University of St Thomas-Saint Paul Top Questions

Ryley - Don't ever doubt that you are talented or deserve to be in the place that you are. You have earned your place at St. Thomas and you are there to propel yourself into a successful future. Don't blow off your parents when it comes to the scholarship stuff; yeah, they are super annoying but when you get your first tuition bill, reality will hit hard and you're going to wish you listened to them. Appreciate your friends and family before you go, and make sure to keep in contact with them; I know you want to leave your old life behind, but the people that have been there for you throughout the years are the ones that really count and you're not going to want to lose them. Be open to talking about ANY problems you're having at school with either mom and dad or your older sister, because mom and dad are smart and Whitney has been through this process before. Don't be afraid to be yourself, even though a lot of people may not like you, you will find people who do - stick with and support those friends. Love yourself. -Ryley

Sarah, for you, college is different; but believe me when I tell you that it is wonderful. You're going to love it. Don't ever be afraid of that difference, because change is something everyone needs in their life and it opens them up to wonderful possibilities they didn't even know existed--because they were too afraid. Yes, being uncomfortable sucks but being uncomfortable is the only way to embrace new ideas, people, and experiences. So shake off the uncertainty, the doubt, and the fear and be prepared to jump into every situation with an open mind and a positive attitude. That kind of mindset will guide you to success and happiness--and let's face it, happiness (with all of its constituents like love, acceptance, and understanding) is the most important thing you can find in your lifetime.

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to think about success and what it means to me and not others. Senior year, the goal is to score well on your ACT, SAT, and AP or IB tests. The higher the score, the more successful you believed you were. Everyone is so consumed in getting a higher score that they put aside their own happiness. I thought that a higher score would mean more happiness because I was successful, however that is not the case. At this point, I believed that success was defined by grades, achievments, and awards given to me. However, I know now that these things can only get you so far. Although I do not know how to define success in a way that is not measured by grades or achievements, I would tell my-high-school-senior-self to redefine success. Overall, parents, teachers, and peers ingrain in you that in order to successful you need good grades and to acheive many things. However, I would go back and tell myself that this not all there is to success.

College is rough. It is no easy ride and there is absolutely no hand holding. As a high school student you should stop focusing on your overall letter grade and take a step back. Look at why you are recieving certain grades. Start to study more frequently, it is okay to skip going out with friends sometimes. In college, there will not be time to go out all the time and blow off studying for that upcoming test in math. Take advantage of down time, if you have four hours of free time, learn to use it usely. Take time for yourself, but sacrifice half of your free time and really focus on getting the important stuff done FIRST. Learn the material, by learning what you need to know you are taking the stress away from yourself that you might suffer later down the line. Also, it does not hurt to apply for scholarships early. I know it does not seem important now, but scholarships will overall save you stress of knowing you have thousands of dollars in loans to pay back eventually. In the end, I know you can do it. Have fun and study hard my friend.

Figure out your life goals, and what are you passionate in. Learn to apply yourself even when you are not challenged in school. Even though highschool classes do not challenge you, make sure that you don't recieve anything less than an A in any class. If you recieve all A's, you will recieve financial support, and not make your parents go through financial hell to pay for you. Dont let your mistake and laziness cost your parents their hard earned money. Develop a passion for personal improvement. Learn from all your mistakes instead of making the same mistakes over and over again. Learn to love reading. There is a lot of studys that show that reading is directly correlated to income. The average millionaire reads much more than the typical person. Work more than 40hrs a week and save as much as possible. School comes very easy to you so make sure to save a lot of money for college. You dont need a lot of friends. They will distract you from personal development and your life goals. Always challenge yourself and aim to be the best in evertyhing you do because thats how you become succesful

Advice To My High School Self I recommend fully taking advantage of all the college readiness programs that high school has to offer. College is a big decision, and putting off applications or pretending there is an infinite amount of time to do them only makes the decision harder. Consider all of the factos that go in to picking a certain college, not just how big of a "party school" a university is. Remember that this school will be your home for the next four years; pick somewhere where you feel you belong. Most importantly, remember that college is not for everyone. If you do not feel ready or want to take a break, by all means do so. There is no use in wasting money somewhere where you will not succeed. Do not feel pressured to go to a four year university just because everyone else is doing so. Do what makes you happy; you will thrive.

I would tell myself to take college seriously. Don't "take a break" and assume you will go later. Life will always get in the way. I know you are smart and you will do just fine in life, but remember your dream to achieve your degree and don't give up on it so easily. Finish it before marriage, full time jobs, and kids, it will be so much easier! I know you are so glad to be done with high school, but realize that at college, you will find that you love learning because they enrich your mind, they don't just make you pass the class like in high school. You will soon realize how important it is to keep learning and you'll love it!

If I could go back to my old self as a high school senior, I would give myself lots of advice. However, one very important piece of advice I would give myself is to take my studies seriously and actually sit down and take the time to know the information. My first year of college was very difficult because in high school, probably like most students, I never studied. I got away with no studying, but I think my GPA would have been much higher in high school if I did actually study. Now, here in college I have learned a lot about myself and I have learned my own personal study habits that I never had in high school. My time so far in college has been a time of self-discovery and I have learned that taking my studies seriously here in school is key to achieving success. So, to summarize, I would have to say that studying and really attempting to know the class material backwards, forwards, and upside down is extremely important to attaining success and going places in this world. Students taking their studies seriously will help them to unlock the secrets of this world.

Listen to your gut. You always second guess yourself and end up dissapointed. You know what you've wanted from the start, so go after it. Don't short change or limit yourself. Go out more, invest more time in learning about classes you'll have to take.

Appreciate how much time you have. Right now, the idea of fitting anything more into your schedule seems like an absurdity, but a year from now you will be busier than you ever thought possible. Take advantage of this time to sleep and read a book for fun! Hang in there, and relax. It doesn’t seem like you’ll ever be done with college applications, and choosing among all the different schools appears to be a daunting task, but you will finish the applications and the decision will become clear. To avoid oscillating between worry over decisions that you are not yet able to make and excessive anticipation of the college life, do your best to stay in the moment and enjoy the time you have with family and high school friends. For better or for worse, next year will be upon you in no time. P.S. Start packing now!