Saint Mary’s College Top Questions

I would tell myself not to be so uptight. Change can be a really good thing. I would say that the transition won't be easy but it will be worth it. College is so much more than I ever thought it would be, and knowing that the possibilites truly are endless would have made me that much more excited to start school. I would warn myself that not everyone I meet is going to have the same attitude as me, and that the classes are going to be a lot harder than i thought they would be. I would tell myself to follow through with all the clubs I signed up for that first weekend. I would tell myself that twenty minute naps are easily the best thing ever invented. I would tell myself to make more time for the gym and less time for midnight snacks. Overall i would say, prepare yourself, you are about to start the best four years of your life, a journey with lots of twists and turns, but one that will always be the best thing to every happen to you.

To my younger self, Please take more time looking for opportunites provided by the world. Study beyond what is expected or required from your high school's expectations. Become a leader by being a stronger woman. Rise above the discriminations or accusations held against you. Be yourself and express it without fear. Find any scholarships to pay for your tuition, you will not regret this decision. Be happy with yourself, do not let others tear you down. Know what you like. Understand your strenghts and weaknesses. With your strenghts, grow. With you weaknesses, remove. Be you and be passionate. Learn, teach, understand, comprehend, and simply enjoy all of the endless simplicities of life.

If I could go back in time and speak with my high school self, I would explain that love can wait. I fell in love during my first year of college, preceded to get married and have four sweet children. I have been chipping away at my college degree for the last two years. There has been nothing as challenging as trying to read history from Chicano Perspective while walking back and forth all night with a teething two year old. There is nothing as frustrating as writing on an online forum discussing International Contemporary Politics while a toddler keeps hitting random keys. I have also been excited to answer questions about tectonic plates as my eldest flips through my Physical oceanography textbook. We have discussed compound interest using charts in my Business Mathematics text. Interrupted by a screaming child during my quiz on Descartes? Yes, thank you sir, I’ll have another. My children are my world, and while challenging and frustrating, they are the reason I keep doing what I am doing and excelling. Perhaps, I would not change a thing even if I could.

With the knowledge and life lessons that I have gained after making the difficult transition into college, I would advise my high school senior self to focus on becoming more independent. I would strongly suggest that I make more time for learning by myself in order to master concepts in my own unique way of learning, rather than relying on other classmates or teachers for help. As I high school senior, I did not learn to prioritize my time. Now, going back, I would tell myself that learning to efficiently and effectively prioritize my time is one of the most important things that I could do to ensure success in the future. I would also advise my high school senior self to make more connections among teachers and other faculty, because those people are the ones who can prove to be very helpful in the future when it comes to searching for jobs or even information or additional perspectives on careers or important topics. The single best piece of advice that I would give myself, however, would be the importance of learning to be yourself, to open up to new possibilities, and to take advantage of every oppurtunity.

As a high school student, I was definitely that girl who waited until the last few hours to begin any of my assignments. High school teachers always say, "Do not wait until the very last minute to complete this project!" I took that as a challenge, and I prevailed with an A most of the time. As a college student, it is impossible to procrastinate as much as I did in high school. The first thing I would tell myself is to get rid of procrastination! It is a nasty habit that only leaves one stressed and worn. Staying up all night, thanks to the aid of caffeine, is not a wise decision. Although that may be plenty of time for a high school student to cram for that test the next morning, it is absolutely impossible for a college student. I would also tell my former self to get in the habit of getting up earlier! It is humiliating and disrespectful to show up late to class. Although the transistion from a high school student to a college student was not extremely difficult, my life would be a whole lot easier if I had broken a few habits.

I would tell myself that I did not need to be as stressed as I was for college. My high school prepared me very well for what lied ahead. Saint Mary's College is a very welcoming school, and I should not have needed to worry abour making new friends/if I would make new friends at all. Everyone is in the same boat when he or she attends college.

If i could go back and talk to myself, I would strongly advise myself to open up and be more outgoing. Getting to know my college frineds has been the best part of my first view years here at Saint Marys. Having frineds by your side to help you emotionally and educationaly has been a blessing for me. I could not make it without them so I would advise myself to become less shy so I could get to know them faster and sooner than I have. I would also advise myself to do as many outside scholarships as I can. Already after my first two years I can not beleive the amount of loans I have out. Scholarships are also a blessing and help me out a great deal.

I would tell myself to not be scared to ask for help. When I began my freshman year, I stubbornly refused help from my friends and teachers with my school work. I would tell myself that just because I did well in high school without help does not mean that the same thing applies in college. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign that you recognize that you are having trouble and that you can ask for help. As for the transition, I would tell myself to be more active in campus life. I was not very active in clubs and such and I feel like my first year in college was not all that it could have been. Being involved in campus activities allows you to meet new people and to form friendships. These are my biggest regrets of my freshman year and I wish that I had known how much I could have benefitted from them.

If i were to give advice to my high school self about the transition to college it would most likely be: 'it gets better.' My first semester was very hard because I decided to go to college a few states away and did not get along with my roomates. I think it would have been very helpful for me to know that it is very common to have roommate problems, and that it is okay, even good, to switch rooms if you are not happy. As for moving away from home, I was very lonely. It would have been beneficial for me to konw that if you do not make friends right away that does not mean, you will never make firends; it just means that you need to have patience.

First of all, you are going to absolutely adore the next four years of your life. You'll grow so much that you probably won't recognize yourself as you are now. Here are some things to remember. First of all, don't be shy. Talk to your new roommates. Talk to people in the awkward orientation events. Talk to your classmates. Talk to professors. Make friends with someone who has a car, but learn to use the campus shuttle as well. Go to all those free or cheap events on campus: lectures, concerts, performances. Join clubs. Play Quidditch. Participate in Heritage Week. Look up when you're walking to class through all those awesome old buildings; you'll notice something new every time. Use the Writing Center. Write in to the Viewpoint section of the school paper. Study abroad; when you do, follow all of the same advice on your new campus. Lastly, don't let schoolwork be the only thing in your college experience. Do things on whims. Accept that invitation to drive an hour to get Ethiopian food at a diner in some tiny town in Indiana. Take leaps. Trust me. You're going to love it.