University of Indianapolis Top Questions

Have some sort of an idea of a major, but always be open to changing your major. It is okay to change your mind!

I would let myself know that I need different study skills. I would notify myself of the website www.ratemyprofessor.com so that I can look into the professors that are available for each course. I would also have told myself that I should have done some shadowing for Occupational Therapy, so that I had that readily available for graduate school. Another topic that I wish I would have known ahead of time is registration for classes. I worried about that for no apparent reason. I thought I was not going to get into all of my classes. Now, I am on my last semester and find that that was the least of my worries. Lastly, I would let myself know that I would have hard times. I would miss my mother, have doubts of succeeding, and wonder why I am putting myself through this. I now know that the key is to keep my eye on the prize. Knowing that I am in college to be an OT someday is where my motivation comes from. I may have to go through rough times right now, but it will be worth it when I'm helping people as an OT.

Your opportunities that are in front of you right now are endless. There are ways to get ahead and improve your chances right now. Remember that time is money. You've got to start working smart, dressing smart and make life happen instead of waiting for it to happen. First, you are determined and a hardworker. Don't settle for a simple minimum wage job. Don't make money for someone else. Use your enginuity to make money for yourself. Find ways that will make people want to give you their money. Diversify your portfolio of talents and income. Second, you have to dress smart. Ditch the t-shirt and move to a button down shirt. Decide to look like you are the future of business because you are. The way that people will see you will largely influence their willingness to associate with you and invest their time or money in you. Third, make life happen isntead of waiting for it to happen. Don't wait for the opportunity to present itself. Go out there and create the opportunity. The proactive approach will provide many open doors. Life is what you make it. Go out and make it happen.

Focus more on scholarships! They are so important, especially for more expensive, private schools. Also the size of the school does matter quite a bit. People say small schools are better because you "aren't just a number," but unless you go to an incredibly small school, you really will be a number unless you make yourself outstanding, and that's okay, you will spend more time learning about yourself than wanting others to learn about you. Also, pick a major that is practical but double major in something you love, like English or philosophy. It will make life easier.

I would tell myself to try and get out of the dorm room. I have grown up for most of my life in the house. I was more of a indoor girl, but my parents tried to get me out more. As my senior year started, I became involved in athletics and had been on the girls track team for three years. I want to become fit and lead a healthy lifestyle. This also wants me to help others achieve the healthy style that they want. It will help be a better person overall.

I would tell high school me to get out of my dorm room and go socialize. I have spent my entire college career working two jobs and taking 18 credit hours and as a result I have very little social life. I don't regret spending time making money and earning credits for my double major but I think it would have been beneficial to get in more networking and more sterotypical college socializing. Most of all I would also tell myself to apply for more scholarships like this one. I ran out of federal loan money for my senior year and now I'm scrambling for free money so I don't have to take out too many more loans in addition to my current $43,000 debt. I still have to make up a huge difference in loan money to finish my degree this year, over $8,000 to be exact. High school me should have been a lot more serious and agressively applied for any and all scholarships and she should have been more social butterfly and less fly on the wall.

If I could go back into time and give advice to my self when I was a high school senior I would give my self two pieces of advice. The first piece of advice would be to save money because college is really expensive. The second piece of advice would be to cherish the fun times in high school because going to college is like entering into the real world. College is an unbelievable opportunity but high school will never return and no one wants to regret pieces of there high school career. I would simply tell my self to enjoy life because it is meant to be enjoyed.

i would go back and tell myself that no matter what any one says to stay in school and go for your dreams

If I had the opportunity to go back, I would have to begin by shaking my old self screaming that I need to learn to study. In highschool I think I spent all of two days in a month studying, and that was during finals. College does not allow for that type of attitude whatsoever, and I was simply not prepared. While the overall transition of moving in, and meeting new people was tricky, the most difficult adaptation I've had to make thus far has been to teach myself how to properly learn. My first semester served as the test bed for this process, and caused my GPA to suffer a bit, and while I've got it down quite well now, some great opportunity was wasted. To my past self: just sit down and at least act like the material isn't coming easy, you are going to need to know how to read a textbook and retain the content very, very soon.

If I could go back in time and have a conversation with myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself not to worry too much about what career you want to go into. You will change your mind so many times that it isn't even worth it to stress over your future career. Take the time to research every career out there and take classes from different subjects to see if you are really interested in that field. College is supposed to be a time to find out who you really are and where your interests lie. Don't try to rush into a career field because it will only cause unhappiness in the future. Also, I would tell myself that it's important to get out there in the world and gain some valuable experience. Volunteer at the animal shelter or at the local library. Not only will you get experience, but you will also meet some great people as well. At the end of the day, have fun at college. Don't put so much pressure on yourself to achieve perfect grades. Just have fun with the college experience and live life to the fullest.