University of Evansville Top Questions

There I was--a senior in high school not really knowing where life was going to take me. I was the first generation of college student in my family so I had no idea what to expect. I wasn't sure if college was right for me or if I was smart enough to succeed. As graduation neared, my fear of failure began to evolve into an perpetual dread of college. Looking back at it now I regard my fears as childish and outlandish. Within the first few days of my college career I was greeted with open arms by the faculty and students and set on a course to succeed in my future. If I could change my lack of motivation in high school I would have taken more difficult classes and taken the SAT and ACT numerous times. College opens new doors and opportunities and committing to the University of Evansville was undoubtedly the best decision of my life.

Botany is an evil class. Be sure to actually focus and take notes by hand (you'll remember better... in the weird way we do)! Study for the exams longer than cramming the night before! Know more than the bare minimum, becuase those short answer questions are detailed orriented! Same goes for chemistry! Study and actually DO the practice problems for the exams. You make a lot of tiny mistakes that kill your test grades! Doing that will keep your stomach from eating itself while waiting for final grades. Other than that, good job on being able to wake up to your alarm clock and get to your 8 o'clock classes on time.

Don't waste time and study hard for your SAT's and your ACT. It makes it easier when you finish your high school career with a high GPA as more doors will open. Don't place all your efforts in your sport as it is the GPA that will get you noticed. You need to be chosey on the school you pick, taking into consideration cost, distance and type of educational program offerred.

If I could talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself that it is going to be tough, but it will be worth it. The hours are long, the pay is non-existant, but in the end, you will have a very successful career and be helping people. Try not to waver on your decisions, go with your gut feeling. Try to get some observation hours at the hospital so that you won't have to stress out about them once you finally decide what you want to do. You are a smart person, yet stubborn. Ask for help when you need it, don't wait until you are so far behind that you will never make it back. Put your full effort into everything you do and go to bed before midnight. 8am classes really are as bad as you have been told; avoid them at all costs. Work out every day, you will regret not going to the gym. Go out and make new friends, but you will understand when the time comes, what you need to do. The cute blonde boy in your FYS class isn't as weird as he seems.

Go for it and never second guess yourself. Give your heart credit.

If I could journey back to my high school days, I wouldn't have enough time to cover all areas of advice. The most important thing I would tell myself is not to pick my school based on the financial aid package offered. I picked my current school based on the financial aid, and I often find myself wondering if I am truely happy. Chose where you want to be, then work hard, and apply for scholarships to get yourself there. The next essential advice I would give myself is to manage my time better. Don't waste days sleeping. Most of your extra time should be spent studying. If you don't study you grade point average will fall, and it is a lot easier to let it fall than to bring it back up. If you work hard in the beginning you can rest more in the end. Lastly, don't be intimidated because you are the minority. You have every right to be here. You got into this school with good grades just llike everyone else. Take advantage of every opportunity given to you. These why words are what I needed coming into college as a freshmen.

The most important thing I could tell highschool senior self is to always be on top of what needs to get done to work towards my degree and to not procrastinate. Procrastination is the nemisis of success and it will keep holding you back in college. You might be able to wiggle through high school and get good grades and still procrastinate but not in college. Here you are completely in charge of where you take yourself and how successful you are. Also looking at college as your training for your career as a professional in steat of just another school you have to get through really puts the experience in perspective of what it really is: training. You want to be prepared and ready and hirable when you graduate so you have to really work for it.

If I had the power to advise my high school self, I would give myself very simple advise: believe in yourself and trust your abilities. During my senior year of high school, I had a low self-esteem that had been battered by an eating disorder. Two years later and fully recovered, I turn my negative energy into positive things, like art projects. My former self was afraid of failing, so I chose to not take chances. Consequently, I missed out on a lot of opportunities, like a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Germany. However, in college I have made up for lost time. In the past two years, I have joined an honor?s fraternity, Phi Theta Kappa, where I served as president. I also was the president of student government which provided many wonderful opportunities to proudly represent my school. All two-and-a-half years of my college career I have made Dean?s List. Never did I think that I, the quiet and insecure girl, would ever be able to accomplish such feats. I truly feel that I have developed into the person that I always wanted to be because I now believe in myself.

College is not a joke. When they say you need to take it seriously, you really should. You actually do have to study in college, no matter how many tests you aced without studying in high school. Studying is important, only then will you earn the grades that you want. Do not study 24/7, you need a social life or you could seriously go insane. Craming may work for some people, but looking over your notes daily is much better preperation for tests. Your professors do care about you and you should take the time to get to know them. You will need them one day when you decide you are through with school and ready to find a career job. Get to know your classmates as well, even though you thought it was impossible to study with other people, it is a great idea to gather information and prepare for tests with them. When mom tells you to get over it and write the essay for a scholarship, do it. The reward is great and it lifts a huge weight off your shoulders.

Be outgoing and open to meeting new people. Find friends that have the same interests, good study habits, and are religous. Look for a boyfriend, but do not get obsessed with it because the right guy will find you. Do not join a sorority the first year, but wait a year and then decide if joining one is really for you. Choose a school that will allow you to study abroad and travel every weekend, like Harlaxton. Traveling around Europe will be the best experience of your life and will help you understand the world around you. You will truly learn who you are and what is important to you while you are traveling. Take advantage of every opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.