Virginia Commonwealth University Top Questions

Graduating from high school is often considered one of the most difficult transitions for the young-adult. Provided with the opportunity to speak with myself as a high school senior, several fundamental insights of wisdom would be promptly addressed. Most significantly, the mental benefit of creating, and as often as possible, adhering to, a schedule. The absence of structure provided in previous enducation proved notably difficult, especially when faced with a huge workload. A schedule establishes a known rythym of life amidst the numerous unknowns of college. Additionally, a schedule provides a student with with a time guage, directing when a task is a priority, secondary, or not of importance. Secondly, pursuing advice from trusted adults significantly lessons the burden of decision making as a young adult. Adults have the potential to be a wealth of knowledge and are able to advise students with experience when facing tough decisions. Those who know you best can advise you best. The saying "Hindsight is always 20/20" applies even to the college experience. Looking back is far easier than living there.

Where is she? I think to myself as I rush through the hallways of my high school. It is strange being here again...nothing's really changed. The hallways, the lockers, the teachers...they're all the same. The students shuffle past me, trying to make it to class before the bell. I recognize the faces as they pass. Then, I see her. Curly, blonde hair. Large blue eyes. That's her, that's me. She's with him...her boyfriend...well, ex... I rush to catch up with her. "Amanda! Hey, wait up!" She turns to face me, a look of confusion in her eyes. "Yeah?" she asks. "I have something to tell you before I leave," I explain, gesturing for her to follow me. I look back at her, and I can see the dark circles in her tired eyes. My two-year relationship was not easy to end. " When you go to college, don't worry about relationships. You've always been social. Meet people, make friends, and never be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. Never lose sight of your talents." Her eyes meet mine. "Know who you are, and you'll be fine."

Thank you for the opportunity to share my experience. If I could go back to my high school senior year, I would have paid more attention to financing my college education. Back then, the mindset was that my school would have all the bases covered. I assumed things would fall into place and I would not have had to do much. I thought, I would just have to fill out forms and the money I needed would come. After enrolling and getting there, I was hit with a huge bill and no way to pay it. It turns out that the financial aid I thought would pay for my education was very limited because my parent's made too much money. They are actually barely making ends meet. I should have worked and saved money. As a last resort, my mom had to apply to a private bank for more student loans and cosign in order to come up with more money. We are going to have to do this until I am done with college. So my advise is plan ahead for the money. My 4.1 gpa did not help at all. Get a job. Sincerely, Billy Spiller

I would go back and tell myself that I need to prepare to not always be around people who don't have the same religious views and dont act like I do. At VCU there are many differeent religions and everyone doesn't have the same religious values. I went to a Christian school so I wasn't exposed to things that you would see in a public school. For example homosexuality wasn't allowed in our school, so I never saw girls kissing on girls or guys kissing on guys. Since I've been at VCU, I see all types of homosexual acts. Also another thing that I wasn't used to seeing is when a person shares their religious beliefs about God on campus, the students gather around the speaker and mock the person or perform rude acts toward the speaker. When I saw this I felt bad for the person but also for the students who mocked the speaker. Now that I have been in college for a semester I can see how the transition from a Christian high school to a public university is a big difference.

If I am attending a four-year institution, I would allow myself two years to learn the school's policies concerning the campus. The first year alone will be spent learning the best routes to class, learning how to study, etc. I would get to know my roommates and exchange phone numbers in case of emergencies. Also, I would add the campus police phone numbers to my phone contact list. Next, I would seek the advice of my academic counselor and/or professors as often as I need it, not towards the end of the semester if my grades are not good. Keeping track of my due dates is a must, so having a date planner is essential!!! In addition, I need separate notebooks and supplies for each class. I will also use the "Blackboard" application to obtain my assignments and view my grades. I would also keep enough personal items to maintain my assigned living space because our rooms must pass cleaning inspections. Therefore I have to throw away/donate any items I do not use. Finally, I will surround myself with friends who like to have fun but do not overindulge with partying, drinking, etc.

Dear Amber, I am here to give you advice of the next step in your life. College is going to be a major transistion in your life that you are going to expierence with thousands of other people. You are not the only one going through this major transition. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Make sure you get everything in order your senior year, such as all paperwork all transcripts. College is going to be a blast for you! The transition from high school to college will overwhelm you at first but keep your head up and keep moving forward. It wont take long for you to adapt to college life. This is a major step you in your life and make sure you enjoy every moment because it goes by very fast. You will do great with the transition, just rememeber you're not the only one going through it. There is always someone to talk to if needed. Keep your head up and keep on moving and completing your dreams! You will do great!

If I was able to go back in time and talk to my senior self I would tell myself to never quit. I would say these exact words, " Don't let whatever is going in your life to ruin your future for college. You still have no responsibilites. In a year you will find yourself with bills, schoolwork work, car payments, and more! Take advantage of the free education you're receiving. College is fun, but alot harder than high school. Do not walk in your freshman year of college with the stain of "senoiritis" from high school still on your hands. Work hard. Ask for help when you need it. Do not procrastinate. All you have is yourself in college. No one is there to make sure you did your work or woke you up for class. It all comes down to the fact that high school is a Right issued by the government and college is a privlege".

I would tell myself, "Scholarships are better than loans." I would have told myself at the beginning of my senior high school track and field career to take care of his hamstrings. The injury to my hamstrings ruined all hopes of me recieving a track and field scholarship. For making the transition to where my school is and where I am from I would bring a much larger supply of warmer clothing.

As a high school senior, I worked very hard to maintain my grades and extracurricular activities, and I believe I did that very successfully. I managed to graduate with a 4.0 GPA, all the while setting up and running my own solo art exhibition. I did not apply to a vast amount of colleges, and some I did apply to were vastly out of my price range for tuition. VCU, in fact, was the only college I could afford easily, largely leading to my decision to attend there. However, regardless of VCU being my "safety" school, I am very happy with my decision. Transitioning was not a difficult process- I live close enough to my home (two hours) to visit when I need to, but far enough away to be successfully independent. The only thing I would advise to myself is to be as open-minded as possible; there are so many new and interesting people to meet at college and those opportunities are easily missed.

I f