least one job.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself in high school as I was a senior getting ready to graduate, I would actually tell myself that the transition from high school was going to be very difficult, but not as hard if i waited, and I need to just go right on into college and not put it off. The longer I put it off the longer and harder it will be for me to go back to school, after knowing now after eighteen years of putting it off and starting college now it is much harder I believe than if I would have just went on and got my degree back then and not wasted my life. Gave my children a better life and made things a lot easier on myself. When were young we think we know it all, yet it takes hard lessons and wisdom for some of us stuborn kids, is what I would have also said.

Dear Aimee, Even though High School can be grueling, consider the opportunities you have at hand. It is ok to admit that you are unsure of the future! Ask for help and advice not if, but when you need it. In college, the course work is much different, if not more difficult. You have learned so much in the past four years, and have become so much closer to becoming your optimal self. Use your confidence for the best. Assert yourself in college, and don't be afraid to tell people your opinions, even though they might differ with the majority. It's ok to be a minority as far as opinions go, so speak out, but respect others' voices as well. You're almost finished, and even though it seems so far away, you will be moving into your dorm room within a few months. Get ready to adapt, and adapt quickly. Living with a lot of other girls will be strange at first, but you will appreciate your life so much more because of this experience. Independence is a goal worth working for, so keep that in mind during your first year at college.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to look into the college and degree program that I want to attend, and use that to help me select my last classes as a high school student. I would also tell myself to enroll in the college I choose while I am still a high school senior instead of waiting for nearly three years after graduating. It is significantly easier to transitions to college right after high school while all of my schooling is still fresh in my head instead of taking a short time off that will turn into an unexpectedly much longer three years. It is also easier to attend and finish college while you are younger and may not have the responsibility of having to support yourself and your daughter as a single mother.

If I could go back in time, when I was a senior in high school I would have to say I would of took the time to pay attention, study hard and maybe even get involved more with extra curriculum activity. Now that I'm a mother attending college I see how important education is.

By my last semester of being in high school, I had already been to about 9 different schools. I had moved 13 times in a short 3 years, spanning across Europe and the States. I was pretty miserable with my last school that I was forced to graduate and felt I deserved a far better place to show who I was. But looking back now, I know exactly what I would have told myself. I would say , "Val, take it from me - literally - this little bit of suffering is going to be over soon and then you'll be in place where you can keep your friends for longer than half a year and have a place to call home. But until then, just tuck in, let people remember you, and don't drop your graduation hat and then trip when you pick it up!" That basically sums it up, as the only thing that I fretted about before I went to my college, was the issue of not being able to have friends for very long because of all the moving.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself, I would give myself three pieces of advice: be flexible, stay positive, and be prepared for your plans to not work out. I have learned in my first year, one of the best things a college student can do is remain flexible in all aspects of life. When attempting to balance a job and school, schedules become nightmares and life becomes much more difficult than high school. Although life can feel impossible during your first year with more intensive schoolwork and responsibility, it is especially important that you try to make time for yourself, friends, and family. The only way to make time for others, school and work is to be flexible. When times get difficult, it is imperative that you remain positive because however bleak it seems, the semester will end, you will pass finals, and life will move on. Keeping a positive attitude makes everything in life easier and it lifts a burden from your shoulders as well. Plan but do not get frustrated when plans fall through, that is just part of life. College is an amazing experience, enjoy it!

As a high school senior, there are a few things you need to know. First, don't take your social life so seriously. Second, take advantage of the on-campus activities and tutoring centers. They are there to help, so let them. Third, sleep, on a regular basis. Go to bed early sometimes; it will keep you sain. Fourth, apply for as many schollarships as possible. Do not take for granted the help you are getting from your parents. Fifth, always, always, block Facebook during finals week. This will save your grades! Finally, be confident in yourself. Do not be afraid of what others think. Be as smart as you can be, be as involved as you can be, and be as incredible as you can be. Never be conserned with the thoughts of others, they will only drag you down. Love yourself, always.

College is a blessing or a curse. You will hear people tell you stories of their college experiences and slowly they begin to sculpt your idea, your image, of what the next 4 years of your life will be like. If there is anything I want you to know, it is that trying to shape what you're given into a mold you've created over time is exhausting and disappointing. Next year, when college becomes more that just a story, embrace it. Meet the people that come into your life rather than desperately seeking the people you think will satisfy you. Take chances and get involved in opporunities that are completely foreign to you. Jog off of the worn down path and make your own. College is not a universal experience; the word brings different memories, joy, pain, and relationships to the mind of each beholder. Allow yourself to walk into college with a willing heart and a fresh mind. Never allow the blessing of next year to convince you it is a curse.