University of Evansville Top Questions

When students make the transition from high school to college, their response is often one of shock when realizing the variety of changes to which they must adapt. This often causes students to reflect on their years of high school and consider what advice would have been helpful to them as high school seniors. If I had the opportunity to give advice to myself in high school, I would first explain that in order to succeed in college, one must be entirely self-motivated. Unlike high school, the teachers are not there to hold anyone’s hand throughout the semester. College is what you make it to be. Secondly, I would say that studying at late hours is simply a part of college life. However, there is no need to worry about that because one adapts rather quickly. Lastly, I would say “be prepared to step out of your comfort zone.” In college, there are individuals from hundreds of cultures. By familiarizing yourself with these individuals, you gain experience and knowledge about places which you may have never known existed. The main idea that I would want to impart is to be prepared for changes in college and stay positive.

Olivia, dear, you should have no problems making friends in college. You're going to be so surprised how easy it is, so don't worry about it. Maybe you should practise having a schedualed study time. School is not as structured as high school. Life is no longer 8am to 3pm straight school. You'll have an hour to two hours between classes, and you should spend those hours studying or reading to get ahead of your homework. By the way, homework will no longer be accomplished within an hour. Expect four hours or more of studying, homework, and writing papers. A little forwarning is the best advice I can give to you, my procrastinating past self.

I would tell myself it would be better to live on campus from the start, so that I would not miss out on all the extra-curricular activites, clubs, and social gatherings. Living on campus would have made it so that I had one less thing to worry about. I would also tell myself to be more open and outgoing, and get to know more people.

I would say that I should have forced myself to study more and ensure enough sleep. What I did wrong my first semester was that I slacked off in exchange for a social life. I should have focused on my studies, because my GPA is what ensures me that I can have that social life. This was the mistake I made and wish I could go back and ensure I would not have messed up my GPA immediately after entering college.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself and give myself advice, honestly, I would say take the standarized tests and go to a state college. Honeslty, the community college I go to now is not very safe and it is hard to get all the classes to transfer. In the end I am spenind more money instead of saving like I thought I would. So I would tell myself go to a state college and take the tests. But if my otherself told me, " No, I am going to community college". I would then tell myself to learn streetsmarts and it will take longer than you thing but to keep plugging away.

“Don’t freak out! This is yourself talking to you.” “Listen up! Tonya you need to focus on high school and get better grades because you will start college in December of 2008. Yes you will be scared there are no two ways about it. Just remember to keep your head above water no matter how much distraction is around you. Dad and mom are going to get the divorce you wish for, and everything will be fine.” “Give college your all it's worth it. I could tell you that this will be a tight struggle and challenging as you will find yourself at your ultimate low living in a run-down trailer house that your kids refer to it as the rain house because the roof was gone in parts, but there is no sense in telling you this because it only gave you more ambition to do better. You graduate from college with a 3.3 GPA with all the family and friends there to watch you strut across the stage. The words that you hear matter the most “Honey, I am so proud of you.” This is what your husband says to you with your kids.

To begin with, don't worry so much about missing your high school friends. In college, you meet such a variety of people; you'll make new ones in no time at all. Your high school friends are only made based on where you live. Your college friends will be made based on who you are. You will meet people in college from other places in the world that can completely change your perspectives. When you start to worry about whether you can succeed or not, don't. Just believe in yourself and you can. You know you are smart and you know you will do well throughout your whole life. So just stop worrying about your success and worry about paying for your success. You need to apply for as many scholarships as possible. Yes, mom was right. Senior year flies by and procrastinating on the scholarships makes you miss out on a lot of opportunities. Start saving now. Lastly, don't pack so much. You really don't need that many clothes! Move in day will go by a lot faster and moving out will be a lot easier if you just leave some things at home.

If I could go back in high school and give myself advice, I would advise myself to have started looking and preparing for college sooner. I would have started in the 10th grade instead of late 11th grade. I was not able to apply to certain colleges I wanted because of my late start. Although, now, I am very proud to be going to the University of Evansville. It is an outstanding school and I am always proud to tell people that I go to the University of Evansville.

If I could go back in time to offer my high school self some advice, I would recommend taking the honors writing class instead of creative writing, and I would also advise myself to do more of my homework. I have always been a self-critic when it comes to my writing. My senior year of high school, I decided not to take the honors writing course to save myself the embarrassment. Instead, I took creative writing. Honestly, that class got me no where. My college courses are mostly wiriting intensive, so I really wish thast I had taken the class that required the same amount of writing that my college classes require now. I believe that doing all of my homwork during high school would have helped the transition to college a lot during the frist semester. I am not saying that I never did my homework, but cutting corners did not help me. In college it is essential that I do all of my homework or I would not have the best understanding of the material, and I really value getting all of the understanding that I can now because I want to be comptent in my field.

Knowing what I know now about college life and making the transition from high school, I would go back in time and advise myself to prepare for the most incredible next four years. I would tell myself to brush up on my foreign languages, because 4 of my 5 housemates are international students. I would tell myself to save up and apply for as many scholarships as possible, because textbooks, groceries, and plane tickets back home add up quite quickly. Most importantly, I would put an arm around high school senior me's shoulders and tell myself to always, always take time to appreciate the people around me. The University of Evansville is home to an amazing array of professors, staff, and students who come from every imaginable background all over the country and world. Most of all, high school me would need to know that I am truly privileged to be studying with and learning from such truly inspirational Purple Aces.