Seattle Pacific University Top Questions

If I could go back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior, I would give an update about what college life is like and advise that I work harder this senior year to get more scholarships. I would tell myself that the transition is not too difficult, though it will be nerve-racking. The most important information I would give my high-school self is to not worry about what other people will think of me, what kind of grades I am going to get, or whether or not my roommate and I will get along. I do not think I would tell myself about my roommate because I want to let that experience of getting to know her to just happen like it did, but I would give myself reassurance that my roommate is a great person and we will get along really well. I think it would be important to tell myself that there are road bumps and being in such a community with so many different people and personalities is not easy, but it can be fun. Classes will be hard, people will be controversial (at times), but the rewards are worth it!

Looking back to who I was just three years ago, a senior in high school attending a conservative Christian school, two words come crashing to the front of my mind that I wish I could yell to myself, ?JUST JUMP?! When I was applying to colleges and universities I took a very passive approach, applying to all the schools my parents liked. Granted, being the typical lazy senior I lacked a strong opinion, but I wish I had cared just a little bit more and taken some risks. If only I had dared to travel, step outside my comfort zone , or even, heaven forbid, apply to a public school! College is the time of life for exploration, learning, and developing into the person you want to become. Looking back I wish I had reaserched schools more, cared more, kicked my parents out of the drivers seat, and actively navigated my future. If I could I would elimate all those past fears and doubts and apply to places I did not think I could get in, schools in places I had never been , or at least a school with a football team. Looking back I wish I had just jumped.

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a senior in high school I would tell myself to practice my studying habits and to take school even more seriously. I've always made school one of my top priorities but if I would have just made it my number one priority, worked harder in class and learned good study habits, it would have made my transition to Seattle Pacific University a lot smoother. I would have told myself to drop my bad habit of procrastination because in college procrastination will set you back and make my college experience a lot more stressful than it already is. I would tell myself to listen to what all the college counselors told me about college and truly take it to heart to make myself even more successful. Most importantly, I would have told myself to apply for as many scholarships as I possibly could so that I wouldn't have so many loans that I will be having to pay off after I graduate. This is what I would tell myself if I could go back in time, and if i could, things would be a lot easier.

Embrace the opportunity to make the best investment you will ever make: your education. Do not let tales of other individual's college experiences deter you from having your own experience. The reason all people do not have a degree is because they are challenging to obtain. The reason employers seek employees with degrees is because they appreciate the sacrifices it takes to earn one. Not everyone is brave or tenacious enough to even give it a try, much less succeed. But you are. It does not matter that you are a slow reader, or not excited about math; there is so much more out there to learn about. The subjects that are difficult are not impossibe and will be your most rewarding (and surprising) victories in the end. You will see that the only person who thought you could not accomplish a college education was yourself. In the end, people you admired for their stellar knowledge will begin to admire you. Summon up your determination and realize your potential, because your college experience will be more liberating and rewarding than you ever imagined.

Enjoy your friends and your teachers. Your teachers are there to support you as resources, not as big, bad, judgemental superiors. Take advantage of all the insight they have to offer. They have been through the process of personal and intellectual growth as well as financial responsibility that you are about to begin. There is wisdom in their position. They can see you in your most raw moments and understand your strengths and weaknesses, and from there they can enable you to play off of your strengths and develop your weaknesses in order to enter college ready to step up to academic, social, and extracurricular requirements. High school teachers place themselves in that environment because they want to prepare you for the next step - reach out to them and ask for advice, for guidance. And allow your friends to bring you back to earth. High school should be enjoyable as much as it is preparatory. You are devloping in every capacity through your education, so allow yourself to be educated by peers - learn how to laugh, how to communicate, how to plan, how to be active. Enjoy high school because it will directly translate into enjoying college.

I would tell myself to always keep an open mind. Open yourself up to all the possibilities that going to college has to offer, not just academically but in every ever way as well. Never let an opportunity to experience something new slip through your fingers. Now is the time to discover who you truly are and what you can offer the world. Take advantage of all the resources you have available to you. Get off your butt and get involved. Form the friendships that will last your entire life. Have fun! Oh, and don't forget to study! Remember to fit that in there somewhere. Trust me, time passes faster than you think.

I would tell myself to be sure in your decision. Every college has positives and negatives and just because your first choice has negatives, don't discard it. Every person has a place. Each person has a school that they belong at. Do not fret over all the small choices and know that there is a place for everyone.

Be real, be yourself, and be open.

Going to college and being on your own and away from your parents provides one of the greatest growing phases in life that you will probably experience. My advice is to enjoy this time away and figure out who you really are and find what you believe and what you want out of life. Don't be afraid to have a heavy social life because it is the friends you make in college that will be with you for the rest of your life. True, studing is important and I strongly advise that you make friends in your major to study with but don't spend all of your four years surrounded by books because that will only lead to a miserable and stressfull college experience. It will take time but eventually you will find a balance between your social life and studying. As a final word I must say, make sure you find yourself a good group of friends before you become involved in a dating relationship because possibly the relationship might end and if you do not have a friend to be there for you, you will hate your college experience all the more.

Remember as a freshman to enroll in college courses that I can realistically succeed in. College is so much more difficult then high school. I was incredibly ambitious when I registered for classes, and I'm still trying to repair the GPA that I got as a result.