Saginaw Valley State University Top Questions

It's easy to get caught up in things, whether it be social life or academics, but try to balance life. I promise it will be okay if you try your best. Leaving Mom and Dad will be hard at first but the abundance of friends you'll make and people you'll meet will take away that longing to be with people who love you. You'll learn a lot of others will need you in their life and they'll love you too. I can't believe how much progress you have made since High School and I'm so proud you're finally reaching your potentials and you're NOT SCARED. There are going to be people of different ethnities you'll meet and it'll be an excellent experience for you. Don't be scared and reach out to them, they are scared too. Live life and stop thinking ten years down the road, for goodness sakes you'll give yourself wrinkles. You can do it! The future is bright.

If I could go back to high school knowing what I know now I would have taken more AP classes or even taking college classes at local colleges. These would have better prepared me for college. My school did not have a lot of AP classes so I would have pused to have them add more classes. Also I would learn better study habits. In High school I did not have to study that hard to get good grades. When I made it to college I stuggled to learn study skills that really helped me achieve high grades. I would have liked to take more science classes since there is such a difference in each class. I would have liked to form study groups in high school so it would have made it easier when it came to studying in groups. I would have told myself to stay closer to home instead of deciding to go 300 miles away for my first semester of college. I am really close to my family and being this far away made it very hard.

Remember that these are possibly the best years of my life. The time in my life that I prepare for the REAL WORLD., but also experience this time to the fullest. The biggest advice would be to do whatever I could to apply for ever scholarship that I could and save every dollar I could because with housing , books and college there is never enough money! College is an investment in your future but it is very expensive. Having to take out student loans is not something that I wanted to do, however I had no choice. If I had to do it again I would explore every resource to get more financial help with my education, life is hard enough when you get out of college as it is, let alone being in debt from the start of our career.

To really do your research and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each school before choosing one. Once you are in school really work on time managament skills and don't overwhelm yourself, but still get involved enough to meet friends. Take everyday as a new experience.

To take more credits during the summer before my first year of college.

I would say not to let money or sports make the decision for you because I did that and now I am going through a lot to try and transfer.

Perhaps the most useful advice I received during my college application process was this - start early. My high school didn't put focus on college until the senior year, but by then, many of the available scholarships for the next year are already being given out, and it is a much more competitive acceptance process. My parents and I began the college search at the beginning of my junior year. We looked online at all of the local colleges, filtering out the options by tuition, majors of study, and available scholarships. By the end of my junior year, I had narrowed down the list to my top 3 or 4 choices, and took the ACT test for the first time. Before my senior year, I took campus tours and finally settled on my choice of university. While my classmates were doing all of their searching during senior year, I was already set and accepted, and had five or six scholarships. That left me time to enjoy what remained of my high school experience, and make plans for college. I feel I was better prepared for the lifestyle change and freedom that awaited me.

Take the time to comb over different campus's and cities. College is a wonderful adventure; these are going to be some of the most important and exciting year's in a student's life and when they find a college that fits them, make absolutely sure they hold on tight, and love every minute of it.

Go where you feel you are going to be comfortable, and make sure the decision is your choice. Don't let someone else choose for you. Also, put your classwork above all else; once it's done, there will be plenty of time for fun. Lastly, GET INVOLVED!!

Do not force you children to go to the University that you want them to, when chosing a univesity everyone is different and they need to feel at home and feel comfortable. It is a time consuming task to chose but it is well worth it to let them chose for themselves.