Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Top Questions

I would encourage myself and tell myself to continue doing the best job I can. That high school is just a small portion of life, you need to work hard at it but you also need to enjoy it and embrace every moment of it. High is a very important time in your life, it shapes who you are going into college and begins to open your eyes and prepare you for what college has in store. Don't live by the standards of the world, live above them. Be friends with everyone whether they are cool or not. Learn things from those around you about school, studying, life and any other advice they give you. Don't pass up any opportunities because in college if you wait around someone else will get what you were after. Finally, take a deep breathe, everything is going to be okay.

To be completely honest, I'd tell myself to get my driver's license. I didn't get it until last summer, and I feel it not only put a hamper in my high school social life, but my college one as well. I feel that I really hurt some of my friendships having to rely on them for rides when we went places. It also is one hell of a responsibility that can improves one's life maturity wise. I've learned a lot by getting my license, from relaxing when things don't go my way, to thinking about things differently, in terms of directions, estimations, and critical thinking. Who knew getting your driver's license could change your life so much...

If I could go back and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to take my course load serious. It is important to have a great GPA and ACT score so that you allow yourself the opportunity to get into a school of your choice not just a school that accepted you. I would say get more active in extra curricular activities because that helps you get scholarships. I would also tell myself to apply to all scholarships I qualify for because school isn't cheap.

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would say this. You need to start planning for the future because what if what you want to do doesn't work out . You need to come up with a back up plan so if something fails, you have something to fall back on. You also should start thinking about colleges that you want to attend, their requirements, and if they are accreditted. This will be a big change for you and college is very different from high school. So you need to start making an outline for yourself so you won't be stuck about what you want to do. College will also be a great experience. You might want to think about participating in extracirricular activity, whether it be sports, joining a sorority, or academic clubs. You want to put yourself out there and be known while in college. Finally, make sure that you apply yourself while in college. You don't want to be a slacker while in school. You want to show people that I am determined to what I want to do with myself and my life.

If I were to go back in time to warn and give advice to myself about college, I would have a lot more to say that I didn't know back in high school. I would tell myself to look for a job at school way more in advance than when I was trying to look for a job a month before school started. To work more in order to save up more money to be able to do things that I am not able to do now. I would also tell myself to try harder the first semester than I had because once you have your first semester GPA, it's harder to raise a GPA when it's lower than you wanted than to just keep it at a higher GPA and keep it that way. The last but not least thing I would tell myself is to make more friends in the first couple weeks of school because once people have made friends they stay in their little clicks, and also to just have fun in college because once you're done with college you're in the real world.

When I stopped to think about what I would say to myself, I eventually had to ask myself, "Would I even listen?" With that in mind, I would have to tell myself, "Listen," because, especially at eighteen, it is not very common that actually happens. "Listen to your parents", I would tell the younger me, "they will guide you. Listen to your professors, because even the most mundane detail will add to your success. Listen to peoples' horror stories and learn from them so you do not experience the same. Listen to everything, even the noise that is not there, because even that will give you invaluable information. All of this is important to take in; however, the most important thing to listen to? Yourself. Listen to your trained mind when your heart tells you otherwise and when something doesn't seem clear, seek advice from multiple trusted sources and listen! The people who know and love you will rarely point you in the wrong direction." If I ever was afforded this opportunity and could say this to me--I hope I would listen.

I would first tell myself to not take anything for granite. Not applying for as many scholarships as humanly possible is not the best decision. Reality really does hit the person when they are handed a bill for their tution. Even getting one scholarship would of helped out a ton. Most high school seniors (like myself) ignore their parents when they are encouraging their kids to try and get the most free money as they can. Now after deciding not to write those couple essays and not filling out those couple surveys, the high school senior or me is stuck paying for all of the college education on his or MY own!

If I had the opportunity to go back to my senior self, I would be in a different place than I am now. The very first thing I would say is to not go home so often! I lost opportunities at more and possibly stronger friendships by spending so much time at home instead of at my university with my fellow peers. The second thing would be to find a smaller school. I admired the close teacher-student relationships that I had in high school. Unfortunately, in classes with 60-100+ students, it is very difficult to get to know my teachers and vice versa. The third and final advice I would give myself is to not let my new environment affect my relationships with friends from back home. Take more effort to keep in touch with them, and do not let the relationship falter. Instead, keep it as strong as when you saw them every day in high school. I believe my first semester of college would have been very different if I knew what I know now.

If i could go back to high school and talk to myself i would tell high school me to focus and read. Reading all assigned reading will make your college experience so much better and make the test some much easier. I would say to not cram during finals time and over major projects. During these normally stressful time you need to breathe and take your time. Also dont wait to the last minute to do thing. If you have a month to do a paper then do it near when its first assigned. Also dont drink your life away you want to remember the experinces you have in college. Along with that dont involve yourself with promiscuous activities or females. And the biggest thing keep school first but have FUN.

One piece of advice I would give myself is to apply earlier and get everything done early instead of last minute. Also college is more expensive than I thought so I would suggest saving my money better. The final piece of advice I would give myself is to do study more and get help from professors more often.