Saint Mary’s College Top Questions

Although it may appear as if this question may be easy to answer, it is in fact, very difficult. Coming from a lower class, financially troubled, household, I feel as though college hit me like a ton of bricks. If I could somehow communicate with my past high-school self, I would tell myself to participate in more community-based, volunteer experienced, activities. In high school, I mainly kept to myself and focused on my studies, not really engaging in community, or volunteering, for such activities. Attending college, you immediately realize the importance of a community, and the weight that various graduate schools hold on actively participating in activities. Overall, my future self is unfortunately struggling with trying to become more engaged in my community, and I wish I would have participated more as a high school student, so the transition could have been smoother.

I know what you are thinking. You don't want to leave home. You don't know whether you will succeed, whether you made the right decisions. You don't know what you want to do in life. So here is some advice. Stop. Don't worry. There is no need to decide who you are going to be today, this year, or this decade. There is no final definition of who you are. Rather, everyday you are defined by the people who surround you, the decisions you make, and roots you have laid. So, go to Saint Mary's. Be confident in knowing that you will make mistakes, that there will be struggles and hardship, and that you will, at times, fall, but also know that you chose the right school, that through Saint Mary's you will blessed with professors, peers, and a community that will mold you into the leader you aspire to be. At Saint Mary's you will begin on the path to changing the world. So strive to both inspire and be inspired, and aim to never be limited by yourself, but rather to constantly be changing and learning from those around you.

Assuming that I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would probably offer myself some advice and probably not listen to it. Do you honestly know any high school student that doesn't think they know it all? I'm Tawney Vaughan a 26 year old veteran trying to restart my education and get on with my new career and this is my advice to my high school self. Tawney Morgan, I wasn't married yet, you need to try harder to separate fun and work. Once you understand that you must work in order to have fun then you will truly understand the complete way to be happy and have fun. Don't let anyone force you to go to school if you aren't ready because you will end up wasting time and money. Do find a job that will sustain you until you find out what you want to do in life. Don't wait on Travis to grow up, he never does. One last thing, if you decide to join the military...go for it!

Sam, if you're not busy making prints in the darkroom I want you to hear me. I know right now you are frustrated figuring out how you’re going to pay for college but remember everything will fall into place. Trust me. I know dad is forgetting his memory, mom is bipolar and your brother is an alcoholic but I want to let you know that you're a strong person that will make it to college and reach her goals. Remember the time when you were six and tore a copy of “The Cat in the Hat” because you couldn’t read it out loud clearly due to stuttering? Life and college are going to give you similar challenges and you will be able to overcome them. Does a class on the Twilight Zone seem interesting? Take it. The class will help you grow in the areas where you felt defeated.The very last thing that I want to tell you is that college friends will come and go and the ones who stay are the ones that want to see you successful and become the person that you’ve always wanted to be. Now, go get 'em!

I would tell myself that the amount of stress and time you invested into your senior will pay off in the end, it will prepare you for college. Don't worry about what college you end up at or stress out about which college to go to because eventually, you will be le to a college you are meant to spend the next four years of your life at. You will find your place for the next four years and you will be more than ready for it.

Coming to the end of my first year in college there are many lessons that I have learned through making the transition from high school. The biggest thing is time management. I think just about everyone I talked with spoke about time management and how crucial it is, and they were right! There is more time in college that you have to complete homework, study for test, and even hang out with friends. The advice I would tell myself is to set a schedule and stick with it. Nothing is worse than coming up to a test date and only studying on the last night. College is full of hard times requiring hard work but patience and perserverance are big characteristics needed to make the transition easier. There are a lot of lessons that I have learned, but managing time would have to be the biggest lesson to learn to be the most successful!

Dear young self, Now that you are heading to college, there is some advice that I would like to bestow upon you. First, do not let college pass you by. Get involved in something - anything- on campus. Try out for the softball team, join a club, volunteer your time. Just find something that interests you, and go for it. Don't worry about not knowing anyone because every other freshman is worried about the same thing. Ask yourself what you would do if you knew you could not fail. Now go do it. Fear of failure will only hold you back. Be confident in yourself, and the rest will fall into place. Second, find a passion for learning. You have the unique opportunity to learn from brilliant people, and I don't just mean your professors. Learn from your surroundings, your peers, your classes, everything. Millions of people would love to have your same opportunity, so don't squander it. Use it to advance yourself and to advance the world. And lastly, refrain from eating Pete's pizza every single day in the dining hall. The freshman fifteen is real...oh so real. Yours truly, Sarah

I would tell myself that I need to have better study habits because in high school I would study for a test the day before and for college that doesnt work. In order to get a good grade on a test I have to read my notes and study every day. College isn't about just memorizing anymore its about truely remembering the material. Another thing would be to manage time better because during college there really isn't much time for anything if I don't use my time more wisely. For example, in high school I would really manage my time because I didn't get much homework, but during high school I have a lot of homework and in order to not get stress i need to manage my time and do my homework in a reasonable time. Instead of waiting till the last minute.

If I were to go back in time, and talk to my highschool senior self, I would tell myself to study more and ask for help. I am very shy so whenever I need help I always wait for someone to ask the same question I had. I would never take it upon myself to ask for help so I would tell my senior self to go and ask for help. Teachers want us to succeed just as much as we want to succeed, so they are there for us incase we need help, it is their job. I would also tell myself to study more and to take tests more seriously. Whenever I would have a test I would just browse through material instead of fully studying it and making sure I know everything. So I would tell my senior self to hit the books and the library because tests in college are much much harder. Somehow I managed to pass tests but I never felt as though I truly earned a passing grade because I didn't study but instead got very lucky.

I would suggest to students that before attending college, it is important to find your study niche. It's essential to develop a study strategy that works for you (whether it may be making notecards, creating binders, etc.), and stick with it throughout your educational career. The number one downfall of college students is also their time management skills. In high school it is important to develop these skills and set aside time for homework, studying, and also free-time. Although many students probably don't want to hear it, it is also important to set a bedtime for yourself. Although it seems silly, it is essential. There were many times that I would want to pull an all-nighter studying, but by setting a reasonable and attainable bedtime for myself I was able to get enough sleep and function the next day. I would also say that is important while in college to take risks, join clubs, take a class you have always wanted to take, try something new, and work hard. Finally, the best piece of advice is to enjoy every minute of your college experience because four years go by much to quickly!